Monism ("all is one") and Spiritual Abuse

Just received this by email:

This reminds me of that Brennan Manning quote saying that people who take the Bible too seriously are Bible worshipers! It’s just another way of telling people who care about Biblical doctrine to shut up. Although admittedly it’s a very polite way... but nonetheless he’s basically telling people to shut up about their doctrine. I can just imagine...raising even the most minor doctrinal point and being told that I’ve elevated doctrine to the position of a false god!

I just don’t want the world to be misled away from Christ by false teachings! Does that make us idolaters of doctrine!?

Tim Keller: "An idol is something that we look to for things that only God can give. Idolatry functions widely inside religious communities when doctrinal truth is elevated to the position of a false god. This occurs when people rely on the rightness of their doctrine for their standing with God rather than on God himself and his grace. It is a subtle but deadly mistake. The sign that you have fallen into this form of self-justification is that you become what the book of Proverbs calls a “scoffer”. Scoffers always show contempt and disdain for opponents rather than graciousness. This is a sign that they do not see themselves as sinners saved by grace. Instead, their trust in the rightness of their views makes them feel superior."

http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/2010/06/counterfeit-gods-tim-keller.html

Here’s Brennan Manning’s slightly less polite way of saying basically the same thing:

Brennan Manning: “If we maintain the open-mindedness of children, we challenge fixed ideas and established structures, including our own. We listen to people in other denominations and religions. We don’t find demons in those with whom we disagree. We don’t cozy up to people who mouth our jargon. If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or: either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both-and, fully aware that God’s truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition.”