VOLUME 22 - NUMBER 2 (August 1999)
THE WORLD CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT
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EVANGELISM VS. EVANGELIZATION
By Albert James Dager
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PART FOUR of Four
DOMINION THEOLOGY
The idea that the world can be turned to Jesus Christ is a fabrication
of
the dominionist mindset of the World Christian Movement's leadership.
And,
again, it is nullified by the Lord's own words:
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is
the gate, and broad is
the way, that leadeth to destruction, and
many there be which go
in thereat: Because
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it. (Matthew
7:13-14)
This last verse, especially, spoken by our Lord Himself, does not allow
for
the world ever being won to Christ. It is the qualifying verse for
all hose
that are stated above, and all others that speak of the condition of
the
world during all time until His return.
All Scriptures that speak of events leading up to the Lord's return
offer no
hope for the vast majority of mankind. Contrary to what is heard in
the
"Christian" media, and promoted by mystical, feelings-oriented movements
that abound today, there is not going to be a revival that will bring
the
world to Christ. The world is, by God's design, under the rulership
of
Satan, and will remain so until the Lord returns. It is our task to
win
those individuals who will be saved through the preaching of the Gospel,
but
it is not our task to insert into every people group a nominal Christian
presence. The "revival" being touted today is not the result of preaching
the Gospel, but of emotional pleas for people to let God do good things
for
them, including saving them from hell.
Since we know from God's Word that evil will abound toward the end and
that
few will be saved, we must reject out of hand the pleas of those within
the
WCM who would commandeer our time, energy and finances to further their
religious agenda based upon the dominionist concept that Christ cannot
return until the Church has established dominion over the nations.
That dominion theology is at the heart of the WCM is evidenced by its
leaders and those whom they cite for justification of their work. In
an
editorial, Ralph D. Winter states:
Don't worry, all of my ideas relate to missions
directly or
indirectly. But that only seems to be true
if you have followed
the breadth of the mission we are talking
about-the depth and
breadth of the arresting phrase in the Lord's
Prayer: "Thy Kingdom
Come, Thy will be done on earth."...
Missions isn't just "over there" on the "mission
field." It is not
as if Satan prowls the whole world but stops
at the U.S. border.
Indeed, missions is essentially the restoration
of God's kingdom
and rule and power on this earth. It involves
the reestablishment
of His glory, of His honor of His control
of things....
This means that we must realize that our mission
is a global
mission not just a "foreign" mission. We must
realize that
stopping evil wherever it is found is part
of that mission. (81)
God's kingdom and rule and power over the earth do not need to be
reestablished. He already has all rule and power over the earth, and
His
Kingdom exists throughout the universe. What Winter and the WCM want
is to
establish the visible manifestation of God's Kingdom on earth. This
means
they must "clean up" society. But that visible manifestation will not
be
realized until Jesus returns. Man's attempt to do for God what God
has not
authorized man to do is presumption and sin.
The dominionist agenda of the WCM is further revealed in Winter's railing
against the government for not spending enough on cancer research,
and
against the evils of gambling, tobacco and cocaine, as if the Church
could
somehow alleviate these problems.
Out of the Lausanne movement, which formed the basis for the World Christian
Movement, has sprung the University of the Nations (UofN), whose goal
is to
disciple the nations for Christ. On the website for the UofN, can be
found
the strategy for that organization headed by Loren Cunningham of YWAM:
The seven spheres of influence described below
will help us shape
societies for Christ. God gave us these handles
to use in carrying
out Matthew 28 and discipling the nations
for Him. We believe He
is wanting all His people to see the importance
of these seven
areas and work in them to extend Christ's
reign throughout the
earth. (82)
The seven spheres of influence follow:
One of the purposes of the UofN in Europe is
to counteract the
influence of these philosophies, promulgated
here on this
continent, which have led the whole world
on a path away from God.
We want to put God back into the centre of
higher education. And
into the centre of the influential sectors
of society, including
the family, the Church, education, government,
the media, the
arts, entertainment and sports, and commerce,
science and
technology. Our goal is not to just make individual
disciples, but
to disciple the nations, to bring God's presence
and ways into
these influential parts of society in every
country.
In order to train Christians to minister effectively
in these
seven influential sectors of society, we have
organised the
University of the Nations into
seven Colleges/Faculties ,
* Christian Ministries -
covering the Church
* Communication - covering
the media
* Counseling and Health
Care - covering the family
* Education - covering education,
* Humanities, and International
Studies - covering government
* The Arts - covering the
arts and entertainment
* Science and Technology
- covering science and technology (83)
The World Christian Movement has a convoluted concept of what Christ
requires of His disciples. By claiming that we are all to become engaged
in
these fields in order to capture them for Christ, the stage is set
for guilt
on the part of those who fail to live up to the demand. It also sets
the
stage for pride in those who do. But so, too, is the concept of Christ's
sacrifice convoluted by some within the movement. Under the heading
for The
Media we read:
Pick your least favourite news reporter. Get
his or her face
firmly in your mind. Then realise that this
is a person for whom
Jesus Christ hung on the cross-this is an
individual worth the
sacrifice of the Son of God. (84)
Did you catch it? This is the basis for the neo-evangelical gospel:
that all
men are "worth" the sacrifice of God's Son. But if we are all worthy
of His
sacrifice, where does God's grace come in?
No one is worthy of Christ's sacrifice. We are all unworthy; that's
the
essence of the Gospel: that while we were yet sinners Christ died for
us
(Romans 5:8).
We were alienated from God, worthy of death and destruction, not worthy
of
His dying for us. The neo-evangelical gospel is at the root of dominion
theology as espoused by the World Christian Movement.
