Recently I was invited to participate in a radio programme on a local radio station (Radio Pulpit). The topic of the interview was "What is The Emerging Church?" I was invited beacuse of the much discussed article about the ECM I wrote, and was published in our denomination's official newspaper - Kerkbode. The other participants of the programme were Cobus van Wyngaard, a vocal participant in a local chapter of the ECM in Pretoria, and Sarel van der Merwe, who developed and presented a workshop on the dangers of the Emerging Church Movement in February.
During the course of the interview (I requested a mp3-copy of the programme from Radio Pulpit, and when I received it, I will post in on the blog - unfortunately it will be in Afrikaans; perhaps I'll venture a translated transcript if time permits me), Sarel vd Merwe accused some of the leading thinkers in the ECM of heresy, specifically referring to Rob Bell teaching his congregation members to do yoga. I remember thinking how one can respond to such a blanket accusation, when it is stated as fact with no further elaboration. My response during the radio programme was to plead for a relational approach - by connecting to the person being accused on a more personal level, and understaning his or her motives. One of my old university lecturers, Stephan Joubert, shared with me that he personally knows Rob and can testify to his love and commitment to Jesus Christ.
After the interview I started thinking. It led to an internet search with the question, "Does Rob Bell teach Yoga?" The results that came up was a mixture of yoga-related sites, websites referring to Rob's ministry thrtough his Nooma-DVD's and a bunch of sites devoted to criticism of the ECM. During the course of the search I got hold of Rob's DVD titled Breathe and watched it. Very interesting. No mention of yoga, though.
The sites devoted to warn against the ECM are very outspoken about their dislike of the emerging church, and even Rob Bell. Luckily, one of them (I can't remember which one, as I didn't bookmark it) posted a sermon by Rob - preached on 29 May 2005, entitled breathe. I downloaded the sermon and listened to it. He referred to yoga. It was part of an illustration on helping the congregants understand the biblical meaning of spirit, and the Holy Spirit, and His role in our Christian lives. Rob connected it to the fact that we need breathing to live. He then referred to the yoga practice of keeping your breathing steady when you learn to relax. This was followed, as part of the illustration, to enable the people in the service (as I understand it) to put their own thoughts regarding to stuff that they need to unload before God's feet, in perspective.
To a more conservative Christian I can imagine Rob's technique to be way strange. The whole service and his use of theology is very creative and interactive. Rob uses a simple technique of involving his audience in the subject matter by letting them write their thoughts on what he's saying - reflecting on their own experience - on a piece of paper. His use of Scripture is very diverse and he utilises a method of theologizing by drawing together exegetical concepts such as spirit, earth, breath and dependance on God.
I really cannot see how anyone could think he is teaching yoga to his church, through this sermon, unless you are charismatically inclined and believe the devil uses subversive methods like sneeking into your soul through opened gateways (such as participating in a yoga-type illustration). To accuse Rob of promoting yoga is simply distorting the context of the illustration. To be honest, I'd be much more at ease if he rather referred to the earlier church fathers who practices solitude and the monastic version of contemplative prayer for this illustration.
But as I'm not a member of his community I'm not privy to the subcultures prevalent in Mars Hill. Maybe yoga is practiced by a lot of his church members as part of their daily exercise routine. After all, yoga, as with karate and judo and other martial arts sports, can be practiced without getting involved in eastern religions or eastern philosophy. But ... let me not be the one to influence your opinion. Here, then, is Rob's Nooma-clip called BREATHE:
During the course of the interview (I requested a mp3-copy of the programme from Radio Pulpit, and when I received it, I will post in on the blog - unfortunately it will be in Afrikaans; perhaps I'll venture a translated transcript if time permits me), Sarel vd Merwe accused some of the leading thinkers in the ECM of heresy, specifically referring to Rob Bell teaching his congregation members to do yoga. I remember thinking how one can respond to such a blanket accusation, when it is stated as fact with no further elaboration. My response during the radio programme was to plead for a relational approach - by connecting to the person being accused on a more personal level, and understaning his or her motives. One of my old university lecturers, Stephan Joubert, shared with me that he personally knows Rob and can testify to his love and commitment to Jesus Christ.
After the interview I started thinking. It led to an internet search with the question, "Does Rob Bell teach Yoga?" The results that came up was a mixture of yoga-related sites, websites referring to Rob's ministry thrtough his Nooma-DVD's and a bunch of sites devoted to criticism of the ECM. During the course of the search I got hold of Rob's DVD titled Breathe and watched it. Very interesting. No mention of yoga, though.
The sites devoted to warn against the ECM are very outspoken about their dislike of the emerging church, and even Rob Bell. Luckily, one of them (I can't remember which one, as I didn't bookmark it) posted a sermon by Rob - preached on 29 May 2005, entitled breathe. I downloaded the sermon and listened to it. He referred to yoga. It was part of an illustration on helping the congregants understand the biblical meaning of spirit, and the Holy Spirit, and His role in our Christian lives. Rob connected it to the fact that we need breathing to live. He then referred to the yoga practice of keeping your breathing steady when you learn to relax. This was followed, as part of the illustration, to enable the people in the service (as I understand it) to put their own thoughts regarding to stuff that they need to unload before God's feet, in perspective.
