The Church Growth Movement's Evolution Into The Emerging Church
Part 2 - New Age Connections To The CGM: Business and the New Age

In one of his parables of the apostasy within the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus said,

"The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened". Matt 13:33

In this verse and others [1 Cor 5:6; Gal 5:9] we are taught that it does not take much of false doctrine to mess things up. So in the following paragraphs were going to look at what we found with some of the sources and resources of CGM materials. Unfortunately the church has become like "Mikie" in the old cereal commercial; we'll eat anything. Forgetting the warnings of apostasy in scripture, we just accept any "expert" that comes along without checking to see the sources and resources for their materials, or to check them with scripture. We cannot be this way anymore!  Recall Jesus said, "...take heed that no man deceive you..."  Matthew 24:4.  As we follow the trail back to the sources of CGM, you will see why.

One of the first associations I found that links the CGM with the New Age were the writers themselves of the business and leadership books sold in the catalog of The Fuller Institute of Church Growth [a sub organization of Charles Fuller Theological Seminary]. It needs to be noted that these books are out of a catalog that was put out by The Fuller Institute of Church Growth in the 1990-1991 issue.  How much more has been added almost thirty years later to both business, the CGM and the EC?

One business leadership book Fuller sold was, On Becoming A Leader by Warren Bennis. Is Bennis associated with the New Age? We found Bennis' books endorsed by New Age Journal, and New Age futurist Alvin Toffler. Inside this book we also found Bennis quoting in a positive way, the writing of New Age business writer Thomas Peters and the elitist New World Order organization, The Club Of Rome, occultist Carl Jung, and Marilyn Ferguson, author of the popular New Age book, The Aquarian Conspiracy.

It is also interesting that Ferguson also quotes Bennis in her own book, The Aquarian Conspiracy. It was quite obvious that Bennis is associated deeply with New Age persons and groups.   Ferguson said her book that in the New Age Movement;

"Transformative ideas also appear in the guise of Business management." The Aquarian Conspiracy

So what may appear to be business management techniques and ideals may actually be the eastern religious philosophies of the New Age in disguise.  We will see how it shows up in this and other articles.

Next on the list from the catalog is Lawrence Miller's book Barbarians To Bureaucrats. Are there NA associations with Miller?  Yes.

Miller's book is endorsed by New Age idealist Buckminster Fuller, author of Synergetics [a book based upon ancient uses of geometry & physics Fuller says will save the world], Craig Hickman and Micheal Silva, authors of Creating Excellence - Managing Corporate Culture: Strategy & Change In the New Age.

What is really wrong with this picture? First we can see that churches are sometimes unknowingly [hopefully], being taught by New Age idealists. I said "sometimes" unknowingly because some pastors I have spoken with and showed them the New Age connections to these materials, still continued to use them. This includes a favorite and well known pastor. But when they do this, they just are not inviting in the one, but also the many; i.e. the string of resources that these author use. Now if New Age idealists write these books, and their resources and associates are New Age, what type of teachings do you suppose are coming into the churches? One word given to us warns;

"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate", says the Lord, "And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you..." 2 Corinthians 6:14, 17

Now, would you think that these New Age idealists are believers in God as is written in scripture? Are they of light or of darkness? Obviously they are not believers, and the New Age is of darkness, not light. In fact, their philosophies and ideals oppose Christianity. Would you think that books endorsed by New Age Journal or written by New Age authors are clean or unclean?

We need to understand that those in the New Age believe that fundamental Biblical Christianity is a no more than an outdated irrelevant myth and a danger to their goals. In fact, Warren Bennis, along with New Age futurist Willis Harmon , says that the church is no longer relevant in today's society, that it is up to the corporate world to teach values and spirituality to their employees and families; in the corporate setting.

Do we want to be bound together with those who are opposed to Christ and believe that Christianity is a wall to their One World Eastern type spirituality and their New World Order? We need to realize that if we incorporated and got advise from the writers of these books that the CGM sold via Fuller and other CGM organizations, we are also getting the advise of the other numerous writers they referred to.

I followed the path of many of the endorsers and resources [about 20 books] of some the books that Fuller sells. Many had New Age philosophies, many times covered under the guise of business or science.

What else is wrong with this? It is that these books are even in a Christian organization and catalog! What happens is the ease by which the philosophies of these writers can enter churches. Most Christians know little or nothing about the New Age. So when a respected person or organization within Christianity promotes, sells or quotes a writer or book, they are giving credibility to them, their philosophies.  Unfortunately, many Christians do not know the Word to be able to see the difference between the clean and unclean.  Nothing unclean was allowed to come into the temple to pollute it.  That has not changed in bringing in teachings and teachers from the outside.

Christian authors are also linked into the New Age. This problem not only happens with the secular books that the CGM promotes, but also, yes also, in some books by pastors and other authors in the CGM and EC.

For instance, in a book co-authored by Church Growth experts Don Cousins, Leith Anderson, and Arthur DeKruyter called Mastering Church Management, published by Multnomah and at one time promoted by Christianity Today, Inc., we find some of their positive resources are also of the realm of the New Age idealists. Thomas Peters is one referenced. In his book In Search For Excellence, he resources Warren Bennis and Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

One part of Mastering Church Management has in it, Abraham Maslow's scripture - contradicting Hierarchy of Needs. Yet another promotes Kenneth Blanchard's One Minute Manager. Blanchard himself is a graduate of Anthony Robbins Unlimited Power course and was also at one time engaged in a cable TV advertising promotional of this course. Positive thinker Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral and Peak Performers author Charles Garfield also endorse Blanchard’s book.