As we look at the various organizations involved in the WCM we find
that
many are youth oriented, seeking to mobilize teenagers to accomplish
their
goal of world dominion. One such is TeenMania, a charismatic outreach
known
for its "Acquire the Fire" conventions, headed by Ron Luce.
Acquire the Fire is
a mega-gathering of thousands of teenagers
throughout North America, who have a burning
desire to change the
world. At Acquire the Fire conventions, teens
and adults alike are
challenged to live radically on the edge of
Christianity
throughout their teen years and the rest of
their lives!
Acquire the Fire
conventions present the gospel in a relevant
format that will radically change the lives
of all those present.
Prepare yourself for a live praise & worship
band, live comedy
sketches, video roll-ins on huge, mammoth
video screens and
pyrotechnic "bombs" igniting throughout the
convention!
This year, more than 125,000 teens are expected
to attend ATF
conventions. Don't be left out, this convention
is intense!85
This is how virtually all youth-oriented "ministries" present their
form of
gospel: flash-bang, emotion-driven attempts to garner "decisions" for
Christ
and for entering into the organization's "ministry." In order to enter
into
the ministry laid out for them, teenagers must take oaths such as
TeenMania's WorldChanger 2000 Oath:
I am determined to have passion for the Almighty
God and to use
that passion for His cause.
I will love all, honor all, and lead all I
can to Him.
I am determined to keep my relationship with
Jesus alive by
keeping my quiet times.
I commit to defend God's cause by being active
in Bible Study, my
church, and my youth group.
I commit my mind to God and my courtship to purity.
I am determined to honor my parents and to
be accountable to Godly
friendships.
I refuse to live in slow-motion because I am
determined to live a
life of worship and holy actions. I commit
to reach out through
missions while I am a teenager.
I will start a revolution in my hometown. I
am determined to stand
up, shout loud, sweat hard, pour out, give
all, love, live,
breath, and die if I must for the one who
died for me.
I am a WorldChanger. (86 )
This one-size-fits-all oath is a recipe for disaster, disappointment,
humiliation, guilt and pride. Scripture forbids us to take oaths, but
that
doesn't stop those bent on manipulating others to further some religious
agenda. And not even the elders of the Church are expected to do all
that is
required of these kids; how much less teenagers who have not even reached
the point of full understanding and maturity?
No one can determine to have passion for God; either he has it or he
doesn't. A momentary response to an emotional plea means nothing. And
God
has not called children to "start a revolution" in their hometown.
As far as honoring one's parents, that's fine. But what if one's parents
don't want him involved in this movement? How does one honor
his parents
and disobey them? Suppose one's parents don't want him to go to the
mission
field while he is a teenager? Yet that is part of the oath according
to "The
Ten Challenges of a WorldChanger":
A WorldChanger goes on a mission trip while
he is still a
teenager.87
TeenMania is not merely an organization unto itself, but a network of
youth
ministries from around the United States, touching many churches through
their dynamic use of youth-oriented attractions. It also links with
other
similar organizations designed to mobilize youth for the "Cause of
Christ":
Christian dominion over the nations.
Kaleidoscopic Global Action Plan
Out of the Lausanne GCOWE has also come a think tank called a "Working
Group
on A Kaleidoscopic Global Action Plan" that was formally commissioned
by the
GCOWE 2000 conveners in September 1988. Out of that working group there
was
developed the "Kaleidoscopic Global Action Plan," a document "compiled
from
the writings, statements, positions, conversations, discussions,
suggestions, proposals, ideas, and interactions" of its members.
The members of the Working Group were: David B. Barrett; Jay E. Gary;
H.
Vinson Synan; Todd M. Johnson; Leslie Brierley; Patrick J. Johnstone;
Gary
K. Clark; John S. Mbiti; Tom Forrest, CSsR; James W. Reapsome; V. David
Garrison; Lamin Sanneh; and Manuel J. Gaxiola.88
Tom Forrest is a Roman Catholic priest heavily involved in the ecumenical
deception of the Vatican. H. Vinson Synan is a well-known ecumenical
charismatic. Jay Gary is an ecumenical proponent of the United Nations
whose
beliefs closely align with New Age philosophy. John Mbiti, from Kenya,
is
working with Global Mapping International to compile African proverbs
for
integration into evangelization efforts. All in the Working Group are
ecumenical toward the Vatican and/or liberal "Christianity," several
leaning
toward social reform as essential to their plan.
To demonstrate the influence of these men, it is stated in the Kaleidoscopic
Global Action Plan (KGAP):
All the members of this group were widely-experienced
theologians,
missiologists, or church or mission executives.
Each of them has
written or published extensively on and around
our subject for a
total of 280 years (an average of 21.5 years
each).89
The Kaleidoscopic Global Action Plan consists of "109 ideas or concrete
proposals for overcoming present barriers to world evangelization."90
The
formulators for the KGAP state that they are not proposing a new global
plan
from scratch, but are building on the current status and existing plans
of
78 global mega-plans and 33 global giga-plans, as well as the rest
of some
2000 plans in total, as sketched out in the book, Seven Hundred Plans
to
Evangelize the World: the Rise of a Global Evangelization Movement
(Barrett
and Reapsome, pub. by New Hope, 1988)
. In the Introduction to the KGAP list of goals, we read:
If we are to have any impact on the complex
world revealed by our
diagrams and statistics, we must target and
focus on a small
number of sharply-defined, reasonably achievable,
concrete goals.
We propose that the Great Commission decision-makers
think in
terms of a short list of 200 global goals.
Listed below is a
selection of 186 or so such goals. You the
reader, with your own
interests, can add the remaining 14 or so
from your own immediate
concerns and priorities. Don't forget to ensure
that the goals you
add are each actually achievable (if we really
tried) by AD 2000!
