"But it's just a little thing"...

Since it's September and 'back to school' time, I thought it would be entirely appropriate to blog the following...

It's about this 'little thing' that was recently brought to my attention regarding a local Christian university - a thing they are promoting on their website.

On the Trinity Western University ‘Pray!’ page (http://www.twu.ca/life/ministries/chapel/prayer/) is a picture of a labyrinth (same one as above) beside this description:

Online Prayer Tools

An interactive online Prayer Labyrinth, designed by emerging churches in the UK and produced online by YFC. Takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes to interact and focus your heart in this unique prayer journey.

[***UPDATE and Note: As of mid November 2009, it has been noted that the picture and link have been deleted.]

So I clicked on the labyrinth picture, and was taken here:

http://www.rejesus.co.uk/spirituality/labyrinth/index.html

If your son or daughter or someone you know attends this school, perhaps they might consider questioning someone in charge as to why they are promoting the rejesus thing. Regardless of the spirituality behind the labyrinth and the kazillion reasons why Christians should have nothing to do with it, students will find more than just that on this website. Unless I'm mistaken, it looks like the rejesus page has changed since I last saw it several years ago. The emerging church links seem to have morphed into new spirituality links. Not only can you 'walk' through the on-line labyrinth meditation, you can also walk through all kinds of different spirituality 'modules.'

For example, you can click on ‘Zodiac Jesus’ (under New spirituality modules) and learn about Carl Jung and the personality types, and find out what ‘sign’ Jesus was. On that same page (under a sub heading called ‘Jesus Horoscope’) we read of Jesus:

He is also the model for all kinds of people to look to as they seek to become fully themselves and reach their potential.

{Uh…excuse me, but in my humble opinion, that is a load of self help, self esteem garbage. Rather than become fully ourselves, the Bible tells us that we are to die to our old selves to become more like Christ, not reach OUR full potential. We reach Christ likeness by walking in His power, not by our own potential and strengths (or righteousness, which is nothing more than filthy rags to God). Jesus is not our “model”, He is our Saviour, our Lord, and our source of strength! We are dead without Him.}

Another thing I checked out on the rejesus website, under ‘All Spirituality Modules,’ was something called the Happiness e-course:

About this Module:

Jesus described himself as ‘completely happy’. How about you? Could you do with some more happiness in your life?

Happiness e-course

This course takes the wisdom and simplicity of Jesus and combines it with the latest interventions from the world of positive psychology to help you find happiness and meaning in your life. Follow this free 8 week happiness course, complete the exercises and see what occurs for you.

No comment. I’m too busy gagging.

Next, from there somehow I got to the Green Jesus page and clicked on the ‘theologian plant’, where I read how Jesus was "in touch with the natural world":

Meditating on the plants and animals of the earth was a principal means through which he received the pictures and visions that supported his memorable teaching.

- Chris Sunderland (http://www.earthabbey.com/)

Earth Abbey, by the way, is a whole other can of contemplative worms, but come on...the principal means through which Jesus received his wisdom, knowledge and power was through His deity. God in the flesh. It's He who holds things like plants and animals together (Col. 1:17).

Okay, enough browsing. You can take a look for yourself if you like. It's not such a big deal, some might say, the students will be strong enough not to fall for all that junk. Well what if they are not? It's attractive and even has some Christian things on it, but the rest is just ancient spirituality in disguise - which is nothing new. Oh, but don’t be so judgmental, it’s not meant to be a Christian website, it's just a 'spirituality' website, some might say. Exactly. So why is a nice Christian university promoting false spirituality on their ‘Pray’ page without warnings or caution as if it is acceptable?

How gradually and slowly this sort of thing has been creeping up on us, like frogs in a pot of luke warm water on a burner set on high. If you think stuff this is okay, don’t be fooled. God hates this kind of compromise so much it makes Him puke.

So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:16

I have just barely cracked open the lid of Pandora's box today, and there are much more serious compromises going on in Christian colleges and universities all over Canada and the U.S., but perhaps if someone draws a little thing like this to the attention of this Christian school it will be removed. It's a start. It's happened before. But someone has to say something. Kind of like the Sacred Space Jesuit website (http://sacredspace.ie/) that was being promoted on the website of my former church a few years ago. When I brought it up, no one seemed to know how it got there, even the people in charge, and then one day it just quietly disappeared - poof!

So perhaps I have made a rather big deal about a little thing today, but we all know what the Bible says about that...

...Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven.... (from 1 Corinthians 5)