02 the emerging church and the one project part 2

THE EMERGING CHURCH  
& 
THE ONE PROJECT? 
PART 2 
 
 
“LEONARD SWEET” 
1 OF 3 
 
MY
STUDY
INTO
THE
EMERGING
CHURCH
STARTED
WHEN
A
PASTOR
BACK
EAST
ASKED

IF
I
KNEW
ANYTHING
ABOUT
“THE
ONE
PROJECT”.

WHEN
I
BEGAN
TO
STUDY
INTO
THE
HISTORY
OF
THE
PROJECT
AND
THOSE
WHO

STARTED
THE
MOVEMENT,
I
WAS
LEAD
TO
ENQUIRE
ABOUT
THE
EMERGING
CHURCH

AND
ITS
TEACHINGS
AND
HISTORY.
I
FOUND
THAT
IT
DEALS
WITH
MUCH
MORE
THAN

JUST

“SPIRITUAL
FORMATION”
AND
“CENTERING
PRAYER.”
 
 
1

Leonard Sweet
2
Very
distinguished
man.
Very

melodious
speaking
voice.

Sounds
very
sincere
and

earnest.
Has
some
legitimate

concerns
about
Christian

churches
failures,
but
doesn't

see
true
cause
nor
true
remedy.

Certainly
doesn't
see
the
three

angels
message
that
God’s
end

time
church
is
to
be
giving/
living
in
this
world.

Amazon.com “Biography” 
on Leonard Sweet
¨ “Len Sweet was born of a mixed marriage: his mother was
a fiery Pilgrim Holiness-ordained preacher from the
mountains of West Virginia and his quiet father a Free
Methodist lay leader from the Adirondack mountains of
upstate New York. After a deconversion at 17, when Len
set about less sowing wild oats than planting prairies, he
became an atheist intellectual and scholar dedicated to
exposing the nincompoopery and poppycockery, if not
tomfoolery and skullduggery of all religions. After this
seven-year period of liminality, Len came back to the faith
of his ancestors, where he has been ever since, exploring
the ‘insterstices’ and ‘semiotics’ of religion, culture and
history.”
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Spirituality-Postmodern-Leonard-Sweet/dp/
1882122011 )
3

4
Definition
of
SEMIOTICS:
“a
general
philosophical
theory
of

signs
and
symbols.”
Leonard
Sweet
has
been
the
primary

person
to
make
this
word
popular
in
the
Emerging
Church

movement.
He
states
that
he
bases
it
on
Mat
16:3

“He

answered
and
said
unto
them,
When
it
is
evening,
ye
say,
It

will
be
fair
weather:
for
the
sky
is
red.
And
in
the
morning,
It

will
be
foul
weather
to
day:
for
the
sky
is
red
and
lowring.
O
ye

hypocrites,
ye
can
discern
the
face
of
the
sky;
but
can
ye
not

discern
the
signs
of
the
times?”
The
Greek
word
is
“sēmeion”

which
means:
“an
indication,
especially
ceremonially
or

supernaturally:
-‐
miracle,
sign,
token,
wonder.”
Sweet
seems

to
use
it
as
a
term
that
describes
himself
and
his
cohorts
and

followers,
who
can
see
the
signs
in
different
religions,
cultures

and
histories.

5
Taken
from
Leonard
Sweet’s
own
website.

About Leonard Sweet
¨ “… Len’s three-ring mission: a historian of American
culture; a futurist/semiotician who ‘sees things the
rest of us do not see, and dreams possibilities that are
beyond most of our imagining;’ and a preacher and
writer who communicates the gospel powerfully to a
postmodem age by bridging the worlds of academe
and popular culture.”
In
his
own
words.
A
bridge
between
Education
and
culture.
A

big
part
of
Sweet’s
vision
is
passed
on
through
educational

institutions.

6

About Leonard Sweet
¨ “In 2006 and 2007, Len was voted by his peers ‘One of the 50 Most
Influential Christians in America’ by Church Report Magazine. Currently
the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University,
Madison, NJ and a Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox
University, Portland, Oregon, Len has been Vice President of Academic
Affairs and Dean of the Theological School at Drew University for five
years.”
Drew
began
in
the
early
1867
as
a
United
Methodist
theological
seminary
in