The listing is a collective compilation of
final goals put forward
by agencies and protagonists, in most cases
separately. A certain
number appear secular or are goals of secular
organizations but
are being pressed by top executives in them
who are committed
Christians. Each goal is considered to be
a final closure goal to
complete an aspect of world evangelization
by AD 2000 and to keep
it completed beyond. In most cases, the phrase
"by AD 2000" can be
understood to mean "By AD 2000 and Beyond.
Each goal therefore is
based on a different or even unique definition
of what it would
mean to complete the unfinished task of the
Christian world
mission. Each represents a statement of what
closure means in one
or more of the 300 different and distinct
dimensions of the
concept "evangelization" and how it is measured
and quantified.
Together these goals take aim at the same
overall target,
expressed in the watchword "World Evangelization
by AD 2000 &
Beyond."...
Christians can react to these goals in a variety
of ways. We have
2 recommendations:
(1) that we Great Commission Christians decide,
announce and
proclaim that all
of these goals are our legitimate goals, and
that we intend to press for the implementation
of all of them; and
(2) that individual Christians, groups, churches,
organizations,
or agencies select one or more of the goals
and concentrate on
implementing just these, in collaboration
with other Great
Commission Christians and agencies which have
similar goals.91
(emphasis ours)
We cannot disagree with all of the goals set forth in the KGAP, but
many of
them reach far beyond what the Lord has commanded and are even ominous,
revealing the liberal social consciousness of many in the WCM. The
overall
tenor of these goals is dominionist, some being secular, some being
spiritual, focusing on prayer, praise and worship, such as:
1. Establish 15,000 prayer movements by 1995
in every city over
50,000 population and on all 15,000 university
campuses,
evangelizing the urban and academic worlds
by. 2000.
2. Enlist, by AD 2000, 30 million Christians
to pray fill-tune
every day for world evangelization, through
a globally organized
network of young pacesetter intercessors to
cover all countries,
cities, peoples, topics, needs, and persons....
4. Enthuse all prayer-oriented or contemplative
brothers and
sisters, monks and nuns, to regain past monastic
enthusiasm for
world evangelization and to rededicate monasteries
and convents
worldwide by 2000 to prayer support for the
Great Commission
task....
10. Link the world's 350 million Christian-owned
computers by AD
2000 into one single global giga-network to
facilitate Great
Commission information exchange.
This ambitious proposal (#10) seems harmless enough even desirable.
Imagine
how the Gospel could be furthered through such a network. However,
consider
that among the "350 million Christian-owned" computers are those that
are in
the hands of aberrant "Christian" religions and movements. Many belong
to
the Roman Catholic Church, and only the Lord knows to whom else.
13. Support research and development of alternative
energy sources
including solar power.
This is fine for individuals, but should the resources of the Body of
Christ
be used to advance technological achievements as part of a perceived
mandate
for "evangelization" of the world?
16. Pursue systematic region-by-region dialogue
with the world's
organized atheists, agnostics, non-believers,
and nonreligious, as
well as with the great non-Christian world
religions and newer
cults and religious movements, so that all
may genuinely
understand each other's position and the full
message of Christ
may be fully understood in all these contexts
by 2000.
Again, dialogue is a two-way street. Why is it necessary to "genuinely
understand" each other's position? We already know that they are lost
without Christ. If it is to convert them, dialogue isn't going to do
it.
Nowhere in Scripture are we encouraged to bring false belief systems
together for understanding. This is a New Age concept designed to bring
about "unity in diversity." And how can the full message of Christ
be "fully
understood in all these contexts"? The message of Christ is not understood
in any context but the Word of God. This proposal reveals the WCM's
belief
that the Gospel is found in all the world's religions. Only here it
is
extended to atheism and agnosticism!
20. List all negative factors holding up world
evangelization,
target them, and make it increasingly difficult
for them to
continue uninterrupted.
This is one of those ominous proposals. Since the WCM can't possibly
interfere with Red China's (or any other major power for that matter)
hindrance of evangelization, it stands to reason that the WCM must
focus on
lesser elements that they believe are hindering the attainment of their
goals. Perhaps they might make it increasingly difficult for individuals
and
small organizations to continue uninterrupted? And how might they go
about
that task?
22. Redistribute the great majority of Christian
resources of
manpower, money, and methods across the world's
unevangelized
peoples and cities strictly according to need
by 2000.
How might the WCM redistribute our physical efforts, our money and our
methods to the unevangelized peoples and cities? Why cities? It appears
as
if the WCM has a socialist agenda in the works. It is not up to any
organization or movement to "redistribute" anything that belongs to
someone
else. We must each stand before the Lord to account for what we do
with what
He has given us. His Word forbids compulsion as an incentive for giving.
Understand that, according to the WCM, "Christian" means anything that
is
nominally Christian. The United States is a "Christian" nation because
the
majority of its citizens claim to be Christian. Therefore, the resources
of
the United States must be redistributed to the governments of unevangelized
peoples. This proposal fits well into the plans of the New World Order
for
redistribution of wealth.
23. Monitor and encourage a final massive attempt
by AD 2000 at
the promotion of human development in all
its forms worldwide as
an integral part of world evangelization.
This is another secular, New Age proposal. Human development "in all
its
forms" includes psychological wellbeing, self-actualization, high
self-esteem, and myriad other psychological attainments that have nothing
to
do with holiness and genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
The liberal social proposals go so far as to encourage dialogue and
cooperation with other religions, environmental groups and the United
Nations:
25. Feed and nourish the world's 600 million
persons on the verge
of starvation both now and up to and during
the year 2000 and see
that they continue to live nourished lives
thereafter.
27. Support WHO (World Health Organization)
goal of safe drinking
water for every soul on Earth by 2000 and
beyond.
