Hold Fast Apologetics

Meridith Black: gal220black@gmail.com

(Sources included at the bottom)

40-page “Essentials” Version 
Complete Google Doc

This 86-page, “side-by-side” chart was compiled in June of 2024 with the genuine hope and prayer that it might be a helpful resource for anyone wanting to know how Friar Richard Rohr’s theology (study of God) and anthropology (study of humanity & cultures) compares with Christianity. In order to accomplish this important task, it was necessary that Rohr’s own words (from his books, devotionals, and videos), not my own interpretation of his words, would be shared here. Alongside Rohr’s statements will be commentary by Christian theologians and  the Bible. For while secondary teachings can be discussed respectfully over multiple cups of coffee or tea, the core, essential teachings of Christianity are not malleable. And therefore, Rohr’s usage of Christian terminology needs to align with the straightedge of Scripture. “To him (Jesus), what Scripture says, God says.” John Wenham (Christ and the Bible).

Topics researched below (not alphabetized):

Angels Bible Christ Christ Consciousness Christianity Church Contemplative Prayer Conversion Creation Crucifixion Devil

Divination Dualism Ego Enneagram Evil (Probelm of) Faith False Self God Gospel Grace Heart

Heaven Hell Heresy Holy Spirit Humanity Image of God Incarnation Jesus Kingdom-of-God Love Man’s Problem Mind of Christ

Mysticism Original Sin Panentheism Perennialism Propitiation Redemption Repentance Resurrection Salvation Second Coming Shadow Self

Sin Soul Spiritual Path SyncretismTransformation Trinity True Self Truth Wisdom Works

Richard Rohr’s Terminology Compared to Christianity (Scripture)

Topic	Richard Rohr	Defining the Terms (Christian Perspective)	What Does Scripture Say?
Heresy	“Many religious people will call you a ‘heretic’ or wrong, because you are speaking beyond their limited experience.” (149) “The single biggest heresy is individualism. That’s what happens when we go down the track of individualism and lose the mystical level of perception.” (150)	“Regarding biblical Christianity, what is heresy? Second Peter 2:1 says, ‘There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.’ From this verse, we see that heresy is anything that denies the teaching of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 11:19, Paul takes the church to task for having heresies among them—heresies that led to schisms in the body. These verses touch on both aspects of what constitutes heresy in the church: denying the doctrines God has given, and dividing the body He has created. Both of these are dangerous, destructive actions that are soundly rebuked by Scripture. See also 1 John 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 1:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:13-14; and Jude 1.’” (151)	“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4:1-6
Panentheism	“The divine dance isn’t a closed circle; we’re all invited in!” (10) “I’m not saying that God is all things or that all things are God (pantheism). I am saying that each living thing reveals some aspect of God. God is greater than the whole of our universe, and as Creator inter-penetrates all created things (panentheism).” (41) “When God manifests spirit through matter, then matter becomes a holy thing. The material world is the place where we can comfortably worship God just by walking on it, loving it, and respecting it. Everything visible, without exception, is the outpouring of God. What else could it really be?” (41) All of creation is holy. (41)	“Panentheism: ‘Term coined by K. C. F. Krause (1781–1832) the view that God is in all things. This view also sees the world and God as mutually dependent for their fulfillment.’” (65) “Panentheism:  Meaning ‘all is in God,’ this view equates the universe with God (like pantheism) but allows God to have a separate identity distinct from the universe (unlike pantheism). In panentheism, everything that exists is contained within God, but God is separate from and greater than everything that exists.” (65) “Panentheism is unbiblical since it denies God’s transcendent nature, says that God is changing, confuses creation with God, denies miracles, and denies the incarnation of Christ along with the atoning sacrifice.” (65) “‘Panentheists think of God as a finite, changing, director of world affairs who works in cooperation with the world in order to achieve greater perfection in his nature…they believe the world is God’s body.” (65)	“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!For who has known the mind of the Lord,     or who has been his counselor?”Or who has given a gift to him     that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:33-36“But, he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.’” Exodus 33:20“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.” James 1:17“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6 “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19
Perennialism	“The things I teach come from a combination of inner and outer authority, drawn from ‘personal experience’ and a long lineage of the ‘perennial tradition’ as Aldous Huxley, Huston Smith, Ken Wilber, and many others have called it.” (59) “The Perennial Tradition points to recurring themes and truths within all of the world’s religions. At their most mature level, religions cultivate in their followers a deeper union with God, with each other, and with reality—or what is.” (59)“Perennial Tradition: 1.) There is a Divine Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things. 2.)There is in the human soul a natural capacity, similarity, and longing for this Divine Reality. 3.) The final goal of all existence is union with Divine Reality.” (71)“Perennial Wisdom was popularized through the writer Aldous Huxley whose book, The Perennial Philosophy, was published in 1945. So what is the Perennial Philosophy? Several descriptions yielded this concise overview from a Perennial site called One River: 1. All life arises in and is an expression of the nondual Infinite Life that is called by many names: Ultimate Reality, God, Tao, Mother, Allah, YHVH, Dharmakaya, Brahman, and Great Spirit among others. 2. You contain two ways of knowing the world: a greater knowing (called Atman, Soul, Self, Spirit, Mind, etc.) that intuitively knows each finite life as a unique manifestation of Infinite Life, and a lesser knowing (called self, ego, ahem, kibr, etc.) that mistakes uniqueness for separateness, and imagines itself apart from rather than a part of Infinite Life. 3. Awakening the greater Self and knowing the interconnectedness of all life in the singular Life carries with it a universal ethic calling the awakened to cultivate compassion and justice toward all beings. 