This past week I had an email exchange with Richard Abanes a journalist, who on his website acts as an apologist for Rick Warren. Or should I say a cleanup man, one who attempts to, as Mr. Abanes puts it to” clarify” the controversial statements Rick Warren makes in public.
Mr. Abanes thinks everyone just misunderstands Rick Warren, and that Mr. Warren actually takes great pains to clarify his statements to his Saddleback faithful, but unfortunately not to the wider public.What generated the email exchange was an article Mr. Abanes wrote on his web site called: Rick Warren and Fundamentalists where Mr. Abanes takes apart those he calls the “Heresy Hunters” for “jumping to incorrect conclusions” about Rick Warren.
Mr. Abanes article is nothing more than rationalization and word play. He attempts to take very clear declarative derogatory statements in regards to Fundamentalists that Rick Warren makes to the wider secular main stream media and attempts to say that Rick Warren is not deriding all Fundamentalists but only a select few that Mr. Abanes says are those:
“who use their religion/beliefs to attack, hate, be intolerant of others, remain closed-minded to unfamiliar ideas, and stay cold-hearted to those who are not like them. Their goal is the manipulation of power, authoritarian influence, maintaining control over others, political/spiritual oppression, and domination by force, intimidation, or rules of dos and don’ts.”
Many loaded words in that quotation, and ones that are used quite a bit these days to wrongly generalize and actually marginalize those who truly hold to the belief that Jesus is the only way by which a man must be saved, and those who truly believe that the Bible is the final and only inerrant inspired Word of God which directs man how he must be saved and how he should live.
Mr. Abanes attempts to say that the above is one of two types of Christian Fundamentalist, the other being those who are:
“the technical, religious kind, which would actually include Warren, myself, most evangelical churches, certainly the entire Southern Baptist Convention, Calvary Chapel churches, and anyone else who holds to the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith”.
But what Mr. Abanes refuses to admit is that Rick Warren has every opportunity when making derogatory statements about Fundamentalists in public to clarify what he means. But he makes no attempt to. Mr. Abanes seems to think that the wider general public can know without that clarification what group Mr. Warren is referring to. This is nothing more than a ludicrous assumption on Mr. Abanes part. What Mr. Warren is actually doing is playing to and reinforcing the apostate and secular world’s view of those who hold to Biblical Fundamentalism, full stop!
Five ponts of Fundamentalsim:
1. The inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture
2. The deity of Jesus Christ
3. The virgin birth of Christ
4. The substitutionary, atoning work of Christ on the cross
5. The physical resurrection and the personal bodily return of Christ to the earth.
Mr. Warren on the Colbert Report said: “A Fundamentalist is one who has stopped listening” He did not say a certain type of fundamentalist. He said “A Fundamentalist” Now I am not an English composition teacher, but I do know that when someone makes a statement such as Rick Warren made he is making a general all inclusive statement about a group not a particular subset which he conveniently does not mention.
Here is the deeply troubling aspect of both Mr. Abanes rationalization and Rick Warren’s “fruit” so to speak. It has become common today for those who like Rick Warren who claim to be Christian but who are actually working towards a universal all inclusive religion to say and even publish that they hold to Biblical Fundamentalism. But this is a thin veneer that they utilize to allow them to fly under the radar so to speak in order not to make explicit what they wish to remain cloaked.
The New Age movement died out in the late eighties and early nineties simply because overt New Age terminology was used, no attempt was made to hide the fact that it was diametrically opposed to Christianity. But as we know Satan is shrewd and ever attempting to thwart God’s plans so the New Age Movement made a comeback in the new Millennium repackaged with Christian Terminology. Now what you see are those who claim to hold to Biblical Fundamentalism but who continually work to undermine Biblical Fundamentalism at every chance in the wider world. But knowing that they do have as their base thousands of misled Christians who do hear and see what is printed and spoken in the mainstream media, they offer them “clarifications” so that they can continue to dismantle Biblical Christianity, leaving their congregations in their “blind slumber”.