29. Abolish the global state of absolute poverty
(per capita daily
income of under US$1) by AD 2000 through massive
redistribution
everywhere of national and international wealth,
certainly by all
Christian denominations and agencies, also
by secular
organizations persuaded by Christian activists
within them.
30. Raise the physical quality of life of all
disadvantaged
peoples of Earth to a livable level by 2000
and even higher levels
beyond.
31. See the establishing of an international
system of
environmental accounts leading to positive
action to improve the
human condition.
32. See in each nation by 2000 the creating
of plans for the
sustainable use of its land.
33. Aid bodies working for reduction in rates
of fossil fuel use
to reverse global warming and environmental
degradation.
34. Support WHO goal "Global Health for All by the Year 2000."
36. See every nation by AD 2000 reduce its
infant mortality rate
below 25 deaths per 1000 live births, its
population growth rate
to less than 1% per year, and increase its
life expectancy to over
70 years.
37. Support UNICEF (United Nations International
Children's
Education Fund) goal to halve child deaths
(38,000 a day in 1988)
by 1997, then continuing to decrease by 2000
and beyond.
Other secular pursuits include:
* Supporting WHO goal to increase worldwide immunization
to 100%
* A final negotiated settlement to end the homeless status
of all
refugees
* Eliminate poverty housing
* Support UNESCO goal to increase adult literacy to 100%
* Monitor the status of human rights in every country
* Articulate and support codes of ethics for international
business and
other spheres affecting world evangelization.
_ Monitor, with the aid
of Amnesty International and others, the status
of state-sanctioned
police/military torture in all countries
* Abolish tobacco use
* A massive worldwide Christian movement opposing and
outlawing all war,
warfare, mass-destruction weapons, militarization,
para-militarization,
arms sales, arms traders, death squads, and
all indiscriminate mass
killings
* Throw the whole weight of Christian motivation behind
the
environmentalist goal of halting global warming
by planting 15 billion
new trees on Earth each year from 1990-2005
All noble pursuits. But they essentially require that God's people join
hands with anti-Christ organizations such as the UN to accomplish them.
This
reveals the influence of Working Group member Jay Gary, whose ties
to the UN
and New Age philosophy are revealed in our special report Celebration
2000.
And how can these goals be accomplished unless the WCM's movers and
shakers
are heading up the governments of the world or, at least, are influential
in
those governments?
Poverty, starvation and their attendant evils are not economic problems.
They are problems of governments that keep their subjects in poverty
in
order to justify their requests for foreign aid. That foreign aid is
then
used to further bolster the government's power and keep the elite living
a
lavish lifestyle. These and all such problems with governments will
not be
solved until Jesus returns to establish His rule over them.
That the World Christian Movement believes that it has God's mandate
to
alleviate the world's problems is a testimony to how far it is removed
from
the purity of the Gospel.
Along the spiritual vein, the KGAP reveals its bent toward the charismatic
"signs and wonders" movement:
109. See the decade of 1990-2000 close as having
been the greatest
decade in Christian history for signs and
wonders, miracles,
conversions, evangelism and evangelization;
with the greatest sign
or wonder being Christians loving one another
and gathering in
unity everywhere.
110. Enable 300,000 itinerant charismatic evangelists
to target
unevangelized cities, countries, and peoples
by 2000,
demonstrating power evangelism (John Wimber's
term), power
healing, power intercession, and power encounters.
112. Deliberately exercise power evangelism
in the world's least
evangelized and most hostile environments
so that by AD 2000 power
Christianity (gifted ministries of signs and
wonders) is not
enjoyed solely in Christian lands.
This is John Wimber's agenda which has gained a foothold among a vast
number
of churches beyond the Vineyard movement. (For an expose' of Wimber's
false
theology and methodologies see our special report
The Vineyard .)
There are many other proposals in the Kaleidoscopic Global Action Plan
with
which we find strong disagreement. These few are enough to make any
discerning Christian think carefully before involving himself in the
World
Christian Movement.
THE WORLD PRAYER CENTER
Of late the focus on the WCM's dominionist agenda has spread from U.S.
Center for World Missions in Pasadena, California, to The World Prayer
Center, affiliate of Global Harvest Ministries, headed by C. Peter
Wagner in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. The World Prayer Center (WPC) is headed
by C.
Peter Wagner, Ted Haggard and Chuck Pierce (whom Charisma magazine
calls
"God's Generals"). It is touted as the "Pentagon of modern Christianity,"
"God's Air Command," and other militaristic nomenclatures. According
to the
World Prayer Center Web site:
The World Prayer Center is a communications
center, serving the
Church throughout the world by linking prayer
requests, practical
needs, and reporting evangelistic breakthroughs.
It will collect
and compile requests from every continent
as national prayer
centers re port what God is doing and how
His people ought to
pray. Dr. Peter Wagner says, "We see our task
as getting people in
touch with one another to form interactive,
human web networks
that are properly equipped to wage effective
spiritual warfare."
The physical facility, located in Colorado
Springs, will include
the latest telecommunications system. It will
also contain
interactive touch screen monitors, prayer
rooms, a spiritual
mapping repository, classrooms, a large auditorium,
and a
bookstore containing the world's largest collection
of prayer and
spiritual warfare material....
Never in the history of the Church has it been
possible to link
believers throughout the world. The coordinated
prayers of God's
people will be concentrated on His objectives.
The World Prayer
Center will provide daily reports that will
help prayer teams
respond to rapid changes throughout the world
and to mobilize
believers in effective global intercessory
prayer....