4. Awakening your greater Self and living this ethic is the highest goal you can set for yourself.” (72)	“Perennial Philosophy (or Perennial Tradition or Perennial Wisdom), is the belief that all religions share the same core truth, accessed by mysticism. In this view, our deepest self has always been connected to God, and in Christian Perennial Wisdom, is the Christ-self and is our True Self. As in the New Age and in many Eastern religions, one must have an awakening to gain a new perception of reality in order to realize these new truths about the self.” (70) “The term Perennial Philosophy first appeared around 1540 from the Italian humanist Agostino Steuco, and later by German mathematician and philosopher G.W. Leibniz in the 18th century. In the 20th century, a major spokesperson for the Perennial Philosophy was the Swiss-born Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998), a prolific writer on metaphysics, spirituality, art, and anthropology. Perennial Wisdom was popularized through the writer Aldous Huxley whose book, The Perennial Philosophy, was published in 1945.” (72) “Aldous Huxley, writing in the mid-20th century, explained this concept in his book The Perennial Philosophy. Modern adaptations of New Age belief and recent expressions of syncretism are rooted in perennialism. Looking back through history, closely related ideas can be seen in Theosophy and Neoplatonism. As one might expect, perennial philosophy heavily emphasizes personal experience over objective ideas. ‘All roads lead to God’ is not a sure sign of perennialist thinking, but perennialism almost always includes a vague version of that sentiment.” (69) “Neither perennialism nor The Perennial Philosophy is biblical or compatible with Christian truth.” (69)	“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”  Romans 1:18-23 “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” Isaiah 37:16 “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:14 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” Galatians 1:8-9 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5 “And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.” 1 Kings 18:21
Angels	“If we want to take the notion of angels, demons, and the principalities and powers seriously, we will have to go back to the biblical understanding of spirits in all its profundity and apply it freshly to our situation today.” (97) “When Paul talks about the ‘devil,’ he uses words like ‘powers,’ ‘principalities,’ and ‘thrones’ (see Ephesians 6:12). These are almost certainly his pre-modern words for what we would now call corporations, institutions, nation-states, and organizations that demand our full allegiance and thus become, in many ways, idolatrous—not just ‘too big to fail,’ but even too big to be criticized. Suddenly, the medieval notion of devils comes very close to home.” (98)	GotQuestions gives us a biblical perspective: Angels are personal spiritual beings who have intelligence, emotions, and will. This is true of both the good and evil angels (demons). Angels possess intelligence (Matthew 8:29; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 1:12), show emotion (Luke 2:13; James 2:19; Revelation 12:17), and exercise will (Luke 8:28-31; 2 Timothy 2:26; Jude 6). Angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:14) without true physical bodies. Although they do not have physical bodies, they are still personalities and occasionally take on physical bodies.” (99)	“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11 “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—” Jude 1:6 “Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.” Isaiah 6:2“Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53
Rohr’s Spiritual Path	“I hate to sound so Christian.” Rohr says this at the 49:04 mark of a video when describing what happens to our bodies after physical death. While Rohr appears to embrace the appearance of the “Christian tradition” (Perennial terminology), all the while simultaneously deconstructing the essential teachings of Christianity to where it is not even Christianity. (124) “The spiritual path should be about helping you learn where your true ground, your deepest truth, and your eternal life really are. Our common phrase for that is ‘finding your soul.”(27) “We need to unlearn a lot of false messages—given by family, religion, and culture—in order to get back to that foundational life which is ‘hidden with Christ in God’” (Colossians 3:3).” (27) “When St. Paul says that ‘our God is a consuming fire’ [Hebrews 12:29], we see again a metaphor for the dismantling of ego-centeredness. Christ’s heart can become the fiery center of ourselves, and in that alchemical blaze the ego is transformed to the gold of humility and generosity. Our spiritual practice is thus to turn our ego energy into compassion for others, not at the cost of personal esteem, but as a fruit of it.” (31) “The levels of spiritual development begin with dualistic, exclusionary, either/or thinking and become increasingly nondual, allowing for a deeper, broader, wiser, more inclusive and loving way of seeing.” (32) “It is almost the only task of religion—to communicate not worthiness but union, to reconnect people to their original identity ‘hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3)” (35) “We need contemplative practices to loosen our egoic attachment to certainty and retrain our minds to understand the wisdom of paradox.” (32)  “To live in union with the Source of all being.” (41) “When we live inside the Really Real, we live in a ‘threshold space’ between this world and the next. We learn how to live between heaven and earth, one foot in both, holding them precious together.” (42)	“Our purpose in life, as God originally created man, is 1) glorify God and enjoy fellowship with Him, 2) have good relationships with others, 3) work, and 4) have dominion over the earth. But with man’s fall into sin, fellowship with God is broken, relationships with others are strained, work seems to always be frustrating, and man struggles to maintain any semblance of dominion over nature. Only by restoring fellowship with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, can purpose in life be rediscovered. The purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We glorify God by fearing and obeying Him, keeping our eyes on our future home in heaven, and knowing Him intimately. We enjoy God by following His purpose for our lives, which enables us to experience true and lasting joy—the abundant life that He desires for us.” (66) “Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards…in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us, that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness.” – John Calvin p. 37 (67) “By Perennial Wisdom, Rohr does not mean biblical teaching, but a common spiritual awareness tapped into by various mystics, seers, and sages throughout history and within various religions.13 The essential idea is that God and the cosmos are one.” (62)	“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:1-11