To give you an example of the reasoning that men like Mr. Abanes and Mr. Warren use, look at these excerpts from a Book by Mr. Abanes called: “Inside Today’s Mormonism”:
Notice this Sentence from the excerpt: “Evangelicals and Mormons can no longer view each other as Foes”
Mr. Abanes claims his book is meant to “inform” Evangelicals on what Mormons actually believe. But in my opinion it is in fact nothing more than an attempt to break down the walls that divide Satanic Mormonism from Christianity, bridge the gap and join them together through “dialogue”. Mr. Abanes is part of the post-modern group that believe if you “dialogue” with people in such false satanic based religions long enough that you can somehow bridge your differences and that the end result will be a “new understanding” Have you heard that before? I think Oprah Winfry is peddling that poisonous koolade now as well, its called Synthesis!
In their eyes Biblical Evangelism needs to be “tweaked”. Instead of preaching the unvarnished pure word of God. These men somehow think that they need to “perfect” God’s Word, to “clarify” it. And when it is “clarified” through dialogue with false religions then we will all find out that we are all (ALL RELIGIONS) seeking after the same “god”.
Sadly this is nothing more than Hegelian Dialectic Synthesis. Where two opposing ideologies do not attempt to completely refute each others ideologies but come to a synthesis, or joining of their ideologies the result of which is a new “third way” which combines elements of both ideologies. It is key to understand that this is incompatible with Biblical Christianity. Biblical Christianity is based on antithesis. The ideology that there is a clear right and there is a clear wrong and there can never be a synthesis of the two to form a valid third way.
Unfortunately what allows men such as Mr. Abanes and Mr. Warren to get away with their “synthesis” is that the historical and Biblical ignorance of the average American Christian is at an all time high. Additionally those who lead Christian Congregations are not equipped; do not care to be equipped to teach their congregations via expository preaching of the Bible or to teach them the historical roots of the current pervasive ideology of Synthesis.
What irritates me about men such as Mr. Abanes is that he dearly wishes that those whom he calls “Heresy Hunters” would just shut up and be dumbed down by drinking the same poisonous koolade he has drunk! What he seems to forget is that his kind who have chosen to dumb themselves down were once the exception and not the rule. It is unfortunate that he cannot see that being “dumbed down” of which he is part is unfortunately now the rule instead of the exception. And it is all because him and others have chosen to “engage” and become part of the world around them, instead of “Being in the World, But not of it” (Biblical Separatism)!
UPDATE 03/17/2011:
If you want some further information on the roots of why men such as Rick Warren & Richard Abanes think they way they do Read this Book: The New Neutralism II, the book traces very well the roots of the movement away from Biblical Separatism by the New Evangelicalism, and how Fuller Theological Seminary, where Rick Warren graduated, was formed by these New Evangelicals to lead the way into the new Evangelicalism, which rejects Biblical Separatism and originally believed that it could maintain a “neutral” position between Fundamentalists and the Secular world, as they thought Fundamentalists did not have enough of a Social Gospel in their beliefs.
The New Evangelicals also wanted to “engage” and gain the respect of secular Intellectuals and Secular Universities. But as the author of the New Neutralism points out, As a Christian you can never be neutral, you eventually have to choose Christ or choose the World, and these echo the words of Christ as well!
John 15:19:
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
and the Apostle James said:
James 4:4:
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God
Sadly the New Evangelicalism and Rick Warren chose the world, so they have by default rejected Jesus!
Stand Fast!
John Baker
True Discernment 
Be wary of tangling with Abanes. Two years ago we engaged him and he can get downright mean. Choose your email word carefully for he saves those to use against people.
Most of those who lam bast us Fundamentalist in the secular media as well as in religious organizations would not know a real Fundamentalist if they stood right in front of them. Just for those who really want to know what a Fundamentalist believes take a look at these: http://www.whybaptist.com/fundamentals.aspx
David,
Thank you for the insight. Mr Abanes has been at it on Discernit we have been in a “discussion” there with him today:
http://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/crisis-in-the-church-rick-warren/
It seems he gets around!