Madison
New
Jersey.
Dr.
James
Strong
(Strong’s
Concordance)
was
published

in
1890,
during
his
tenure
as
Professor
of
exegetical
theology
at
Drew

Theological
Seminary.
Obviously
much
has
changed
since
then.
We
will
look

later
at
his
work
at
George
Fox
University
which
was
founded
by
Quakers
in

1885
and
is
located
in
Newberg
Oregon,
and
has
centers
in
Portland,
Salem

and
Boise
ID.
In
1996,
the
college
merged
with
Western
Evangelical
Seminary

to
form
George
Fox
University.
Notable
graduates
include
Richard
Foster,
and

Dan
Kimball,
both
big
names
in
Emerging
Church
movement.
7

About Leonard Sweet
¨ “Author of more than two hundred articles, over twelve hundred
published sermons, and dozens of books, Len is the primary
contributor (along with his wife Karen Elizabeth Rennie) to the
web-based preaching resource, sermons.com. For nine years he and
his wife wrote Homiletics, which became under their watch the
premier preaching resource in North America. In 2005 Len
introduced the first open-source preaching resource on the Web,
wikiletics.com.”(http://www.leonardsweet.com/about.php )
“He
is
the
author
of
more
than
forty
books,
…
and
over
50
prefaces/forewords
to

others'
books.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Sweet

It
would
be
an
understatement
to
suggest
that
Leonard
Sweet
is
controversial
even

in
the
Evangelical
world.
Some
claim
the
controversy
derives
from
his
dabbling
with

the
New
Age
and
spiritualistic
Emerging
Church
movement.

With
over
forty
books
written
it
seems
understandable
that
someone
might
take

objection
to
something
he
has
written,
and
perhaps
all
the
concern
is
unjustifiable.

But
one
positive
aspect
of
having
so
many
books
to
pick
from
is
the
fact
that
it
is

not
too
difficult
to
let
Sweet
speak
for
himself,
and
numerous
times
at
that.
8

Leonard Sweet Books
9
Published
in
1991.
“This
was
Len’s

‘coming
out’
book
as
a
postmodern

disciple
after
his
1987
knockdown,

drag-‐out
Damascus
Road
encounter

with
God,
who
(as
he
describes
it)

‘knocked
me
off
my
high
academic

horse
and
said,
‘Sweet,
are
you
going

to
get
a
mission
for
the
world
you
wish

you
had
or
the
world
that's
actually
out

there.’”

http://disciple21century.com/ECreferencelibrary-‐Sweeet.htm

Quantum Spirituality 
In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Acknowledgments
¨ “The author’s perennial plight when sitting down to write
a book was first announced in Hebrews 11:8: ‘and he
[Abraham] went out, not knowing whither he went.’ Even
though I had no idea where I was headed when setting
out on my quest of the quantum, I did have some notion
of who to take with me. Certain extraordinary people….”
¨ “But some of those who led [me] into new light are: ...
Matthew Fox, … Richard J. Mouw, … Rowan Williams.”
¨ “Those who have taught me how to stump around
postmodern environs are psychologists James Ashbrook,
…” (Quantum Spirituality, pp. viii-ix)
10

11
From
the
“Acknowledgement”
Section
of
the
book
Sweet
thanks
many
leading
New
Agers.

Matthew
Fox:
is
an
American
priest
and
theologian.[1]
Formerly
a
member
of
the
Dominican

Order
within
the
Roman
Catholic
Church,
he
is
now
a
member
of
the
Episcopal
Church.
Fox
was

an
early
and
influential
exponent
of
a
movement
that
came
to
be
known
as
Creation
Spirituality.

The
movement
draws
inspiration
from
the
mystical
philosophies
of
such
medieval
Catholic

visionaries
as
Hildegard
of
Bingen,
Thomas
Aquinas,
Saint
Francis
of
Assisi,
Julian
of
Norwich,

Dante
Alighieri,
Meister
Eckhart
and
Nicholas
of
Cusa,
as
well
as
the
wisdom
traditions
of

Christian
scriptures.
Creation
Spirituality
is
also
strongly
aligned
with
ecological
and

environmental
movements
of
the
late
20th
century
and
embraces
numerous
spiritual
traditions

around
the
world,
including
Buddhism,
Judaism,
Sufism,
and
Native
American
spirituality,
with
a

focus
on
"deep
ecumenism".
…
Fox’s
book
The
Coming
of
the
Cosmic
Christ:
The
Healing
of

Mother
Earth
and
the
Birth
of
a
Global
Renaissance
delves
more
into
these
issues.

More
Books:
One
River,
Many
Wells:
Wisdom
Springing
from
Global
Faith;
His
book
on
the

mysticism
of
Thomas
Aquinas
translates
many
of
his
works
that
have
never
before
been

translated
into
English.

Worship:
Fox's
"Techno
Cosmic
Masses"
(more
recently
just
called
"Cosmic
Masses")
are
events

that
attempt
to
combine
the
religious
ritual
of
the
Eucharist
with
dance
and
multimedia
material,

deejays,
video
jockeys
and
rap
music.
They
evoke
and
connect
spiritual
rituals
and
the
ecstatic

energy
of
Techno
music
and
rave
parties.
They
developed
from
a
group
called
the
Nine
O'Clock

Service
in
Sheffield,
England
in
the
late
1980s
and
early
1990s
and
was
brought
to
the
United

States
and
further
developed
by
Fox
in
the
mid
1990s.