Mysticism	“True mystics—those who have learned to see at the deepest, experiential level—know that everything is sacred.” (57) “Mysticism is experiential knowledge of spiritual things.” (73) “Mysticism is when God’s presence becomes experiential for you not intellectual experience and undoubted.” (111) “Most of us believe things because our churches told us to believe them, and we don’t want to be disobedientmembers of the church so we say, ‘I believe,”  as we do in the Creed. But a mystic doesn’t say ‘I believe,’ they say, ‘I know.” (111) “Mystics honor the experience of the essential mystery and unknowability of God and invite us to do the same.” (109) “Up to 1,200 most of the mystics would have been identified with the early desert fathers and mothers of Egypt and Syria and Palestine. Then it moves into the the monasteries so we have monastic mysticism.” (111)	Mysticism tends to diminish Scripture and elevate experience. With this being said, “It is vital to remember that anything a Christian experiences must line up with the truth of the Bible. God will not contradict Himself. He is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).” (74) “Rohr’s mystical worldview denies that Jesus Christ is the unique mediator between God and His people (Hebrews 9:15). Rohr, along with many other mystics, believes that humans can directly contemplate and know God without the need for Christ’s sacrificial death upon the cross. This denies very important teaching in the book of Hebrews.” (85)	“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,” 1 Timothy 4:1
God	“An active, life-giving flow, toward them, through them, and even as them, made the language of Trinity an honest description of what they knew was happening to them—every day, in every way. For a Trinitarian believer, God is a verb much more than a noun.” (75) “God is dynamic—a verb rather than a static name.”(8) “God is never an object to be found or possessed as we find other objects, but the One who shares your own deepest subjectivity – or your ‘self.’ We normally called it our soul. Religion called it ‘the Divine Indwelling.’” (157) “Everything you see, think, feel, and imagine is part of and never apart from the same Source. We call this Source by such names as God, Reality, Brahman, Allah, One, Krishna, the Absolute, and the Nondual. The list of names is long; the reality to which they all point is the same. —Rami Shapiro” (7) “Everything that exists in material form is the offspring of some Primal Source, which originally existed only as Spirit.” (36) “This Infinite Primal Source somehow poured itself into finite, visible forms, creating everything from rocks to water, plants, organisms, animals, and human beings. This self-disclosure of whomever you call God into physical creation was the first Incarnation (the general term for any enfleshment of spirit), long before the personal, second Incarnation that Christians believe happened with Jesus.” (36) “Breathing testifies to the Divine Presence within each human.” (44)	Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “Monotheism — whether Jewish, Christian, or Islamic — takes God to be separate from the created world in His being; He is transcendent, unchangeable, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and wholly good.  The cosmos possesses none of these qualities because it is contingent, finite, changeable, and marred by sin. Christianity affirms that despite this Creator/creation distinction, humans are made in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26; 9:6; James 3:9) and that God Himself incarnated once-for-all in the person of Jesus, the Christ, to redeem fallen creatures (and the whole universe) through His perfect life, atoning death, and space-time resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). At his Second Advent, He will purge, judge, and redeem the world (Acts 1:8; Romans 8:18–23). Moreover, God is with us (Matthew 1:23) and in His followers (Colossians 1:27). But this hardly makes creatures one in essence with God, since creatures remain contingent and finite beings and can never become infinite as God is infinite.” (62)	“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:3“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19“Who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion.” 1 Timothy 6:16
Jesus	“Jesus is The Great Reconnector—by modeling his own objective connection with God and telling us to do the same.” (13) “Jesus was objectively Christ from his birth in Bethlehem, his conception in Nazareth, just like you and I are objectively Christ.” (4) “Jesus coming out of the world instead of coming into the world.” (4) “Jesus did not exist from all eternity.” (4) “Many Christians simply believe in a Supreme Being who made all things; that Supreme Being happens to be Jesus. He was the available God figure in Europe, so we pushed him into that position, while avoiding Jesus’ living message: that the human and the divine coexist in him. He is actually a ‘third something.’” (24) “Is the universe itself eternal, or is the universe a creation in time as we know it—like Jesus himself?” (36) “Christ is eternal; Jesus is born in time. Jesus without Christ invariably becomes a time-bound and culturally-bound religion that excludes much of humanity from Christ’s embrace. On the other end, Christ without Jesus would easily become an abstract metaphysics or a mere ideology without personal engagement. We must believe in Jesus and Christ.” (76) “Jesus being a material and yet clearly a highly spiritually evolved person.” (115)	Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “Rohr would have us believe that Jesus and the Christ are two separate entities. And for Rohr, Christ is the more important of the two. Thus, we need not submit to Jesus as Savior and Lord to go along with the divine throb and flow of an evolving universe. That would be too narrow-minded. God does not care if we ‘get this name right.’ However, Paul, an authority higher than Rohr, taught that at the “name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:9–10, emphasis added; see also Acts 4:12). Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees applies equally to Rohr: “Woe to you…because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering” (Luke 11:52).” (62) Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski, in their book Putting Jesus in His Place:The Case for the Deity of Christ, shares an acronym (HANDS) which explains the biblical evidence for identifying Jesus as God: HONORS: Jesus shares the honors due to God (Deut. 6:13; Matt 4:9-10; Matt. 14:33). ATTRIBUTES: Jesus shares the attributes of God ( John 1:1-3; 8:58; Matt. 28:18; John 21:17). NAMES: Jesus shares the names of God ( Phil. 2:9-11; John 20:28; Luke 2:11). DEEDS: Jesus shares in the deeds that God does ( John 1:3; Heb. 1:2-3; Matt 9:1-8). SEAT: Jesus shares the seat of God’s throne (John 10:27-33; Rev. 3:21). “This panentheist perspective on the ‘first incarnation’ invariably downplays and demotes Jesus who is no longer Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). He is just one of the many enlightened gurus who have emerged in human history.” (85)	“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” 1 John 4:1-3 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:3 “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” Titus 2:13 “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” John 17:5 “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” Mark 2:5-7 “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” Hebrews 5:9
Holy Spirit	“That’s the beginning of the flow, and that flow is so infinitely true that it becomes itself, and that’s called the Holy Spirit, which is shared with everything.” (4) “The flow (the Holy Spirit).” (47) “A metaphysical principle,…the fundamental shape of reality.” (77) “If everything is created in the image of God, image and likeness of God, then we would do well to spend time and find out what is the shape of God.” (77) “The Law of Three, as simplistic as it sounds, doesn’t let that happen [dualism]. You move from a pyramid, if visualization helps your thinking, you move from a pyramid to a circle where the third constantly undoes any antagonistic, binary argumentation. How do you choose between the three? You sort of just keep flowing. That’s what we want to say God is, to pull you in to this flow of infinite love. You see, as soon as it’s infinite, it has to be in a flow, in a movement. God is a movement. God is a verb, more than a noun. God is an action more than a substance. Now I’m moving into theology. “Soul, consciousness, love, and the Holy Spirit can all be thought of as one and the same. Each of these point to something that is larger than the self, shared with God, and even eternal.” (37) “The only thing separating you from such Immensity is your unwillingness to trust such an utterly free grace, such a completely unmerited gift.” (37) “There is an Inner Reminder and an Inner Rememberer (see John 14:26, 16:4) who holds together all the disparate and fragmented parts of our lives, who fills in all the gaps, who owns all the mistakes, who forgives all the failures—and who loves us into an ever-deeper life. This is the job description of the Holy Spirit, who is the spring that wells up within us (John 7:38–39)—and unto eternal time.” (37) “The Holy Spirit fills the gaps of everything.” (38) “The Holy Spirit within us is the desire inside all of us that wants to keep connecting, relating, and communing. It isn’t above us. It isn’t beyond us—it is within us. It’s as available as our breath, and that’s why the Risen Christ gives the Holy Spirit by breathing upon the disciples. He’s saying, in effect, ‘Here it is! Here it is! Can you breathe in what I have breathed out?’” (38) “The Spirit and consciousness, and love, are the same thing. You can use these three words interchangeably.” (117)  The Holy Spirit is the “goodness glue.” (117)	Robby Lashua from Stand to Reason: “Ephesians 4:30. ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.’ This passage tells us that the Holy Spirit can be grieved, which is an emotion. So, the Holy Spirit has emotions.1 Corinthians 12:11. ‘But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.’ Now, this term for ‘will’ is the Greek term ‘boulomai.’  It’s only used of persons in the entire New Testament, and, interestingly enough, in Matthew 11:27, it tells us that Jesus has a ‘boulomai,’ a will, and in Hebrews 6:17, it tells us that the Father has a ‘boulomai.’ The Father has a will.It’s clear from these verses that the Holy spirit is described as a person, not as an impersonal force. But Scripture has more to say about the identity of the Holy Spirit. Not only is the Holy Spirit a person, but we learn something important from his abilities. According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit has the attributes of God. Romans 8:2: ‘For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.’ The Spirit is a Spirit of life. Only God is the giver of spiritual life, abundant life, eternal life. That comes from God, and the Spirit is said to be a Spirit of life.” (78)GotQuestions: “Simply put, the Bible declares that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, a being with a mind, emotions, and a will. We can know that the Holy Spirit is indeed a divine person because He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will. The Holy Spirit thinks and knows (1 Corinthians 2:10). The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). The Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-27). He makes decisions according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity. As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as the Comforter and Counselor that Jesus promised He would be (John 14:16, 26; 15:26).” (100)	“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Job 33:4 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:6 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26 “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38 “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” Isaiah 11:2 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” Romans 8:9“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30“And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” Acts 5:32“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14