I will boldly “contend for the faith once delivered”, The warning by David to be wary not withstanding. I say to him as to all who depart from the faith in favor of pantheistic
ecumenism. repent …or be considered anathema.
[…] Rick Warren Apologist Richard Abanes: Going soft on Mormonism, Is this the direction Rick Warren is… […]
Hey John: I posted your article on my blog as well because it dealt with a current topic we are dealing with over there.
I also had a interesting exchange with Abanes as well here.
http://nogoofyzone.wordpress.com/2008/03/24/zletters-to-richard-abanes-concerning-ken-blanchard-and-the-new-age-movement/
It can be frustrating talking to Richard because its hard to see what he doesnt understand.
Put he has been under Rick Warrens leadership and goes to Saddleback so that in itself speaks words on ones discernment.
Loved your article
Peace
Tim Wirth
Tim,
Thanks for your comment. i have heard it said that Richard Abannes years back was on the straight and narrow. dont know about that but as you said with him going to Saddleback and being under the leadership of Rick Warren, one can be decieved and lose all ability of discernment.
I believe that was surrounds men like Rick Warren is a “Lying Spirit” It is nothing like anyone has encountered before. It is the same lying spirit of the New Age Movement.
And if you come into contact with these people and remain with them I believe that you have a strong deception come over you.
I have no hard feelings or ill will towards Richard Abannes. I just recognize that what we are dealing with in regards to men like him is as the word of God says:
Ephesians 6:12:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
And how do we as True Followers of Christ war against these spiritual hosts?
Ephesians 6:14-18:
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
I believe that was surrounds men like Rick Warren is a “Lying Spirit” It is nothing like anyone has encountered before. It is the same lying spirit of the New Age Movement.
And if you come into contact with these people and remain with them I believe that you have a strong delusion come over you.
So with men like Richard Abannes I recognize that what we are dealing with in regards to men like him is as the word of God says:
Ephesians 6:12:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
And how do we as True Followers of Christ war against these spiritual hosts?
Ephesians 6:14-18:
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
What Richard Abannes does not realize is that although he may claim that Rick Warren is straight up. He only says that because Rick Warren uses Christian Terminology but only as empty container words.
And within these empty containers he places the defintions that he chooses. This is Post-Modern Relativism.
Take for example Richard Abannes ascertion that Rick Warren is a Fundamentalist and therefore would not say that ALL Fundamentalists are included in his very public pronouncements against Fundamentalists.
If you look up what the historical defintion of what a Fundamentalist is, it is not the same as what Rick Warren says a fundamentalist is when he says he is one.
And this is a major point people need to understand. We have become a sound bite society. And anyone can say they are a fundamentalist and people accept that at face value and they do not question that person on what their understanding of what a Fundamentalist is. That takes too long, that takes being a Good Berean. And no one has time for that anymore.
Richard Abannes possibley does not even understand this.
It is not enough to say that you are A Fundamentalist. What counts is, is your understanding of and ability to articulate what a fundamentalist is to others the same as what is the historical definition of Fundamentalism?
If you go to Richard Abannes website to the article titled: Rick Warren and Fundamentalists:
http://abanes.com/fundamentalism.html
And then go to the link he gives on Rick Warren’s Pastors.com website where Rick Warren articulates what a Fundamentalist is you will see this is not the historical defintion of what a Fundamentalist is but a new definition of a fundamentalist created by Rick Warren:
http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/article.asp?ArtID=9198
Rick Warren is not a Fundamentalist. He is a Post Modern New Age Relativist who likes to masquerade as a Fundamentalist in order to keep loyalty among his blinded Christian Followers, and to gain the acceptance of other Sleeping Fundamentalist who have allowed themselves to be overcome and heavily influenced by our sound bite society! While he continues to work to undermine Historical Absolute Fundamentalism.
So it is no suprise that Rick Warren see’s no issue with having Ken Blanchard in his Church and working with him. and neither does Richard Abannes.
As I have said to other website owners who encounter Richard: Shut him down and do not allow him to wear yo out with his attacks. He has a strong delusion because of the lying spirit that surrounds the likes of Rick Warren and others.