12
95
Thesis:
In
2005,
while
preparing
for
a
presentation
in
Germany
and
following
the

naming
of
Cardinal
Ratzinger
as
Pope
Benedict
XVI,
Fox
created
95
theses
that
he
then

translated
into
German.
On
the
weekend
of
Pentecost,
arrangements
were
made
for
him

to
nail
these
to
the
door
of
the
Wittenberg
church
where
Martin
Luther
nailed
the
original

95
Theses
in
the
16th
century,
the
act
credited
as
the
beginning
of
the
Protestant

Reformation.[1][16]
The
action
fueled
the
creation
of
a
lively
blog
involving
tens
of

thousands
of
Germans.
In
his
theses,
Fox
called
for
a
new
reformation
in
Western

Christianity.
In
his
supporting
book,
A
New
Reformation,
Fox
argued
that
two
Christianities

already
exist
and
it
is
time
for
a
new
reformation
to
acknowledge
that
fact
and
move
the

Western
spiritual
tradition
into
new
directions.
Fox
is
also
supportive
of
homosexuality.

Richard
J.
Mouw:
is
an
American
theologian
and
philosopher.
He
is
currently
President
at

Fuller
Theological
Seminary,
where
he
also
holds
the
post
of
Professor
of
Christian

Philosophy.
Dialogue
with
Catholics:
In
2009,
he
signed
a
public
statement
encouraging
all

Christians
to
"read,
wrestle
with,
and
respond
to
Caritas
in
Veritate",
the
social
encyclical

by
Pope
Benedict
XVI.

Rowan
Williams:
Rowan
Williams
is
an
Anglican
bishop,
poet
and
theologian.
He
was
the

104th
and
current
Archbishop
of
Canterbury.

He
is
anti-‐creationist,
pro-‐evolutionist,
pro-‐
homosexuality.
He
has
written
on
Saint
Teresa
of
Avila,
a
Spanish
Roman
Catholic
mystic.

He
is
active
in
the
ecumenical
movement
and
seeking
reunion
of
the
Church
of
England

and
Rome.

¨ “Those who have taught me how to catch the tail
winds of energies whooshing from new spiritual jet
streams are entrepreneurs and business leaders …
missionary theologians and journalists ….”
¨ Others that Leonard Sweet thanks include: Morton
Kelsey, M. Scott Peck, Walter Brueggemann, Ken
Wilber, Thomas Berry and other New Agers.
(Quantum Spirituality, pp. viii-ix)
13

14
Pantheism
runs
through
all
of
these
authors.
Look
up
the
word
with
any
of

these
names.

Morton
Kelsey:
author
of
over
30
books,
and
Episcopal
priest,
pro-‐
homosexuality,
charismatic
Christian,
is
into
new
forms
of
worship
and

meditation:
Dreams:
A
Way
to
Listen
to
God;
Healing
and
Christianity;
The

Other
Side
of
Silence:
Meditation
for
the
Twenty-‐first
Century;
Companions

On
The
Inner
Way:
The
Art
of
Spiritual
Guidance;
Adventure
Inward;

Transcend:
A
Guide
to
the
Spiritual
Quest;

Dreamquest:
Native
American

Myth
and
the
Recovery
of
Soul.
Draws
on
the
works
of
Ignatius
Loyola
and

contemplative
prayer
practices.

M.
Scott
Peck:

Christian/New
Age
thought.
Wrote
the
book
The
Road

Less

Traveled,
sold
10
million
copies.
"All
of
us
who
postulate
a
loving
God
and

really
think
about
it
eventually
come
to
a
single
terrifying
idea:
God
wants
us

to
become
Himself
(or
Herself
or
Itself).
We
are
growing
toward
godhood.

God
is
the
goal
of
evolution."
[page
270]
“To
put
it
plainly,
our
unconscious

is
God.
God
within
us.
We
were
part
of
God
all
the
time.
God
has
been
with

us
all
along,
is
now,
and
always
will
be.“
[p.
281]

15
Walter
Brueggemann:
is
an
American
Protestant
Old
Testament
scholar

and
theologian
and
an
important
figure
in
Progressive
Christianity.

Brueggemann
is
widely
considered
one
of
the
most
influential
Old

Testament
scholars
of
the
last
several
decades.
Brueggemann
is
an

advocate
and
practitioner
of
rhetorical
criticism.
He
has
written
more

than
58
books,
hundreds
of
articles,
and
several
commentaries
on

books
of
the
Bible.
Dr.
Brueggemann
is
known
throughout
the
world
for

his
method
of
combining
literary
and
sociological
modes
when
reading

Bible.
An
ordained
minister
in
the
United
Church
of
Christ,
Dr.