Christ	“Christ was the Alpha point. Good biblical theology calls creation itself the birth of the Christ, the materialization of God. Whenever matter and spirit coincide, you have the Christ Mystery, which is a phrase the Apostle Paul introduces.”(3) “Christ is more of a process than a person: ‘The Christ Mystery is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process throughout time—as constant as the light that fills the universe’ (p14), and so not ‘limiting the Creator’s presence to just one human manifestation, Jesus’ (p16).” (2) Everything is the Christ. (5) “Divine Blueprint (‘Logos’)” – (25) “[The cosmos] is fundamentally and primarily living. [1] Christ, through his Incarnation, is interior to the world, rooted in the world even in the very heart of the tiniest atom. [2] —Pierre Teilhard de Chardin” (40) “Even the elemental universe is the body of Christ.” (117)	Per GotQuestions: “‘Christ’ comes from the Greek word Christos, meaning ‘anointed one’ or ‘chosen one.’ This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiach, or ‘Messiah.’ ‘Jesus’ is the Lord’s human name given to Mary by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:31). “Christ” is His title, signifying Jesus was sent from God to be a King and Deliverer (see Daniel 9:25; Isaiah 32:1). “Jesus Christ” means ‘Jesus the Messiah’ or ‘Jesus the Anointed One.’” (118) “Jesus’ title of ‘Christ’ means He is God’s Anointed One, the One who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies, the Chosen Savior who came to rescue sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), and the King of kings who is coming back again to set up His Kingdom on earth (Zechariah 14:9).”  Dr. Stephen Wellum: “The covenantal storyline of Scripture reveals the necessity of Christ and his work. And the same covenantal development also reveals the identity of Christ and the nature of his work. Christ is the one person who (1) fulfills God’s own righteousness as a man, (2) reconciles God himself with humanity, (3) and establishes God’s own saving rule and reign in the world – all because, and only because, Christ alone is God incarnate.” (119) “…the triunity of God shapes the identity of Christ. As we will see in the next chapter, Jesus views himself as the eternal Son who even after adding to himself a human nature continues to relate to the Father and the Spirit (John 1:1,14). But it is precisely his identity as the eternal Son of God that gives the Jesus of history his exclusive identity. In fact, it is because he is the divine Son that his life and death has universal significance for all of humanity and the rest of creation. Moreover, Jesus’s work cannot be understood apart from Trinitarian relations. It is the Son not the Father or the Spirit who becomes flesh. The Father sends the Son, the Spirit attends his union with human nature, and the Son bears our sin and the Father’s wrath as a man in the power of the Spirit. And yet, as God the Son, Jesus Christ lived and died in unbroken unity with the Father and the Spirit because they share the same identical divine nature. Christ is not some third party acting independently of the other two divine persons. At the cross, then, we do not see three parties but only two: the triune God and humanity. The cross is a demonstration of the Father’s love (John 3:16) by the gift of his Son.” (119)	“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 9:14 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.’” Matthew 24:4-6 “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—” Jude 1:5-6 “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:3
Christ Consciousness	“The putting together of matter and spirit.”(121) “A true Christian is not ashamed of this world or is [he or she] running from this world. That’s the unique element of Christ Consciousness.” Rohr is speaking of engaging in the “historic” and “material”  political concerns of the day (i.e., refugee camps on the border of Syria, etc.) He refers to this engagement of humanitarianism as being aware of/conscious of the Christ in all of creation. When we see Christ in everyone and everything we are recognizing Rohr’s view of “Incarnation.” (121) Christ Consciousness is productive through social activism. (121)	“Christ Consciousness” refers to a concept found in New Age Spirituality which is not Christian (unbiblical).  Dr. Douglas Groothuis describes the New Age perspective of Christ Consciousness: “Many argue for the separation of Jesus the individual person of history from the universal and impersonal Christ Consciousness, or Christ Principle. His [Jesus’s] consciousness of God and miracles were evidence he tapped into a higher level of consciousness. But if Jesus tapped into this cosmic power, he did not monopolize it. New Age philosopher David Spangler, echoing the ancient Gnostics, said that, ‘The Christ is not the province of a single individual.’[ii]  As Joseph Campbell put it in his best-selling book The Power of Myth (1988), ‘We are all manifestations of Buddha consciousness or Christ consciousness, only we don’t know it.’[iii]  Christhood comes through self-discovery; we may all become Christs if we tap into the universal energy, the Christ consciousness.” (120) Groothuis continues: “Christ promises and provides rest from the futile human quest for Christhood. We may, by his grace, become his friends, but never his peers. We must surrender our quest for autonomy, turn from our selfishness, and turn toward the only one who can forgive our sins, give us eternal life, and equip us for good works for the glory of God. The first word of the gospel is repentance. Jesus said, ‘Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 4:17). If we admit our sin, repent of our wrongdoings, and put our faith in the sinless sacrifice of Jesus, we can find eternal life—beginning now and continuing for an eternity in paradise with Jesus. Only through faith in Jesus can a new age truly begin (2 Corinthians 5:17).[xxiv] (120) Steven Bancarnz: “‘Christos’ which appears 538 times in the New Testament, and refers to a person (Jesus) every single time it is used. What the New Age does is redefine ‘Christ’ to mean a state of consciousness and an inward nature, which isn’t used a single time in scripture. In fact it’s not even twistable to even fit with scripture because ‘Christ’ is spoken of as a ‘he’ in every verse, meaning the Messiah, the Saviour.  It’s used synonymously with Jesus and never refers to anyone or anything other than him. This redefinition is simply unwarranted.” (122)	“And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.’” Matthew 24:4-6 Even John the Baptist, whom Jesus referred, “born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:11), professed that he is not the Christ: “And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’” John 1:19-21 “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—” Jude 1:5-6 “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.’” Jeremiah 17:5“but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Isaiah 59:2“Indeed, my plans are not like your plans,and my deeds are not like your deeds,” says the Lord, 9 “for just as the sky is higher than the earth,so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.” Isaiah 55:8“Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.” Acts 12:23
