Yesterday I watched a classic example of the kind of visualization meditation that is being taught to many evangelical Christians today in churches, colleges and retreat centers. You can find this Ignatian Contemplation link here @ My Word Like Fire. Although the nice man on the video clip makes it sound quite pleasant, visualization is a New Age and occultic practice that is potentially dangerous.
Why? Because regularly imagining yourself in Bible scenes could result in an over-reliance upon one’s "divine" experiences, hearing extra biblical "wisdom" from these imaginary conversations, coming in contact with spirit guides (demons), and receiving and trusting in new revelations thought to be from God (but are NOT). All of the above can result in making foolish or harmful decisions. In a nutshell, the imagination is not a safe thing to trust in.
Maybe that's why the Bible doesn't speak to highly of our imaginations.
"Thus says the LORD of hosts," Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD." Jeremiah 23:16 NASB
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" 2 Cor. 10:5 KJV
It is obviously safer to trust in God than in our imaginations. Alarmingly, visualization is being taught by "Christians" to many well meaning Christians who sincerely want to hear from the Lord, but this is not the right way to go about it. Through their books and seminars and things, a few classic examples of those who teach "Christian" visualization are:
-> Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline.
-> Brad Jersak through seminars and his nice books and things, teaches visualization to adults and children.
->Mark Virkler (president of the Christian Leadership University) through his books and seminars on how to hear God's voice and see into the spirit realm. Prayer, fasting and reading the Bible didn't work for him, so he discovered a new method to "tune in to flow" and hear God's voice. Now he encourages stillness, vision, and journaling (he calls it writing from flow, which is the same thing as automatic writing or channeling in New Age/occultic circles).
*Video here:
The Four Keys to Hearing God's Voice with Mark Virkler
vimeo.com/8965871
*And here:
How to Hear The Voice Of God with Mark Virkler
vimeo.com/8888487
Of course he also makes it sounds very nice, and very Christian. No wonder so many sincere followers are falling for this method in hopes of hearing from God. But this is not at all biblical. To understand why, see an excellent review of one of his books here:
Hearing God's Voice Guaranteed
by K Jentoft
www.worldviewtimes.com
[*Note: the last time I blogged about Virkler's videos they were removed from the internet, so I won't be surprised if these ones also disappear.]
~ ~ ~
To learn the truth about "Christian" visualization from a biblical perspective, see these:
Visualization
www.letusreason.org
Guided Visualization
www.apologeticsindex.org
Visualization
www.thebereancall.org
Visualization
www.inplainsite.org
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11 comments:
Gen 6:5 And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
That's another verse that points to the fact that mans imagination is evil and wicked.
Continually...imagine that.
That's why we need to continually fill and cleanse our minds with God's Word.
~ so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word ~
Ephesians 5:26
Yes great point and fantastic verse!
Also I think that it is important to point out that the Hebrew in the verse Gen 6:5 uses imagination as in the whole imagination. The Hebrew word signifies not only the imagination but also the purposes and desires.
I mean, a lot of poets, artists, cooks and even scrapbookers use imagination but their purpose is good, right?
So the purpose and desires have to be assessed too. Do they line up with the will of God are they scriptural?
Exactly, the same way there are people who have very good imaginations and write very good books, or design and create beautiful furniture and architecture. We are made in the image of God, and we are the only living things on earth who can create things. Although...I have seen an elephant paint a picture... does that mean that elephants have good imaginations? :)
It all depends on what the picture looked like I suppose hehehehe. Judging by what some people called art that question is completely subjective!
Check out my grammar in that last comment... aaarrrggghh!
I often have little Oliver distracting me mid sentence. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
No worries, I never noticed. :)
It's not that I disagree with the reality that the imagination CAN BE an evil thing; but it is that I know it CAN BE a good thing too! When you drop words like new age and visualization of course we all run for the hills and hide. Who wants to be new age or work with demons? No one that loves God. But those are fear words that CONJUR up fear, conjur up in our imagination that is!!
God gave us our creativity and imaginations, it's whether we use them for his glory or not is what counts.
I personally don't fear these concepts, but I fear (love, respect) God enough not to experiment with techniques which can open doors that lead to spiritually dangerous places, or stick my foot back into the same enemy territory He has rescued me from.
I appreciate the concern to avoid the potential for error. However, it seems that we so often through out that which is good to avoid that which could potentially go wrong. Is there anything wrong with an imagination that is sanctified? ...Do you throw out knowledge because it could be used for bad? Do we cut out our tongues because they could speak evil? Do we gauge out our eyes just in case they see lustfully? ...Similarly, I have to believe that God has saved me - that He is making me more and more into His likeness, into His image. That I am being renewed, day by day. And that includes my imagination. ...Do I take it equivalent in authority to scripture? Never. But do I live in fear about what might come through there? No way. Just like I test the input that comes through my eyes and ears, I test the input that comes through my imagination. ...If we don't believe that even our imagination can be sanctified, than we diminish the power of the cross and what God accomplished there in Jesus.
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