Since prayer is the precursor to every great
move of God, a fully
equipped nerve center with data and information
about prayer needs
throughout the world will enable intercessors
to pray
intelligently. The World Prayer Center networks
prayer ministries,
denominations, churches and cell groups. This
creates a united
prayer front that will end Satan's attempt
to divide and isolate
believers, and to blind so many to the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.92
The World Prayer Center was built largely through the contributions
of
Pastor Ted Haggard's New Life Church which neighbors the Center.
According to the "Generals," the purpose of the Center is to wage spiritual
warfare against principalities and powers that control cities, states
and
nations. It is their belief that if enough Christians engage in their
charismatic form of "spiritual warfare" the nations will be turned
to God.
About Wagner, J. Lee Grady, writing in
Charisma , states:
If the World Prayer Center is a spiritual version
of the Pentagon,
then Wagner is the church's Norman Schwartzkopf.
. . And now that
his command center is built, he's ready to
launch his own
spiritual version of Operation Desert
Storm.
Wagner's military strategy is calculated and
convincing: He
believes that in order to secure success for
the "ground
troops"-the missionaries, pastors and churches
working on the
front lines-there must be an "air force" that
provides protection
as well as strategic information about spiritual
enemies....
"I believe Luke 10:19 in a literal sense, Wagner
told Charisma
during a recent interview, referring to the
verse in which Jesus
says He has given the church authority over
Satan. "Jesus has
given us authority over all the power of the
enemy, so I believe
we have authority over all levels of the demonic."93
Wagner believes that, based on his understanding of this and other verses
of
Scripture, united Christian prayer will cause the demons to surrender,
and
victory over the nations will ensue.
Housed in a 55,000 square-foot building, the World Prayer Center is
home to
the Observatory Research Center, which houses an enormous "spiritual
mapping" system. That system is designed to compile in its computers
the
largest collection of data on evangelization ever assembled.
Spiritual mapping
Spiritual mapping is a term coined in 1991 by George Otis, Jr. Art Moore,
writing in Christianity Today, says:
Spiritual mapping, says Otis, president of
the research agency the
Sentinel Group, is nothing more ethereal than
creating a spiritual
profile of a community based on careful research.
It is a tool, he
says, for intelligent prayer aimed at opening
spiritually blind
eyes to the gospel.
Otis poured seven years of global research
into his new book, The
Twilight Labyrinth: Why Does Spiritual Darkness
Linger Where It
Does?
(Chosen Books). He has identified 15 "transformed
communities," of which 14 incorporated spiritual
mapping. Two
factors present in all 15, Otis says, are
"persevering leadership"
and "united prayer." Commitment is the key,
he says. "God didn't
move in Hemet until Bob [Bennett] bought a
burial plot in the
city."
Otis has developed a 28-stage scale to measure
the progress of a
community from the "spiritual beachhead" phase
to "spiritual
breakthrough" to "spiritual transformation."
Spiritual mapping
does not begin until stage nine, Otis points
out. "When you reach
that point you have a core of intercessors
in a community really
petitioning God for a visitation," he says....
To explain the burial plot thing, a "World Christian" (someone involved
in
the WCM) must have a "commitment" in an area, such as a burial plot,
home,
job, etc., in order for God to work there.
Though it still raises many eye brows among
evangelicals,
spiritual mapping is gaining broader acceptance,
as evidenced by
the AD 2000 United Prayer Track's Spiritual
Mapping Division,
which Otis heads. United Prayer Track coordinator
C. Peter Wagner
teaches a class on spiritual mapping at Fuller
Theological
Seminary....
Many of spiritual mapping's detractors have
less of a problem with
spiritual mapping than with its most common
applications,
"strategic-level warfare"-defined by Wagner
as discerning and
praying against territorial spirits assigned
to a community -and
"identificational repentance."94
Spiritual mapping is nothing more than keeping data on the beliefs of
people
according to geographic areas. The purpose at the WPC, however, is
to
disseminate information to its constituents so that they may engage
in
unbiblical forms of "spiritual warfare."
A good account of spiritual mapping was reported by Damon Adams in the
south
Florida Sun Sentinel through interviews with local leaders in the movement:
In the hopes of removing sin's grip on South
Florida, [Pastor
Jonathan] Benz and others at Covenant Community
Church in Palm
Beach Gardens are waging spiritual warfare.
The name of their weapon: spiritual mapping,
a practice of
pinpointmg and praying over geographic areas
considered Satan's
strongholds. Though rare, it is gaining acceptance
among more
evangelical Christians.
Through newspaper clippings, local history
and other research, a
community's spiritual profile is compiled.
Areas thick with crime
and other problems are marked, sometimes with
pins, as trouble
spots. Once the area is mapped, the faithful
pray for it,
oftentimes going to the site for prayer.
"With mapping, you can identify where places
of prostitution are,
drug dealing, murders. When you look at that,
it allows you to
pray more strategically," said Benz, pas tor
of prayer and
outreach at Covenant Community Church. "It
gives you an idea why
darkness congregates in certain areas."
Believers say spiritual mapping is gaining
worldwide interest,
primarily with conservative Christians. In
November 1997, more
than 400 people attended the first International
Consultation on
Spiritual Mapping in Tacoma, Wash. Books on
mapping, such as C.
Peter Wagner's Breaking Strongholds
in Your City , can be ordered
on the Internet. And this year, the World
Prayer Center, a hub
promoting global prayer networks, opened in
Colorado Springs to
provide information on how to map.
"If you have more information about an area,
you're able to pray
with more clarity, direction, understanding
and focus," said
Derrick Trimble, curator of the spiritual
mapping repository at
the World Prayer Center."95
The World Prayer Center is giving spiritual mapping a tremendous lift
through its database designed to provide the spiritual climate of not
only
nations, states and cities, but down to blocks and individual residences:
Thus we need help to network or initiate research
efforts
throughout the U.S. That will track people
down to specific
addresses, block by block.96
Through a spiritual census, then, it is planned that every home - first
in
the United States and then worldwide - will have its beliefs cataloged
in
the WPC's computers. Their computers are linked with those of Global
Mapping
International (GMI), founded by Robert Waymire in 1983 on the campus
of the
U.S. Center for World Mission. GMI is now also located in Colorado
Springs.