I wanted to post this last coment in regards to what Richard Abannes said on other sties about my article.
As per my previous comment. There IS a lying spirit that surrounds Rick Warren and it has heavily influenced Richard Abannes. If you box Richard in and ask him specific questions on his views about groups that Rick Warren approves of and works with, you will not get a clear answer!
And there is a compelling reason for this,
The issue is not about Ken Blanchard, It is not about whether Richard Abannes book on Mormonsim refutes the beliefs of Mormonsim, It is the language and methods that these men use!
They preach teach and write in the language and ideology of Post modern Relativism but using Christian terminology.
But their Christian words are EMPTY container words that they place their own subjective definitions within! They are not the Absolute Biblical Defintions of those words.
They use Atheistic ideology to define their meanings for these words, not Biblical definitions.
Remember This! It is Key!
So it is useless to try and get traction with these men to unravel any differences or as they like to call them “Misunderstandings”
When you encounter a lying spirit, you will not win them over with “dialogue”. They want dialogue. It gives them airtime and legitimacy for their words!
Ask them specific questions and if they do not give specific answers or if they reply with false straw man analogies SHUT THEM DOWN!
IF Rick Warren was a True Man of God, and If Ken Blanchard was a True Man of God they would AVOID ALL POSSIBILITY of their appearing to agree with those who hold to anti-Christ ideologies. They would RUN FROM IT!
We have become too used to seeing those who claim to be men of God being too wordly! So we allow ourselves to have doubts created in our minds by the likes of Richard Abannes in regards to whether men such as Rick Warren are false teachers.
Those who hold to a the Biblical Philosophy of antithessis do not conduct themselves and speak in the manner that Rick Warren and Ken Blanchard do.
Again do not allow them to draw you into doubting what you know to be Biblical Truth.
Richard Abannes quoted from Ephesians 6:12 to say that we are not to be enemies of Mormons and other Anti-Christ Cults and Belief systems such as Roman Catholicism.
He uses this to say that anyone who calls them an enemy of Christ is violating that passage, but this clearly shows that Richard Abannes does not understand Scripture AT ALL!
This passage simply means you can not and must not as a Follower of Christ use fleshly weapons i.e. power, force or war to change people who are not of Christ. Because the powers that keep them from believing are satanic spiritual powers and the only way those satanic spiritual powers can be defeated are by:
Ephesians 6:13-18:
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
What Richard Abannes fails to see or refuses to see is that these people have access to the truth but turn away from it therefore they have made themselves an enemy of Christ!
Christians have not made them an enemy!
But Rick Warren and others would have you believe that Mormons do not believe because of Christians being mean to them by saying they are an enemy of Christ! And therefore Christians should not count them as foes or enemies. We are most definitely foes and enemies with them because they corrupt the Word of God and deny that God and Jesus have always been God!
You do not play with groups who have access to the truth but turn away from it!
1 John 2:18-23:
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
Richard Abannes seems to think that you can dialogue these people back into the Kingdom, you cannot! They have been overcome by a satanic spirit!
The same as people such as Rick Warren who uses Atheistic ideologies to teach and preach! This is a denial of the Power and working of the Holy Spirit in believers lives!
As the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:5-7:
Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Rick Warren, Richard Abanes and Ken Blanchard have a FORM of Godliness but by their ideology that they teach, by their words and actions they deny the power of the Holy Spirit and that it is the Holy Spirit that changes man not some atheist psychological teaching!