Brueggemann
currently
resides
in
Cincinnati,
Ohio
(2008).
United

church
of
Christ
is
more
liberal
in
views
of
ecumenism,
equal
rights,
etc.

16
Ken
Wilber:
is
an
American
author
who
has
written
about
mysticism,

philosophy,
ecology,
and
developmental
psychology.
His
work
formulates
what

he
calls
Integral
Theory.
Very
much
into
spiritualism/New
Age
thought,
lived
in

Boulder
CO
while
writing
some
of
his
books,
he
is
into
Buddhist
meditation.

Books
include:

The
Spectrum
of
Consciousness;
Sex,
Ecology,
Spirituality;
Up

from
Eden:
A
Transpersonal
View
of
Human
Evolution;
Spiritual
Choices:
The

Problem
of
Recognizing
Authentic
Paths
to
Inner
Transformation;

Transformations
of
Consciousness:
Conventional
and
Contemplative
Perspectives

on
Development
.

Thomas
Berry:
was
a
Catholic
priest
of
the
Passionist
order,
cultural
historian

and
ecotheologian
(although
cosmologist
and
geologian
—
or
“Earth
scholar”
—

were
his
preferred
descriptors).
Among
advocates
of
deep
ecology
and

"ecospirituality"
he
is
famous
for
proposing
that
a
deep
understanding
of
the

history
and
functioning
of
the
evolving
universe
is
a
necessary
inspiration
and

guide
for
our
own
effective
functioning
as
individuals
and
as
a
species.
Books

include:
Buddhism
(1968)
The
Religions
of
India
(1972)
The
Dream
of
the
Earth

(1988)
Befriending
the
Earth
(with
Thomas
Clarke,
1991).

¨ “No one has had a bigger role in my learning to dance to a new rhythm than
conservationist/gardener Marie Aull. … Marie will not agree with everything
in this book. But her presence can be felt throughout its pages, most of which
were written hiding upstairs in her ‘prophet’s chamber.’ To her I dedicate this
book.”
¨ “Finally I trust that the Spirit that led the author of The Cloud of Unknowing …
is present in this book’s dancing, everywhere and always.”
(Quantum Spirituality, p. ix)
Maria
Aull
was
a
wealthy
widow
who
was
an
environmentalist/conservationist
and

donated
a
large
amount
of
her
estate
(money
and
land)
near
Dayton,
Ohio,
to
the

National
Audubon
Society
to
be
used
for
an
environmental
education
program
to

promote
the
protection
of
birds,
wildlife
and
the
habitats
on
which
they
depend.
She

lived
to
105,
seems
to
have
been
a
lovely
person
with
a
love
for
nature
and
desire
to

share
that
love
with
others.
Sweet
however,
used
these
gardens
as
a
site
for
his
book

writing
where
he
developed
his
‘one
with
the
earth’
ideas.

Explanation
for
the
Cloud
of
Unknowing
on
next
slide.
17

Acknowledgments: The Cloud of Unknowing
¨ “The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of Christian
mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th
century. The text is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer in the
late Middle Ages. The underlying message of this work proposes
that the only way to truly ‘know’ God is to abandon all
preconceived notions and beliefs or ‘knowledge’ about God and be
courageous enough to surrender your mind and ego to the realm of
‘unknowingness,’ at which point, you begin to glimpse the true
nature of God.”
¨ “In a follow-up to The Cloud, called The Book of Privy Counseling, the
author characterizes the practice of contemplative unknowing as
worshiping God with one's ‘substance,’ coming to rest in a ‘naked
blind feeling of being,’ and ultimately finding thereby that God is
one's being.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloud_of_Unknowing)
(End
of
Acknowledgement
states
very
clearly
the
mystical,
contemplative
connection
to
which

Sweet
hopes
the
same
spirit
guided
him).

We
have
not
even
made
it
into
the
main
text
of
the

book
and
it
should
be
clear
that
“Quantum
Spirituality”
is
a
new
age/spiritualistic
emerging

church
book.