To a more conservative Christian I can imagine Rob's technique to be way strange. The whole service and his use of theology is very creative and interactive. Rob uses a simple technique of involving his audience in the subject matter by letting them write their thoughts on what he's saying - reflecting on their own experience - on a piece of paper. His use of Scripture is very diverse and he utilises a method of theologizing by drawing together exegetical concepts such as spirit, earth, breath and dependance on God.
I really cannot see how anyone could think he is teaching yoga to his church, through this sermon, unless you are charismatically inclined and believe the devil uses subversive methods like sneeking into your soul through opened gateways (such as participating in a yoga-type illustration). To accuse Rob of promoting yoga is simply distorting the context of the illustration. To be honest, I'd be much more at ease if he rather referred to the earlier church fathers who practices solitude and the monastic version of contemplative prayer for this illustration.
But as I'm not a member of his community I'm not privy to the subcultures prevalent in Mars Hill. Maybe yoga is practiced by a lot of his church members as part of their daily exercise routine. After all, yoga, as with karate and judo and other martial arts sports, can be practiced without getting involved in eastern religions or eastern philosophy. But ... let me not be the one to influence your opinion. Here, then, is Rob's Nooma-clip called BREATHE:
Unfortunately, Blogger doesn't allow me to upload the mp3 of Rob's sermon, as it is too long. I can try and email it to you, if you want to listen to it.
THE DEATH OF GOD
ReplyDelete"Then the Jews, as was the preparation of the Passover, so that the bodies were not on the cross on the sabbath (for that Sabbath day was very solemn) asked Pilate to break them legs, and were removed from there. They came as soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and also the other who was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, as he was already dead, did not break his legs "(John 19,31-33)
As Albert Einstein once said: "The only true problem of all time is in the heart and the thoughts of men. This is not a physical problem but a moral issue. It is easier to change the plutonium compocision that the evil spirit of an individual. It is not the explosive power of an atomic bomb, but what frightens us the power of evil in the human heart, its explosive power for evil. "
No doubt that what the scientist says is one of the harsh realities that describe the human being, that there is an evil inclination in man.
Many of the unhealthy actions of man originated in the laboratory of the evil mind of man, a mind that each day feeds on a terrifying idea, the darkest, most hideous that the man was able to conceive this idea is the desire to "kill God."
Every human being has an area which makes it responsive to think of God, and this sensitive area is in Consciousness. But when the human heart is inclined to build their own roads, to set their own standards, creating an ethical and moral own or her own lifestyle, not subject to anything but the ego itself, the man faces an obstacle: the idea of God in his conscience.
So the man decided that this idea should be removed from his mind.
The apostle John writes about this desire of man, when focusing on the murder and martyrdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, this being done the most despicable act committed to the human race. In reading John 19,31-34 are 2 groups conspired together and with the intent to remove and eliminate the idea of God reflected in the person of Jesus. These groups are the Jews and Romans. But here also notice two things:
1. Religiosity, as represented by the Jews, and that today may well be exemplified by all the religious leaders of all denominations living under Christian rites and ceremonies, traditions or under human schemes, under systems that are not biblical, without guide the Spirit of God. This kills the religious idea of God in man.
2. Spiritual insensitivity, as represented by the Roman soldiers, and exemplified by all those who are disrespectful or irreverent to the sacred, the profane to the church of Christ without fear of seeing God in their hearts, breaking the rules of God, as if break the legs of Christ. These two things darkened conscience of man.
However, as the apostle John writes the death of Jesus, also writes gloriously the event of his Resurrection.
"Ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20.17),
with these words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection, he left it that the conception of God is so great and sublime that can never disappear from the consciousness of man.
So for those of evil heart this conception remains a torment to their lives, but for people whose hearts repented the conception of God is an conception of hope, joy, strength, which encourages them to await the Second Coming of Christ .
For those interested in learning a little more about yoga and the influence of the east on the west I suggest you go to www.radiofreechurch.com then click on Message Sets then go to page 2 and click on Yoga Uncoiled and 4 sections of the video are available. You can watch online or download via Kigo Video Converter. Just one correction on the order of watching, no.s 2 and 3 are in the wrong order i.e. watch 1, 3, 2, 4. Or you can go to www.carylmatrisciana.com and purchase the DVD. Very informative and a warning to the church. For those who question the influence of Eastern Mysticism and the occult on the church, our enemy is extremely deceitful and deception would not be called deception if it was blatantly obvious. Counterfeit is intended to look appealing and slide in next to the original and be accepted by the ignorant and undiscerning including leaders.
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