Richard Abanes loves to attack anyone who disagrees with him, while we can see his attempt to point people either to his book or his articles more than the Word of God. he is always misrepresents most of what people say dealing with Rick Warren and in exchange tries to force feed everyone empty rhetoric. If you have seen his writings they are egotistical and most of them become personal attacks while killing truth for selfish gain. selfish gain might sound some what like an exaggeration but all you have to do is look at the sites he hits up and we can see the Purpose that drives him. Hopefully Abanes will realize that people get tired of unfounded personal attacks in a attempt to quite there voice against unBiblical teachings and don’t want to listen to his deluded view and defense of Rick Warren.
http://encountering-truth.blogspot.com/
http://encounteringtruth.wordpress.com/
[…] Posted by Job on May 14, 2008 Rick Warren Apologist Richard Abanes: Going soft on Mormonism, Is this the direction Rick Warren is… […]
If he made the statement that “a fundamentalist is someone who has stopped listening to the world” then I could agree. We (fundamentalists) have ears opened only to the voice of God and the we aren’t going to be swayed by the world’s call to be tolerant of false religions.
I am deeply disconcerted by your statement that Biblical Christianity is based on antithesis. I am confident your readership would agree with a more correct statement that Biblical Christianity is based on atonement. We know Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, so let us not claim that his Christianity is based on anything but the possibility of salvation through faith in his name alone. I don’t mind if you choose to describe that as “antithesis,” but I do mind that you have not put atonement first and foremost in the minds of your readers. I believe also that Biblical Christianity, founded by our Lord and Savior, is inseparably connected to love. This is another word I found (disappointedly) absent from your article.
Phillip,
By all means the basic foundational tenet of the Bible is the Atonement.
My comment was a counter in regards to Post-modern relativism which is based on Hegelian Synthesis, which says there is not a single right and wrong standard, the ideology of antithessis is that there IS a single standard of right and wrong. And this is a foundational concept of God’s word.
And I agree that Biblical Christianity is connected inseparably to Love, to God’s Love for us that he would give his own son to die for our sins, but again that Love is based on Biblical Love not the post-modern mis-definition of love which says that Love is a sugar daddy grandfatherly type of love, that just gives even to the point of destroying the receiver.
When God chastens us he is expressing love for us, when a caring parent chastens their child they are doing it because they love their child..
God Bless,
John
David Norris, you describe my encounter with Abanes 3 years ago. He is downright mean as a snake, and as sneaky as one too. He’s quick to accuse you of foul play but there are no rules he has to follow. What’s so hypocritical of him is that he will save your emails to use against you publicly while attaching a disclaimer to his emails sent to you, stating that his emails are copyrighted and that you do not have permission to use them or quote from them. How convenient. He doesn’t even try to hide his hypocrisy. But, why hide it if you’re always right?
Personally, i have been much more worried about the guy who mentored Rick Warren, C. Peter Wagner.
I thought everyone knew of Rick Warren’s Jungian roots — and just thought the church was, again, behind the times by a decade when they embraced that Purpose Driven drivel.
But to hear mention of Rick Warren and Abanes going soft on Mormonism worries me for one reason: C Peter Wagner and his bunch are spiritual Mormons.
That Latter Rain/Toronto Blessing/Lakeland stuff is all from William Branham’s heresy — just like the Mormons — downloaded from demonic angels. Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation gang believes in adding “new revelation” to the sealed Scriptures, just like the Mormons.
Even Rick Joyner is “claimed” by a whacky Mormon prophet to be inspired by the same “angel Moroni” who gave Joseph Smith the book of Mormon.
The End Time religion of Anti Christ will be a world wide fake Christianity —
Mormons will be a part of it. I really believe this is a dangerous thing going on, it is the end time delusion. Google around on Joyner, Chuck Pierce, C Peter Wagner Todd Bentley and especially Bill Hamon. Google Manifest Sons of God doctrine… it is scary stuff and obviously Rick Warren and Abanes are getting the watery Christians in on the Delusion.
Oh, in tribute to Abanes, this email is copyrighted. If you want to use it, email me. Anyone but Richard Abanes is free to use it.