18

In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Mysticism
¨ “Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the
Christian tradition, is now situated in
postmodernist culture near the center. ... In the
words of one of the greatest theologians of the
twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of religion/
dogmatist Karl Rahner, ‘The Christian of tomorrow
will be a mystic, one who has experienced
something, or he will be nothing.’” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 11).
Now
we
will
look
more
specifically
at
Sweet’s
own
words
form
the

book
“Quantum
Spirituality”.
Sweet
also
quotes
often
from

Catholic
mystics
for
support
of
his
ideas:

19

In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Mysticism
¨ “Energy-fire experiences take us into ourselves only
that we might reach outside of ourselves. Metanoia
is a de-centering experience of connected-ness and
community. It is not an exercise in reciting what
Jesus has done for me lately. Energy-fire ecstasy,
more a buzz than a binge, takes us out of ourselves,
literally. That is the meaning of the word
‘ecstatic.’” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 94)
20

21
Say
What?
If
none
of
that
really
made
sense
to
you
that’s
okay.
The
entire
book
is
filled
with
similar
“philosophy.”

EGW
said
we
should
not
present
arguments
of
Pantheism
to
expose
it
or
try
to
inter
into
conflict
with
them

[Kellogg],
but
she
did
say
there
was
a
time
to
meet
and
expose
it,
and
she
did
give
short
statements
to
describe

their
teachings
in
GC.
Thus
we
will
mention
only
briefly
Sweet’s
specific
pantheistic
statements
in
the
following

two
slides.

“I
am
warned
that
the
less
our
ministers
handle
the
subject
of
pantheism,
the
less
they
will
help
Satan
to
present

his
theories
to
the
people.
Let
the
truth
for
this
time
be
kept
before
them.
Never,
never
repeat
the
spiritualistic

sentiments,
the
strange,
misleading
theories,
which
have
for
years
been
coming
in.
…
Let
the
repetition
of
Satan's

falsehoods
be
kept
out
of
our
papers.”
(Counsel
to
Editors
and
Writers,
p.
93)

“I
am
instructed
to
say
to
you
that
it
is
not
best
to
dwell
upon
the
spiritualistic
sentiments,
the
strange,
misleading

theories,
which
have
for
years
been
coming
in
among
us.

It
is
not
best
to
preach
on
the
subject
of
Pantheism
or
to
read
quotations
from
authors
who
write
on
this
subject,

and
the
specious,
deceptive
errors
that
lead
to
it.
The
statements
made
in
Testimonies,
volume
8,
are
sufficient
to

warn
our
people
to
avoid
these
errors.
These
statements
will
do
more
to
enlighten
minds
than
all
the
explanations

or
theories
that
our
ministers
and
teachers
may
put
forth
concerning
these
matters.

If
you
try
to
handle
these
subjects,
you
will
be
led
to
repeat
the
sophistries
of
Satan,
and
thus
you
will
help
Satan
to

present
his
false
theories
to
the
people.”
(Evangelism,
p.
63)[Specific
context
was
in
regard
to
Kellogg
crisis]

GC
and
example
of
how
to
cover
the
topic
without
giving
voice
to
Satan
by
dwelling
on
it.

“Spiritualism
teaches
‘that
man
is
the
creature
of
progression;
that
it
is
his
destiny
from
his
birth
to
progress,
even

to
eternity,
toward
the
Godhead,’
And
again:
‘Each
mind
will
judge
itself
and
not
another.’
‘The
judgment
will
be

right,
because
it
is
the
judgment
of
self.
.
.
.
The
throne
is
within
you.’
Said
a
Spiritualistic
teacher,
as
the
‘spiritual

consciousness’
awoke
within
him,
‘My
fellow-‐men,
all
were
unfallen
demigods.’
And
another
declares,
‘Any
just
and

perfect
being
is
Christ.’
(Great
Controversy,
1888
ed.,
p.
554)

In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Pantheism
¨ “New Light embodiment means to be ‘in connection’
and ‘information’ with all of creation. New Light
communities extend the sense of connectionalism to
creation and see themselves as members of an
ecological community encompassing the whole of
creation. … Theologian/feminist critic Sallie McFague
has argued persuasively for seeing Earth, in a very real
sense, as much as a part of the body of Christ as
humans. …65”
¨ “The world of nature has an identity and purpose apart
from human benefit. But we constitute together a
cosmic body of Christ. 66” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 124)
22

23

“Sallie
McFague
is
an
American
feminist
Christian
theologian,
best
known
for
her

analysis
of
how
metaphor
lies
at
the
heart
of
how
we
may
speak
about
God.
She
has

applied
this
approach
in
particular
to
ecological
issues,
writing
extensively
on
care
for

the
earth
as
if
it
were
God’s
‘body’.”