It is the goal of the WPC and GMI to link all 330,000 churches in North
America to their databases, and then all the churches in the world.
Thus
far, over 100,000 are linked. Eventually, churches working with the
WPC will
provide information on their members to aid in global spiritual mapping.
What will this mean in terms of the WCM's design to identify and remove
obstacles to its idea of evangelization?
The concept of spiritual warfare in which the leaders of the WCM and
the WPC
engage is fantasy, largely influenced by the fiction of Frank Peretti,
whose
This Present Darkness is among the all-time best-sellers. (See our
special
report, This Present Darkness: Spiritual
Warfare Fact or Fantasy? )
With all the hoopla, sweat, screaming, wailing and jumping up and down
that
has gone on over the spiritual plight of cities these past several
years
there isn't a single one that has been won to Christ. And there won't
be
any. These efforts create nothing but black holes that suck up Christians'
time, energy and money while exalting the leaders as God's anointed
apostles
and prophets.
Some point to the recent decline in crime statistics in the United States
as
proof that the Church's prayers are being effectual. But the nation
has had
such declines in the past without all the clamoring we hear today.
Recent
news on the reduction in crime statistics make this claim a joke were
it not
grounded in the tragedy of abortion. Two widely respected researchers
into
the declining crime rate in the U.S. have come to the startling conclusion
that legalizing abortion in the 1970s has reduced the number of potential
criminals in the 1990s. Their findings, summarized in a report entitled
"Legalized Abortion and Crime," resulted from three academic workshops
at
Harvard, the University of Chicago and Stanford.
The authors emphasize that their findings do
not constitute an
endorsement of abortion, and say their research
was motivated by a
desire to discover the forces responsible
for reducing crime.
In particular, they said, they hoped that research
into the
reasons for the decline in crime would avert
needless public
spending on ineffective programs.
But they concede their paper may be attacked
as suggesting that
abortion has a beneficial social effect or
that certain groups
should be encouraged to have abortions, an
idea they insist they
do not advocate....
When told of the paper, David O'Steen, executive
director of the
National Right to Life Committee in Washington
D.C., called the
thesis bizarre.
"You mean killing unborn babies in the '70s
led people in the '90s
to do less shoplifting?" O'Steen asked.
However, the findings are not that simplistic.
In their 45-page analysis, the authors detail
the following
findings:
* The timing of the crime drop in the 1990s coincides with
the period
roughly 20 years after the Supreme Court's
landmark 1973 decision in
Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion nationwide.
Thus, the children who
would have been born if the pregnancies had
not been terminated would
have reached the peak ages for criminal activity,
roughly ages 18 to
24, in this decade.
* The five states that legalized abortion in the three
years before the
Supreme Court decision experienced drops in
property crimes, violent
crimes and murder before the other states.
* Places with high abortion rates in the 1970s experienced
big drops in
crime in the 1990s, even when accounting for
a wide variety of forces
that influence crime, such as income, racial
composition and
incarceration levels. Both individual states
and multistate regions
with higher abortion rates in the first three
years after Roe vs. Wade
later saw greater decreases in crime.... Every
10 percent increase in
abortion in the years they studied later led
to about a 1 percent
decrease in crime, the authors found.97
While the dominionists wish to point to the decrease in crime, they
must
also admit that abortion - once a crime itself-is no longer counted
in the
statistics. How many multi-millions of crimes would we have to add
to the
list if they were counted as murder?
Most of the "proof' offered as evidence that the charismatic prayer
program
is changing cities is centered on the enthusiasm generated by the leaders
of
the movement within the hearts of their church members:
* The building of the WPC
* The number of spiritual warfare conferences being held
* The increase in publications devoted to prayer and fasting
* Prayer walks
* Houses of Prayer
* More Christian intercessors
* Reconciliation of pastors to pastors
* Reconciliation of pastors to members
* Charismatic-non-charismatic reconciliation
* Ethnic reconciliation in the churches
* Male-female reconciliation
This last one is evidenced by the fact that women are becoming more
equitable partners in ministry (female pastors and teachers) In truth,
some
of the "proofs," if traced to their end results will be found contrary
to
God's Word.
WHERE ROMAN CATHOLICISM FITS IN
The dominionist mandate of the World Christian Movement is not a new
thing.
It is the same mandate claimed by the Roman Catholic Church, whose
head, the
pope, is believed to be the "Vicar of Christ" on earth. This title
is not
given to one who merely represents Christ on earth-all true believers
do
that. No, it is given to one who it is believed replaces Christ on
earth.
By this I mean that the pope is said to replace Christ as the visible
head
of the Kingdom of God over the nations of the earth. According to Roman
Catholic teaching, Christ's Kingdom resides in the apostolic succession
of
the pope, believed to be the spiritual descendant of the Apostle Peter.
Since Jesus told Peter that He was giving to him the keys to the kingdom
of
heaven, the Catholic Church claims that those keys reside with every
pope
throughout the centuries since.
This is played down in today's ecumenical climate. But the evidence
is found
in the fact that the Roman Catholic Church is the only religious body
whose
headquarters is recognized by virtually all nations as an independent
political state, and to whom they send their ambassadors. The Vatican
was
given its independence by Mussolini for the Papacy's promise not to
interfere with his rise to power.