Mind of Christ	“Contemplative.” (32) “Nondual.” (32)	Per GotQuestions: “In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13 and then makes a statement concerning all believers: “We have the mind of Christ.” Having the mind of Christ means sharing the plan, purpose, and perspective of Christ, and it is something that all believers possess.” (123) “In order to have the mind of Christ, one must first have saving faith in Christ (John 1:12; 1 John 5:12). After salvation, the believer lives a life under God’s influence. The Holy Spirit indwells and enlightens the believer, infusing him with wisdom—the mind of Christ. The believer bears a responsibility to yield to the Spirit’s leading (Ephesians 4:30) and to allow the Spirit to transform and renew his mind (Romans 12:1-2).” (123)	“‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16 “Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel?” Isaiah 40:13
Devil	Satan is a symbol or a concept (archetypal), not a literal being. “We need personification to take concepts and abstractions seriously.” (124)   “The word ‘devil,’ like ‘demon,’ is a personification of a power that is hard to name or describe because it’s so disguised and even idealized as good and necessary.” (22) “Sanctified and legitimated violence— violence that is deemed necessary to control the angry flesh and the world run amuck”(22) Satan is likened to when we operate in the New Age concept of the ego, and therefore operate in certainty/dualism and thereby scapegoat our own “blindness” to non-dual thinking upon others. (124) “The ego, and also the corporate ego, is often personified in world Scriptures [sic] as the devil or Satan.” (154)	Wayne Grudem: “The name ‘Satan’ is a Hebrew word that means ‘adversary.’ The New Testament also uses the name ‘Satan,’ simply taking it over from the Old Testament.” (127) “The Bible uses other names for Satan as well. He is called ‘the devil’ (only in the New Testament: Matt 4:1; 13:39), ‘Beelzebul’ (Matt 10:25), ‘the ruler of this world’ (John 12:31), ‘the prince of the power of the air’ (Eph 2:2), or ‘the evil one’ (Matt 13:39).” (127) GotQuestions: The Bible explicitly informs us of the existence of Satan. He is described as the enemy of man (Genesis 3:15), the father of lies (John 8:44b), and the accuser (Revelation 12:10), among other things. The very name ‘Satan’ means ‘adversary.’ Isaiah 14:12–17 explains that Satan was originally an angelic being, but he decided he wanted the honor and worship due only to God and was thrown out of heaven (also see Ezekiel 28:11–17).” (128)	“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 “And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’” Luke 10:18 “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:10 “‘How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.’” Isaiah 14:12-15
Hell	Richard Rohr claims that the concept of “torturing God” was planted in our “lower brain stems” as children through the dualistic, win-lose, dualistic teachings of our churches. (124)  “Childish minds buy into this reward or punishment worldview. It’s a win-lose worldview.” (124) Rohr views “win-win” as the Gospel. (124) Rohr posits that most Christians “jump ship” (leave Christianity) because of this punitive concept of God, and declares that this is possibly for “sanity” purposes. (124) Rohr believes Hell is a “metaphor” created by religions to produce “urgency” and “ultimacy.”  (124)	Tim Barnett (Stand to Reason): “There is no incompatibility between love and final justice. As Volf points out, a god who is indifferent towards injustice would not be good. In fact, it is precisely because God is good that he punishes the guilty. The goodness of God requires final judgment. It is a manifestation of the perfect justice of God.” (125) Dr. Sean McDowell: Scripture makes it clear that God “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9). He loves the whole world and died that we might experience his presence and all the joy and goodness that brings. But he will not force us to love him and enjoy a relationship with him. So actually, God doesn’t send people to hell; they make a free choice to reject him. He forces no one into a relationship with him. And his giving humans free choice has opened up consequences that can be extremely negative. And when people choose to serve themselves instead of serving God, they ultimately choose a place void of relationship and full of self—a place called hell.” (126) More on Hell: https://www.gotquestions.org/does-hell-exist.html	“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” 2 Thessalonians 1:9“I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10“He who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who does not believe, the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36“If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24“He who believes is not judged, but he who does not believe is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;” 2 Peter 2:4