“McFague’s
panentheistic
theology
stresses
God
as
highly
involved
in
the
world
…

This
is
not
the
omnipotent,
omniscient
and
immutable
God
of
classical
theism
and
neo-‐
orthodoxy:
for
McFague,
God
is
not
transcendent
in
any
sense
that
we
can
know.
This

has
led
some
critics
to
ask
whether
McFague’s
theology
leaves
us
with
anything
that

may
properly
be
called
God
at
all.
…
A
theology
where
God
as
creator
does
not
stand

‘over
against’
the
creation
tends
to
shift
the
focus
away
from
God
as
personal.
…
God
as

Spirit
is
not
primarily
the
initiator
of
creation,
but
‘the
empowering,
continuing
breath
of

life’.
…
And
because
the
world
is
God’s
body,
evil
occurs
in
and
to
God
as
well
as
to
us

and
the
rest
of
creation.[22]

Correspondingly,
the
notion
of
the
individual
in
need
of
God’s
salvation
is
anachronistic

in
a
world
‘from’
which
that
individual
no
longer
need
to
be
saved,
but
rather
‘in’
which

he
or
she
need
to
learn
how
to
live
interrelatedly
and
interdependently.”

“McFague
remarks,
‘theology
is
mostly
fiction’,[3]
but
a
multiplicity
of
images,
or

metaphors,
can
and
should
enhance
and
enrich
our
models
of
God.
Most
importantly,

new
metaphors
can
help
give
substance
to
new
ways
of
conceiving
God
appropriately

‘for
our
time’,[4]
and
more
adequate
models
for
the
ethically
urgent
tasks
humankind

faces,
principally
the
task
of
caring
for
an
ecologically
fragile
planet.”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sallie_McFague)

24
[66]
is
referencing
Matthew
Fox,
The
Cosmic
Christ:
The
Coming
of
the
Cosmic
Christ:
The

Healing
of
Mother
Earth
and
the
Birth
of
a
Global
Renaissance
(San
Francisco:
Harper
and

Row,
1988).“Former
Dominican
priest
and
author
of
The
Coming
of
the
Cosmic
Christ;

developed
Creation
Spirituality;
believes
that
God
and
Christ
are
in
all
things.
He
is

president
of
the
University
of
Creation
Spirituality.”
(http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/matthewfox.htm)

Pantheism
is
a
word
derived
from
the
Greek
(pan)
meaning
"all"
and
the
Greek
(theos)

meaning
"God".
It
is
the
view
that
everything
is
part
of
an
all-‐encompassing
immanent
God,[1]

or
that
the
Universe
(or
Nature)
and
God
(or
divinity)
are
identica.
“God
is
everything
and

everything
is
God.”

Panentheism
(from
Greek
πᾶν
(pân)
"all";
ἐν
(en)
"in";
and
θεός
(theós)
"God";
"all-‐in-‐
God“
[or
God
in
all])
is
a
belief
system
which
posits
that
the
divine
(be
it
a
monotheistic
God,

polytheistic
gods,
or
an
eternal
cosmic
animating
force),
interpenetrates
every
part
of
nature

and
timelessly
extends
beyond
it.
Panentheism
differentiates
itself
from
pantheism,
which

holds
that
the
divine
is
synonymous
with
the
universe.[1]

In
panentheism,
the
universe
in
the
first
formulation
is
practically
the
whole
itself.
In
the

second
formulation,
the
universe
and
the
divine
are
not
ontologically
equivalent.
In

panentheism,
God
is
viewed
as
the
eternal
animating
force
behind
the
universe.
Some

versions
suggest
that
the
universe
is
nothing
more
than
the
manifest
part
of
God.
In
some

forms
of
panentheism,
the
cosmos
exists
within
God,
who
in
turn
"pervades"
or
is
"in"
the

cosmos.
While
pantheism
asserts
that
'All
is
God',
panentheism
goes
further
to
claim
that

God
is
greater
than
the
universe.
In
addition,
some
forms
indicate
that
the
universe
is

contained
within
God.[1]
Much
Hindu
thought
is
highly
characterized
by
panentheism
and

pantheism.

In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Pantheism
¨ “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’70--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: [defined in
notes]… 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.” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 125)
25

26
“Pantheism
is
the
pagan
belief
that
‘ALL
is
God.’
Panentheism
is
its

twin
that
says,
‘God
is
In
everyone
and
everything.’
The
Quakers—like

the
Hindus,
Buddhists,
and
New
Agers—are
panentheists.”
(Howard

Peth,
The
Dangers
of
Contemplative
Prayer,
p.
50)

[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.”77]

The
Oxford
Dictionary
of
the
Christian
Church
(1974)

Transentheistic:
“Transtheistic
is
a
term
coined
by
philosopher
Paul

Tillich
or
Indologist
Heinrich
Zimmer,
referring
to
a
system
of
thought

or
religious
philosophy
which
is
neither
theistic,
nor
atheistic,[1]
but
is

beyond
them.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transtheism)

In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Ecumenism
¨ “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. …”
¨ “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.” (Quantum Spirituality, pp. 130-131)
27

In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Ecumenism
¨ “A surprisingly central feature of all the world’s
religions is the language of light in communicating
the divine and symbolizing the union of the human
with the divine: Muhammed’s light-filled cave,
Moses’ burning bush, Paul’s blinding light, Fox’s
‘inner light,’ Krishna’s Lord of Light, Bohme’s light-
filled cobbler shop, Plotinus’ fire experiences, … and
so on” (Quantum Spirituality, p. 235).
Is
all
light
the
same?