For centuries the Roman Catholic Church was the most visible representative
of what passed as Christianity. Its power over governments, inherited
through the military power of the Roman Empire kept it entrenched as
the
authority over the heads of Europe and their colonized nations. With
the
16th century Reformation that power was greatly weakened. Since that
time
the Roman Catholic Church has sought to reestablish its authority over
the
earth's governments. But first it must reestablish its authority over
the
earth's professing believers in Jesus.
Having failed to accomplish this through pogroms of persecution, torture
and
death, and having lost its political power to a great degree, the Roman
Catholic Church has for some time sought to woo what it calls its "separated
brethren" back into its fold through a more benevolent approach its
ecumenical outreach developed through the Vatican II Council.
To begin, we should review what Vatican II says about ecumenism:
Bishops should show affectionate consideration
in their relations
with the separated brethren and should urge
the faithful also to
exercise all kindness and charity in their
regard, encouraging
ecumenism as it is understood by the Church.98
The key phrase in this statement is "as it is understood by the Church."
How
the Roman Catholic Church understands ecumenism is different from how
others
might understand it:
The term "ecumenical movement" indicates the
initiatives and
activities encouraged and organized, according
to the various
needs of the Church and as opportunities offer,
to promote
Christian unity.99
To the papacy the purpose of the ecumenical movement is to benefit the
Roman
Catholic Church (by bringing the "separated brethren" under papal
authority):
This sacred Council urges the faithful to abstain
from any
frivolous or imprudent zeal, for these can
cause harm to true
progress toward unity. Their ecumenical activity
cannot be other
than fully and sincerely Catholic, that is,
loyal to the truth we
have received from the Apostles and the Fathers,
and in harmony
with the faith which the Catholic Church has
always professed, and
at the same time tending toward that fullness
in which our Lord
wants his Body to grow in the course of time.
100
This is no secret among non-Catholic leaders who give the impression
that
Roman Catholicism is just another Christian denomination. There have
been
many expose's on the subject; it has been explained to them. So why
do we
see the World Christian Movement treating Roman Catholic missions as
valid
elements of their movement?
Thomas Wang, writing in Perspectives, lists several evangelistic efforts
through which he finds encouragement. Among them are: Charismatic
Initiatives, "attended by 30 charismatic leaders from a wide spectrum
of
denominations including Roman Catholics, from many parts of the world";
Evangelization 2000, headed by Tom Forrest, the Redemptorist priest;
and
Pentecost '87, "A National Satellite Celebration of Catholic Evangelization"
which took place in June, 1987.101
Also writing in Perspectives, R. Pierce Beaver champions the "great
and
courageous innovators of the 17th-century, the Jesuits." He speaks
glowingly
of how Catholic priests "supervised" Christian Indians in the New World,
"christianizing" folk festivals, and introducing "Christian" (read,
Catholic) feasts and fasts to them.102
Kenneth Scott Latourette follows suit with his contribution to Perspectives.
Speaking of the rise of Christianity during the first five centuries,
Latourette credits Roman Catholicism with a noble attempt to instill
conduct
along the lines that Jesus taught:
By its discipline the Catholic Church as well
as some of the
bodies which dissented from it attempted to
bring the conduct of
its members towards an approximation of what
Jesus had taught. As
hundreds of thousands flocked into the Church
and, in spite of the
efforts of many zealous clergy, the lives
of most Christians were
not much if any better than those of the adherents
of the
surviving remnants of paganism, monasticism
arose.103
Latourette also credits Roman Catholic theology and liturgy with stimulating
piety among the faithful after the rise of pragmatism in the West:
Although it suffered losses, some of them serious,
in general
Christianity rose to the challenge. The Roman
Catholic Church
displayed features which had characterized
it in the nineteenth
century. Many of its hereditary constituency
had their allegiance
weakened or dissolved, but those who remained
were more nearly
consolidated under the Papacy. The See of
Peter had a succession
of able, upright men. There was fresh intellectual
activity,
especially in theology. The liturgical movement,
Eucharistic
congresses, and other developments stimulated
piety.... Through
the Ecumenical Movement it developed an expanding
fresh approach
towards Christian unity. 104
Notice that Latourette validates the Roman Catholic Church's claim that
its
oversight is "the See of Peter"! If he is not a Roman Catholic, he
is
certainly a good candidate to become one.
C. Peter Wagner credits the Catholic charismatic movement with revival
Latin
America:
Traditionally, the message of the Gospel in
Latin America has
appealed to the working class. But changes
have begun to take
place, and many middle and upper-class people
are now opening
their hearts to Jesus Christ. Some of this
is happening through
the Catholic charismatic movement.105
What Wagner doesn't tell us is that the Catholic charismatic movement
in
Latin America (and elsewhere) prays to Mary "in the Spirit," opposes
true
evangelical Christianity, and keeps the people bound to the false gospel
and
idolatry of Romanism. Throughout the Perspectives Reader Winter equates
Roman Catholicism with Christianity and extols its virtues, particularly
the
monastic structures:
... the monasteries were uniformly the source
and the real focus
point of new energy and vitality which flowed
into the diocesan
side of the Christian movement. We think of
the momentous Cluny
reform, then the Cistercians, then the Friars,
and finally the
Jesuits-all of them strictly sodalities, but
sodalities which
contributed massively to the building and
the rebuilding of the
Corpus Cristianum [the Body of Christ, the
network of diocese,
which Protestants often identify as "the"
Christian movement.
At many points there was rivalry between these
two structures,
between bishop and abbot, diocese and monastery,
modality and
sodality, but the great achievement of the
Medieval period is the
ultimate synthesis, delicately achieved, whereby
Catholic orders
were able to function along with Catholic
parishes and diocese
without the two structures conflicting with
each other to the
point of a setback to the movement. The harmony
between the
modality and the sodality achieved by the
Roman Church is perhaps
the most significant characteristic of this
phase of the world
Christian movement and continues to be Rome's
greatest
organizational advantage to this day. 106
Notice, in this glowing report on the Roman Catholic system, Winter
credits
it with being part of the World Christian Movement. Is it any wonder,
then,
that Roman Catholic influences over nations and individuals is not
deemed a
target for spiritual warfare?
