Reiki and Yoga Meditation – Can they be Christianized?
A Response to Rick Warren’s January 15th Health and Wellness Plan, by Caryl Matrisciana (Used by permission.)
I was recently interviewed by radio talk show host, Jan Markell for her Olive Tree Ministries on which we discussed Rick Warren’s Health and Wellness plan designed by his three New Age doctors/advisors who practice Hinduism, Buddhism and Japanese Reiki Healing. Warren’s also supported the technique of eastern meditation promoting it as though meditation and prayer are one and the same and interchangeable. Such is the acceptance within an eastern worldview but the confusion arises because Warren’s primary audience are Christians who understand the concepts of “prayer” and “meditation” within a Biblical worldview. My radio interviews have brought us an encouraging response but needless to say there is a great concern and rightly so.
Pastor Rick Warren is extremely influential in the USA and has a global impact as a spokesperson for Christianity. He’s been named America’s Pastor and is second to Billy Graham as the 25 most influential American evangelicals but sadly Warren’s “gospel” doesn’t represent Biblical Christianity based on Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel of God promised through His Prophets in His Holy Scriptures (Romans 1:1-4). Warren’s is an apostate Christianity (2 Thes. 2:3).
Jesus mentioned four times (Matt. 24) that one of the signs of the last days before His return would be spiritual deception with false teachings and teachers coming in His name, in other words appearing to be Christianity but in reality a counterfeit. In Luke (18:42), Jesus warned at His return that He would not find THE faith as taught by Him and the Prophets found in Scripture. Such is the situation today as we witness many so-called Christian teachers promoting anti-biblical philosophies as though they were interchangeable with Biblical Christianity as in the case of Rick Warren and his three doctors who promote an eastern worldview. It is incredible that Warren was so blatant in giving them his Christian platform, his Saddleback Church and his worldwide congregation. Other so-called Christian pastors and teachers are being given celebrity status by Christian publishers, Christian T.V. and Radio and via the internet, promoting nothing short of the old New-Age Eastern teachings birthed in the 60’s now presented as a New Christian Spirituality—the emerging, emergent church is one such example. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be discussing the abounding “WIDE GATE” Christianity.
How Do We Learn Discernment?
Mostly the emails I receive ask about various varieties of eastern philosophies entering the church, and the recent spate, since Rick Warren’s Health Plan have enquired about Reiki, so-called Christian yoga, and the difference between Biblical and eastern meditation. I’ll explain these later but will mention here that as congregations grow exponentially in megachurches, seeker-friendly and emerging churches, what is becoming painfully apparent is that attendees lack teaching from the Bible and are having their worldview, perhaps unbeknownst to them, changed to a pagan, eastern, secular, or any other, anti-biblical worldview. Postmodernism, entrenched in today’s church, says the Bible isn’t the inspired Word of God profitable for all teaching (2 Tim. 3:16) and teaches that Truth is UNKNOWABLE. Such rhetoric results in a lack of discernment amongst those calling themselves Christians who aren’t being taught to use the Bible as a lamp shining in a dark place. (2 Peter 1:19-21).
The Bible says God is Truth (Isa. 65:16), the Holy Spirit is Truth (John 15:26), and Jesus says, “I am THE Truth” (Jn 14:6). God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus as truth, are understandable and knowable. The Amplified Bible explains that God glories in him whom “understands and knows Me, personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character, that I am the Lord….” (Jer. 9:24). God desires we UNDERSTAND and KNOW Him therefore His Truth is both knowable and understandable.
Many calling themselves Christians are choosing not to be led by sound Biblical doctrine but rather accumulate teachers who tell them what they want to hear to tickle their ears (2 Tim.4:3). Rick Warren unashamedly sought “to listen to” (forbidden in Deut. 18:14) the counsel of doctors who “imitate the detestable things of nations” that God has specifically instructed His people not to listen to or practice. Eastern philosophy practices “divination”, “witchcraft”, interpretation of omens” (astrology, tea leaf reading, psychic palm reading, etc), “sorcery” and so on. Why would Rick Warren ask his Christian congregation to be involved in what God forbids (Deut.18:9-14) and deliberately lead them down a path offensive to our Creator God the Father?
Christian congregations are losing their way, not being taught to test false teachings by false teachers, and unbiblical teachers like Rick Warren are part of the problem, choosing to avoid making disciples contrary to Jesus’ instruction (Matt.28:19). Warren’s sheep, along with hundreds of thousands of Purpose Driven Churches linked to Saddleback, are led through weekly topical studies, encouraged to fill in the lines of accompanying Sermon Notes, and not being fed fully with “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). The Bible warns not to naively accept teachings but “test the spirits to see if they’re from God” (1 John 4:1), and be noble-minded like the Bereans who checked what they were taught against the Scriptures DAILY (Acts 17:11).
The Lord warns that rejection of Biblical knowledge brings rejection, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6)
- Source: Reiki & Yoga Meditation, posted on November 12, 2013 by Caryl, http://caryl.tv/blog/reiki-yoga-meditation/