2
Cor.
11:13
-‐15
“For
such
are
false
apostles,
deceitful

workers,
transforming
themselves
into
the
apostles
of
Christ.

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.”
28

In Leonard Sweet’s own words: Prayer
¨ “7. Stand in front of a picture of a family member
who has died. Recall joyful memories of them and
laugh. With the breath you took for that laugh, your
loved one literally became a part of you. In every
breath there are more than a million atoms breathed
personally at one time or another by every breathing
earthling that has ever lived.”
Perhaps
one
of
the
more
revealing
sections
of
this
book
is
where

Sweet
offers
10
recommendations
for
breathing
exercises:
“The
literal

translation
of
aerobics
is
‘with
air.’
These
ten
deep
breathing
exercises

sample
some
of
the
aerobic
principles
able
to
improve
the
physical

fitness
of
postmoderns.”
29

¨ “8. Hold your Bible and breathe meditatively.
The breathtaking, nay, breath-giving truth of
aliveness is more than Methuselean in its span:
Part of your body right now was once actually,
literally part of the body of Abraham, Sarah,
Noah, Esther, David, Abigail, Moses, Ruth,
Matthew, Mary, Luke, Martha, John, Priscilla,
Paul... and Jesus.”
30

¨ “9. Keep breathing quietly while holding your Bible.
You have within you not just the powers of goodness
resident in the great spiritual leaders like Moses,
Jesus, Muhammed, Lao Tzu. You also have within
you the forces of evil and destruction. … Resident in
each breath you take is the body of angels like Joan of
Arc and devils like Gilles de Rais, Genghis Khan,
Judas Iscariot, Herod, Hitler, Stalin and all the other
destructive spirits throughout history.” (Quantum
Spirituality, p. 300)
31

32
An
entire
book
could
be
written
in
response
to

Quantum
Spirituality,
and
to
all
of
Sweet’s
books
for

that
matter,
but
that
is
far
beyond
the
scope
of
this

presentation.
Many
other
Evangelicals
have

responded
to
Sweet’s
concepts
over
the
years,
raising

a
warning
call
to
the
ever
growing
ecumenical,

spiritualistic,
Emerging
Church
movement
he
is

involved
in.
Where
are
Adventists
today?

But
some

might
say
that
Sweet
wrote
Quantum
Spirituality
at

the
beginning
of
his
ministry
years
ago,
and
that
he

has
substantially
changed
over
the
years
refuting

some
of
his
earlier
questionable
concepts.
Not
true
as

we
shall
see.

Book Review
¨ “The new focus is on unity -- a world-wide oneness
reflected in the growing union between the East and
West. Leonard Sweet's book, Quantum Spirituality,
sheds some revealing light of the envisioned global
‘church’ for the 21st century. In his view, the offense of
the cross has been replaced with a passion for interfaith
peace and possibility-thinking. To illustrate this point,
Dr. Sweet points to Thomas Merton, the popular
Catholic author who popularized mysticism and died
in Asia searching the depths of Tibetan Buddhism.”
¨ (Berit Kjos, The Emerging Global Church) http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/leonardsweet.htm
Female
author,
with
Lutheran
upbringing,

written
a
lot
on
trends
in

world
religion
and
the
move
toward
One
World
government.

33

Ellen White & Pantheism
Before
moving
on
to
more
of
Leonard
Sweet’s
theology
we
should
remind

ourselves
of
God’s
warnings
to
us
as
a
people.

What
does
Ellen
White
through
the

Testimony
of
Jesus
have
to
say
about
our
times?

Just
because
someone
quotes

scripture
does
not
prove
it
right.
Satan
quoted
scripture
to
Christ.

¨ “The warnings of the word of God regarding the perils surrounding the
Christian church belong to us today. As in the days of the apostles men
tried by tradition and philosophy to destroy faith in the Scriptures, so
today, by the pleasing sentiments of higher criticism, evolution,
spiritualism, theosophy, and pantheism, the enemy of righteousness is
seeking to lead souls into forbidden paths. To many the Bible is as a
lamp without oil, because they have turned their minds into channels
of speculative belief that bring misunderstanding and confusion. The
work of higher criticism, in dissecting, conjecturing, reconstructing, is
destroying faith in the Bible as a divine revelation. …”
¨ “The follower of Christ will meet with the ‘enticing words’ against
which the apostle warned the Colossian believers. He will meet with
spiritualistic interpretations of the Scriptures, but he is not to accept
them. His voice is to be heard in clear affirmation of the eternal truths
of the Scriptures.” (Acts of the Apostles, pp. 474-475)
34