The idolatry of other religious systems make those systems targets for
the
World Prayer Center's "strategic warfare." But the idolatry of Roman
Catholicism is regarded as acceptable, not needing the attention of
these
''prayer warriors."
The real dichotomy in the World Christian Movement is its insistence
that
Christians must make the Gospel relevant to the culture to which it
is
taken, even to the point of incorporating pagan ritual by "christianizing"
it. Yet is insists that it has discovered the means to overcome spiritual
darkness: spiritual mapping and concentrated prayer. At the same time,
it
embraces the darkness of Roman Catholicism, which is bent on world
conquest.
In fact, Wagner accepts Roman Catholic countries as "Christian":
Probably the first Asian nation to become predominantly
Christian
will be Korea (with the exception of the Philippines
which is
already about 85 percent nominal Catholic.)
107
Wagner credits Paul Yonggi Cho with spearheading the move of Korea toward
Christian nation status.
SUMMARY
It is evident that the World Christian Movement is largely controlled
by
charismatic elements whose trust for victory is in the signs and wonders
movement, and other spiritual deceptions. Yet as sinister as many elements
of the World Christian Movement sound, we cannot neglect the fact that
there
is a definite zeal, however misdirected, among the grassroots populous
involved. Many genuine brethren are following the only course set before
them by their leaders. It would be good to see as much zeal among those
who
recognize the errors of the WCM, yet do nothing themselves to reach
out to
the lost. We can certainly take heart that God uses even the works
of the
flesh to accomplish His purposes in the hearts of those whom He has
chosen.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that many souls will be genuinely
saved
through the efforts of some involved in the WCM. Yet we cannot remain
blind
to the fact that there is a great deception underfoot, as prophesied
by
Jesus in Matthew 24:24.
For such a deception to take hold, it is necessary that it appear not
only
Christian, but biblical in most respects. It is a deception that will
lead
many into the anti-Christ's lap, largely through the efforts of his
false
prophet.
I am convinced that there is a Vatican Fifth Column at work within the
Christian community. Those involved present themselves as Protestants
or
other types of Christians, but they are working for the Vatican's
counter-reformation efforts.
Do not be deceived by outward evidences of signs and wonders, calls
for
Christian unity, or even the extolling of the virtues of Jesus.
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be
according to their works.
(2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
You, if you are involved in any of the movements associated with the
World
Christian Movement, are you absolutely certain that you are serving
God in
truth, and are not being led into deception? And on what are you basing
your
judgment? On the perceived "holiness" of its leaders? On the "good
works" to
which they testify? On the results (if it works it must be of God)?
Or are
you sufficiently versed in Scripture to be able to discern truth from
error?
Think about it. As Jesus said about the great deception, "Behold, I
have
told you before." *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES
81. Ralph D. Winter, "Reflections on World Missions," Mission Frontiers,
May
18, 1998
82. "Discipling the Nations, Seven influential sectors of society hold
the
keys", UofN Lausanne. http://www.uofn.ch/lausanne/society.htm
83. "What is the University of the Nations" UofN Lausanne,
http://www.uofn.ch.lausanne/uofn.htm
84. "Discipling the Nations," Op. Cit.
85. "Welcome!" Acquire the Fire Convention website,
http://www.Acquirethefire.org/
86. "WorldChanger Oath", http://www.teenmania.org/wc2000/oath.html
87. "The Ten Challenges of a WorldChanger,'
http://www.teenmania.org/wc2000/tenchallenges.html
88. Kaleidoscopic Global Action Plan (1990 Global Evangelization Movement).
89. Ibid.
90. Ibid.
91. Ibid.
92. "What is the World Prayer Center?", World Prayer Center Website,
http://www.wpccs.org/
93. J. Lee Grady, "God's Air Command, Charisma , May, 1999, p.72.
94. Art Moore, "Spiritual Mapping Gains Credibility Among Leaders,"
Christianity Today
, January 12,1998 Vol.42, No.1, Page 55.
95. Damon Adams, "Ministries using prayers to wipe sin off the map,"
South
Florida Sun Sentinel, December 26,1998.
96. Mission Frontiers, Jan-Feb, 1996, p.18.
97. Karen Brandon, "Drop in crime is linked to legal abortion, scholars
say," Chicago Tribune, reprinted in the Seattle Times, August 8, 1999,
p.
A1.
98. Vatican II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, Austin
Flannery,
O.P., ed. (Northport, NY: Costello Publishing Co., 1975), p.573.
99. Ibid., p.457.
100. Ibid., p.470.
101. Thomas Wang, "By the Year 2000: Is God trying to tell us something?,
Perspective's on the World Christian Mouernent, A Render,
Revised Edition
(Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1981,1992), pp. D-27-28.
102. R. Pierce Beaver, "The History of Mission Strategy," Ibid.,
pp.B.60.61
103. Kenneth Scott Latourette, 'By Way of Inclusive Retrospect,"
Ibid., pp.
B-22.
104. Ibid., p. B-29.
105. C. Peter Wagner, "Look at What God's Domg!, excerpt from
On the Crest
of the Wave (Ventura, CA: Regal Books. 1983).
106. Ralph D. Winter, "The Two Structures of God's Redemptive Mission,'
Perspectives, A Reader, Op. Cit., p. B-51.
107. C. Peter Wagner, "Look at What God's Doing!", Op. Cit.
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