Divination	“As we’ve explored over the last several weeks—through reflections on the Cosmic Christ, Nature, and the Perennial Tradition—there is no meaningful separation between sacred and secular, physical and psychic, human and divine. They are two sides of one coin.” (129) “The priestly class, the scribes, the lawyers, and the temple formed a structured, rational religion. Prophets focused less on the rational, and spoke more from the right-brain, from intuition, through poetry and images and what they referred to as oracle, trance, or divination.” (130)	Friar Rohr appears to view “divination” as looking within, listening to, and following one’s “intuition.” Through reading Fr. Rohr’s devotionals, we witness Rohr defining “intuition”often  as a synonym for “psyche,” and “psyche” has been utilized to reference the soul (pscyhe/soul). This is important because Rohr views our soul as containing divinity. However, from a Christian perspective, “divination” is defined as a practice we should 100% avoid. For Christians, the wisdom we are to seek is from God (Pr 1:7; Ja 1:5). And we know from Scripture that we are not God (Nu 23:19). GotQuestions: “From ancient times, people have used divination to gain knowledge of the future or as a way to make money. The practice continues as those who claim supernatural insight read palms, tea leaves, tarot cards, star charts, and more. God tells us His view of divination in Deuteronomy 18:10: ‘There shall not be found among you . . . anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens.’ First Samuel 15:23 compares rebellion to the “sin of divination.” Practicing divination is listed as one of the reasons for Israel’s exile (2 Kings 17:17). Jeremiah 14:14 spoke of the false prophets of the time, saying, ‘They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.’ So, compared to God’s truth, divination is false, deceitful, and worthless.” (131) Per Marcia Montenegro: “God tells us very clearly to seek Him, not psychics, mediums or channelers for advice. ‘When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God?’ (Is. 8:19a) The apostle Paul, in Acts 16, casts out a fortuneteller’s demonic spirit who was giving her this power. Having correct or helpful information does not justify disobedience to God.” (102) Friends, God does not change. His words reflect His Holiness and goodness (Character). And therefore His word on practices which lead creation astray will not change. This is important! While God does redeem diviners, liars, adulterers, and gossips, He does NOT redeem the practices (divination, lying, adultery, gossiping, etc). Jesus spoke about what comes out of our hearts, and how those practices defile (Mark 7). We all need to be born again with a brand new spirit, the Holy Spirit, in order to be redeemed and reconciled (John 3).	“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.” Deuteronomy 18:9-12 “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver ($6M today!).” Acts 19:19 (New Testament) “As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.” Acts 16:16 (NT) “For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults the teraphim; he looks at the liver.” Ezekiel 21:21 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Colossians 2:8-10“And the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers;” Isaiah 19:3 “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21 “So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’” Jeremiah 27:9 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:23
Wisdom	“One of the keys to wisdom is that we must recognize our own biases, our own addictive preoccupations, and those things to which, for some reason, we refuse to pay attention. Until we see these patterns (which is early-stage contemplation), we will never be able to see what we do not see. Without such critical awareness of the small self, there is little chance that any individual will produce truly great knowing or enduring wisdom.” (43) “The source of spiritual wisdom is to hold questions and contradictions patiently, much more than to find quick certitudes, to rush to closure or judgment as the ego and dualistic mind want to do. The ego wants to know it is right. It wants to stand on its own self-created “solid” ground—not the mysterious solid ground of the abyss. This is why so much religion remains immature and is often a hiding place for people who want to be in control instead of people trained in giving up control to a Loving Presence.” (104) “Each of us must learn to live with paradox, or we cannot live peacefully or happily even a single day of our lives. In fact, we must even learn to love paradox or we will never be wise, forgiving, or possessing the patience of good relationships. ‘Untarnished mirrors,’ as Wisdom says, receive the whole picture, which always includes the darkness, the light, and subtle shadings of light that make shape, form, color, and texture beautiful.” (105)	“The promise of Wisdom is that those who desire God’s truth can have it, but it requires giving up the world’s foolish mockery of the truth. ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction’ (Proverbs 1:7).” (103) “To have knowledge is to have understanding or information about something. To have wisdom is to have the ability to apply knowledge to everyday life. It is in the reading and understanding of God’s Word that we obtain knowledge, and meditating upon that knowledge brings wisdom. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, which is all about gaining understanding and wisdom from God’s Word. Just a few verses are “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long” (verse 97). “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (verse 105). “I will meditate on your precepts, and have respect to your ways. I will delight myself in your statutes: I will not forget your word” (verses 15–16). The word meditate is used five times in Psalm 119 and in various forms another fifteen times in the book of Psalms. [Biblical] Meditation is required to fully consider how to apply God’s Word in everyday life.” (103) “Rohr wants to root all spiritual traditions in a Perennial Wisdom. He believes that his understanding of “the universal Christ” opens Christians up to the spirituality of other religions and should lead to social transformation. By Perennial Wisdom, Rohr does not mean biblical teaching, but a common spiritual awareness tapped into by various mystics, seers, and sages throughout history and within various religions.13 The essential idea is that God and the cosmos are one. Thus, he says, ‘No one religion will ever encompass the depth of such faith [in God’s love]’ (22). We will see that he vitiates the notion of God’s love through his misunderstanding of Jesus’s atoning death.” (62)	“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17“Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” Proverbs 3:7“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” 1 Corinthians 1:30“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24 (Jesus)“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” Romans 11:33“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Corinthians 1:25“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;” Psalm 19:7