Ellen White & Pantheism
¨ “Pretenders will arise with theories that have no
foundation in the word of God. We are to hold aloft the
banner bearing the inscription, ‘The commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus.’ We are to hold the
beginning of our confidence firm unto the end. Let no
one attempt to dilute truth with a mixture of sophistry.
Let no one attempt to tear down the foundation of our
faith, or to spoil the pattern by bringing into the web
threads of human devising. Not one thread of
pantheism is to be drawn into the web. Sensuality,
ruinous to soul and body, is always the result of
drawing these threads into the web.”
¨ (Medical Ministry, p. 97-98)
35

Ellen White & Spiritualism
¨ “The prince of darkness, who has so long bent the powers of
his master-mind to the work of deception, skillfully adapts
his temptations to men of all classes and conditions. To
persons of culture and refinement he presents Spiritualism in
its more refined and intellectual aspects, and thus succeeds
in drawing many into his snare. The wisdom which
Spiritualism imparts is that described by the apostle James,
which “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual,
devilish.” [James 3:15.] … He appeals to the reason by the
presentation of elevating themes, he delights the fancy with
enrapturing scenes, and he enlists the affections by his
eloquent portrayals of love and charity. He excites the
imagination to lofty flights, leading men to take so great
pride in their own wisdom that in their hearts they despise
the Eternal One.” (Great Controversy, 1888 ed. pp. 553-554)
36

¨ “But Spiritualism, which numbers its converts by
hundreds of thousands, yea, by millions, which has
made its way into scientific circles, which has invaded
churches, and has found favor in legislative bodies, and
even in the courts of kings—this mammoth deception is
but a revival, in a new disguise, of the witchcraft
condemned and prohibited of old.”
¨ “If there were no other evidence of the real character of
Spiritualism, it should be enough for the Christian that
the spirits make no difference between righteousness
and sin, between the noblest and purest of the apostles
of Christ and the most corrupt of the servants of Satan.”
(Great Controversy, 1888 ed. pp. 556-557)
37

¨ “It is true that Spiritualism is now changing its form, and,
veiling some of its more objectionable features, is assuming a
Christian guise. …”
¨ “Even in its present form, so far from being more worthy of
toleration than formerly, it is really a more dangerous,
because a more subtle deception. While it formerly
denounced Christ and the Bible, it now professes to accept
both. But the Bible is interpreted in a manner that is pleasing
to the unrenewed heart, while its solemn and vital truths are
made of no effect. Love is dwelt upon as the chief attribute of
God, but it is degraded to a weak sentimentalism making
little distinction between good and evil. God's justice, his
denunciations of sin, the requirements of his holy law, are all
kept out of sight. … Christ is as verily denied as before; but
Satan has so blinded the eyes of the people that the deception
is not discerned.” (Great Controversy, 1888 ed. p. 558)
38

¨ “Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to
deceive the world. …Little by little he has prepared the
way for his master-piece of deception in the
development of Spiritualism. He has not yet reached the
full accomplishment of his designs [1888]; but it will be
reached in the last remnant of time. Says the prophet: ‘I
saw three unclean spirits like frogs; . . . they are the
spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto
the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather
them to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty.’ [Revelation 16:13, 14.] Except those who are
kept by the power of God, through faith in his Word,
the whole world will be swept into the ranks of this
delusion.” (Great Controversy, 1888 ed. pp. 561-562)
39

¨ “Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul, and
Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his
deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of Spiritualism,
the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants
of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands
across the gulf to grasp the hand of Spiritualism; they will reach
over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under
the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the
steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.”
¨ “As Spiritualism more closely imitates the nominal Christianity of
the day, it has greater power to deceive and ensnare. Satan himself
is converted, after the modern order of things. He will appear in
the character of an angel of light. Through the agency of
Spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and
many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits
will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the
institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a
manifestation of divine power.” (Great Controversy, 1888 ed. p. 588)
40

Ellen White & Ecumenism
¨ “The line of distinction between professed Christians and
the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church-
members love what the world loves, and are ready to join
with them; and Satan determines to unite them in one
body, and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into
the ranks of Spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as
a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived
by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having
cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists,
Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of
godliness without the power, and they will see in this
union a grand movement for the conversion of the world,
and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.”(Great
Controversy, 1888 ed. p. 588)
An
ecumenical
movement.

41

02 the emerging church and the one project part 2

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

La actualidad más candente

La actualidad más candente (19)

Similar a 02 the emerging church and the one project part 2

Similar a 02 the emerging church and the one project part 2 (16)

Último

Último (20)

02 the emerging church and the one project part 2