Praise God I was rescued by God from this PDL movement. It is a purely Demonic work. I may have people who don’t wish to believe what I am about to say but I feel led to say it. I attended a Baptist Church that went to this program. The meetings actually started in my home. It wasn’t long before God was telling me to get out. And Praise God I did. However, My home became infiltrated by demons. I was and still am hated by the “pastor” of that church. I have a recording of a demon in my home telling me “he would want me dead” along with other disturbing messages. I had started a Bible study in my home to help christians being wounded by the PDL. The pain of leaving a church that I loved was almost unbearable. But the joy of the Lord that I have now is unremovable. Rick Warren’s program has blinded many and I’m not sure at what point to discontinue praying for them. I fear that their hearts have been so hardened that praying for them is all in vain. As to anyone who would say that I have the problem because the demons were there, I say to you, If they would want me dead then I must be a threat to them. I have no respect for anyone who supports this program. How many people are being led astray and think they are saved because of the PDL. The “church” I went to led a couple of women in the lifestyle of professing lesbians to believe they could be saved and still live that way till they were ready to change. IT’S ALL ABOUT NUMBERS AND MONEY. To the fellow who is cleaning up behind MR. Warren, You don’t have to clean up behind God’s word. But it will clean you if you let it. It is the same now as it has always been. Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me, I will serve only my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
John,
Good job of research.
Informed Researcher said: “He’s quick to accuse you of foul play but there are no rules he has to follow. ”
This is what gives apologetics a bad name. We must be willing to test all things and hold fast to what is good. Those who do not allow us to test them and who attack others just for asking questions when they themselves have no rules to follow, can be very dangerous to the church. Even Paul commended the Bereans for testing what he said by the scriptures.
I should make note that my comment had to do with the Rick Warren issue, and was not about the book on Mormonism by Mr. Abanes. I came to your site while researching material on Rick Warren and also regarding my friend and fellow apologist Don Veinot who withdrew his endorsement of Richard Abane’s book.
Several years ago I was invited to attend a 40 day purpose driven group and I have seen first hand the confusion that comes from Rick Warren’s assurance to the unsaved that they are in the family of God if they pray a simple prayer asking for purpose in their life. Those who prayed such a prayer did not want to hear about repentance and sin as mature Christians in the group wanted to explain the way of salvation more accurately. Those who believed that entrance into the kingdom came through that prayer steadfastly rejected correction and clung to “Rick Warren said…” while all the while misunderstanding who Jesus is as well as the resurrection and sin and repentance. To them I was the bad guy adding in something that Rick Warren did not make a part of the gospel and their hearts were hardened while they left the 40 days of purpose group to go back into worship of Mary and acceptance of sinful lifestyles that “required” no repentance. It was as if they had an inoculation against true Christianity. I found that very sad.
As far as what Richard Abanes has written about Mormonism, I have not read his book at all, however the statement that was copied from the book on this blog raises a lot of red flags for me. On top of that copies of some of pages on Richard Abanes own web site are problematic. In this day and age when ministries who work hard to evangelize Mormons for Christ are often said to be attacking Mormonism even with many today calling their witnessing efforts “ungodly attacks”, I just want to shake my head in amazement.
We are to love the lost and expose the lies. Paul said in 2 Cor. 10:5 that we are destroying speculations and every lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God…
It seems to me that some advocate dialog instead of the hard work it takes to destroy speculations. I have great admiration for those who spend their lives destroying the lofty things in the Mormon faith that are against the true knowledge of God. I myself am in full-time ministry helping those in the Jehovah’s Witness religion. I work hard to destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. For 16 years I had the privilege of mentoring and counseling ex-JW’s with a support group for former JWs that we had in our home. We saw literally hundreds of JW’s come through our home in those 16 years and many came to faith in Christ and to an understanding of who Jesus is by the power of his resurrection. For those who do the same thing with Mormons, whose life work is to bring Mormons to faith in Christ, they have my heart-felt respect.
It is a fallacy to say the New Age Movement “died out” in the 1980s, 1990s or at any other time. It has been alive and well in MANY forms since 1875. However, the war has truly been on FUNDAMENTALISM and that Richard Abanes has been trying to simultaneously weaken fronts against that struggle while simultaneously santizing a man with a global PEACE Plan to use world religion centers of all stripes as food and other resource redistribution centers is without question Abanes has played a fascinating and disturbing game. Thank you for your thoughtful analysis even though there were parts I could not agree with, knowing what I know about the New Age Movement.