It is interesting that Garfield also resources Blanchard in Peak Performers along with a list of heavy New Age thinkers such as Rollo May, Ted Turner [Turner Broadcasting], deep New Age idealist Aldous Huxley, Morton Hunt,  Warren Bennis, Jean Houston (a founder of the "Human Potential Movement", founder of "The Foundation For Mind Research).

Let's stop on Houston for a moment. Of further interest about Jean Houston is that in 1997 she was made a "Fellow" of the "World Business Academy, she was a spiritual advisor to Hillary Clinton in the 90s, worked with the Dalai Lama in a "learning and advisory capacity" Source: jeanhouston.com/Jean-Houston/.  Houston is into Buddhism, creating a one world unity, visualization and, like the staff of Bethel Church and other New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) associates, is into Quantum Physics.

Some of her recent writings can be seen to eerily parallel the aspects of the CGM.  For instance she wrote of New Age leaning scientist Mark Steiner writing to her in the concept of telling The Universal Story.  She said,

 As scientist Mark Steiner, a participant in the Epic of Evolution Internet list wrote me: "We need to tell the Epic as a whole as well as to tell the individualized stories of our sun, our planet, our moon, our species. We need to tell it in narratives and in dramas. We need to tell it in literal and in metaphorical terms. We need to tell it though art and paintings. We need to tell it in song and in dance. We need to tell it on television and in movie theaters. We need to tell it in comic books, children’s books and novels. We need to tell it in street theater, operas, and performance art. We need to tell it in rituals and reenactments. We need to tell it in church services and workshops....

...We need to so fill our culture with the story that it cannot help but be transformed. Our job may well be to fill our culture with the story so that it seeps deeply enough into our collective consciousness to create a common, contagious unity." End quote Source: soulfulliving.com/jumptime.htm

Of this "Universal Story" Houston says,

"Keep in mind that there are those whose religious beliefs may cause them to view the story of the universe’s evolution as a threat. In telling the new story, stress its universal spiritual dimension without diminishing or disrespecting anyone’s creation story. Told as a spiritual practice, the Universe Story has the potential to bring together and celebrate the common heritage of a diverse universe".  End quote Source: soulfulliving.com/jumptime.htm

And this is what the CGM and EC has done by going outside of Gods Word.  Art, entertainment, songs, dance, and images have been slowly replacing the importance of the spoken read Word of God.

Now if I did not know better, since Mastering Church Management was written by highly respected people [they have numerous books in Christian bookstores] and sold by the respected but out of scripture Fuller Institute of Church Growth, and in Christian bookstores in general, it must be all right. Not only must this book be all right, but also all those resources and their resources like Jean Houston must be credible and acceptable.  But not so.

This same concept applies to Honest To God  by former pastor Bill Hybels, at one time a very respected person in CGM circles. In Honest To God, Hybels quotes New Age Men's Movement philosopher Robert Bly [As does Promise Keepers book The Masculine Journey]. Bly's books and philosophies can be found in New Age bookstores. And remember M. Scott Peck, the writer who believes we are all evolving into gods? Bill Hybels book also uses Peck as a positive resource from The Road Less Traveled  and The Different Drum.

Remember that it was even on the cover of The Different Drum  that Furgeson said, "Peck has done it again". Incidentally, in a twenty-page interview by Playboy Magazine in 1991, Peck stated he thought pornography was good. Not a very good resource to draw upon. But church leaders are drawing upon it!

In Honest To God, Bill Hybels also endorses a book called Please Understand Me; Character and Personality Types, by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates. He said this book helped his marriage. Bill stated in his book that Please Understand Me is an in depth look at the theories of Carl Jung and on personality types from which the Meyers - Briggs Type Indicator Test in the book was derived from. In this and past newsletters we have pointed out that Jung was an occultist, astrologer, believed the Bible is a myth, and was demonically possessed by two spirit guides; Philemon and Ka, and hated Christianity.  The Word said this was going to happen, didn't it?

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1 Tim 4:1

This is a picture of Jung's main spirit guide whom he said was "Philemon". (Red Book, pg 154)  Jung painted this picture of this demon and admitted being possessed by him.  He is a source of Jung's teachings and thus those that follow his teachings are "giving heed" to it.

In his biography, Memories, Dreams, and Reflections  , Jung said this of Philemon.
“Philemon was a Pagan and brought with him an Egyptian-Gnostic-Hellenistic atmosphere with a Gnostic coloration. It was he who taught me psychic objectivity, the reality of the psyche… Psychologically, Philemon represented superior insight.” (Memories, pp. 207-8.) Notice the "garden" motif with the two trees and the serpent and how Philemon represented "superior insight".  Strangely somewhat like Genesis 3 and the wisdom to make one wise from the serpent.

The text in the image reads: "Father of the Prophet, beloved Philemon." Jung (Red Book translated pg 282)

Personality and spiritual gift type tests have their root in ancient mythology and astrology. There are occult books on the ancient occult symbol, the Enneagram, and personality and character types. Yet we also found these personality type tests offered in the Fuller Catalog. Now, because a respected person wrote Honest To God, the unknowing person may believe that Bly, Peck, Jung, Please Understand Me. and their philosophies are all right. But they are not.  When we incorporate these type of techniques into the church, we invite in the demons behind them, like Philemon.

To see a visual example of how these New Age ideals get integrated into the church (highly recommended): GO TO CHART

And what of Rick Warren?  He is a large promoter of New Age eastern thoughts and mysticism.  Other than the association with New Age business leaders, Warren associated himself with three New Age practitioners in the writing of his book "The Daniel Plan".  His own church website has one of these persons doing a video in which he takes persons on a guided imagery mind trip.   Bill Hybels incorporated the same practice in Willow Creek and his son-in-law teaches visualization to church members under the name, "The Practice".  It is just plain sorcery and witchcraft they promote.  (See the article on Visualization).