Trinity	“God is dynamic—a verb rather than a static name.”(8) “The most ancient and solid theology of the Trinity proceeds from the Cappadocian (Eastern Turkey) Fathers of the third and fourth centuries and is then adopted by later Councils of the Church.” (8) “The Trinity encapsulates a paradigm of change and transformation based on an ancient principle known as the Law of Three—or ternary metaphysics.” (9) “Instead, I think their [Christian mystics] primal experience of God, as an active, life-giving flow, toward them, through them, and even as them, made the language of Trinity an honest description of what they knew was happening to them—every day, in every way. For a Trinitarian believer, God is a verb much more than a noun.” (93) “A Relational Flow was their [Saints/Mystics] deepest identity and the very structure of their soul…They also employed metaphors like wind, fire, flowing water, and descending dove—exactly as Jesus himself had done.” (93) “It took the Christian community three centuries to clarify what he was talking about. Although they coined the word Trinity (which is not found in the Bible), it was then largely shelved and ignored, as most Christians emphasized external practices, rituals, moral behavior, social prayer, and belonging systems, rather than an inner experience of God.” (93)	Dr. James White: “Within the one being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (94) “If there is only one God, and if the Father and Son and the Spirit are distinct in personal ways, and if are all affirmed to be God in Scripture, then the only explanation that makes sense of God’s own self-revelation is the Trinity.” (95) Dr. Douglas Groothuis:“There is but one infinite-personal God (Deut 6:4; Ja 2:19), who exists eternally and co-equally in three persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). This is a three-in-one relationship. The Second Person of the Trinity is referred to as the Word (Greek: Logos) who ‘was with God and was God’ and who ‘created all things’ (Jn 1:1–3). This Word took on a human nature in space-time history as Jesus of Nazareth (Jn 1:14). Rohr says that the Greek means that the Word became human nature and that this applies to all humans (5). This is absurd, since the context speaks of the individual Jesus uniquely coming into the world (John 1:1–18). Rohr wants to take what only Christ, the God–man, possesses and extend it to humanity. That is to confuse the creation with the Creator (Ro 1:25). That is no small error.” (62) “From the very beginning of the church, Christians have understood the mystery of the Trinity, even before they began using the term Trinity.” (96) Fred Sanders: [Rohr] “tends toward the subversion and replacement of the Christian doctrine of the triune God. It’s a theological Trojan horse designed to bring a hostile metaphysic into the heart of the church.” [Rohr] “relativizes the three persons of the Trinity. They’re not even islands in a larger stream; they’re swirling patterns in an ocean of relationality. Once you accept this premise, Rohr invites you to receive the next insight: there’s room in the ocean for more swirling patterns. The flow can accommodate a fourth. It must.” Rohr’s view of the Trinity is not Biblical/Chrisitan.	“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19 “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” John 1:32-34
Kingdom of God	“The ‘Kingdom’ is not the same as heaven. (42) A “new kingdom is waiting to be born” when we look to ‘the third force’ which is at hand through the practice of nondualism. (9) “It’s a reality that breaks into this world now and then, when people are like God.” (42) “When we experience the Kingdom or love of God, it becomes the ultimate and real truth for us.” (42) “I think of the Kingdom of God as the Really Real (with two capital Rs). That experience of the Really Real—the “Kingdom” experience—is the heart of Jesus’ teaching. It’s Reality with a capital R, the very bottom line, the pattern-that-connects. It’s the goal of all true religion, the experience of the Absolute, the Eternal, what is.” “The Kingdom of God is a new world order, a new age, a promised hope begun in the teaching and ministry of Jesus—and continued in us.” (68) “Once this guiding vision of God’s will became clear to Jesus, which seems to have happened when he was about thirty and alone in the desert, everything else came into perspective.” (68)	Per Chris Berg’s Dissertation:  “The biblical portrayal of the Kingdom of God is marked by the authoritative reign of God, universal peace throughout the Earth, the end of all suffering and death, and universal peace between God and men.” (146)
Humanity	“We’re not fully divine. We’re implanted divinity, we’re participatory in divinity.”(4) “The fire in the heart of God is the same fire that burns in us once we have the interior vision that lets us acknowledge divinity within ourselves….” (31) “Being made in the ‘image of God,’ says that our family of origin is divine. Our core is original blessing, not original sin. This says that our starting point is totally positive. As the first chapter of the Bible says, it is “very good” (1:31). We do have someplace good to go home to. When the beginning is right, the rest is made considerably easier.” (35) “Only your soul can know the soul of other things. Only a part can recognize the whole from which it came. But first something within you, your True Self, must be awakened. Most souls are initially “unsaved” in the sense that they cannot dare to imagine they could be one with God/Reality/the universe. This is the illusion of what Thomas Merton (1915–1968) called the “false” self and what I have taken to calling the “separate” or small self that believes it is autonomous and separate from God.”(83)
Creation	“Creation must then be seen as ‘the fourth person of the Blessed Trinity.’” (10) “This earth indeed is the very Body of God.” (15) “The first Body of Christ.” (51) “Is the universe itself eternal, or is the universe a creation in time as we know it—like Jesus himself?” (36) “Everything that exists in material form is the offspring of some Primal Source, which originally existed only as Spirit.” (36) “Acknowledging the intrinsic value, beauty, and even soul of creation, elements, plants, and animals is a major paradigm shift for most Western Christians. In fact, many in the past often dismissed such thinking as animism or paganism.” (41) “I’m not saying that God is all things or that all things are God (pantheism). I am saying that each living thing reveals some aspect of God. God is greater than the whole of our universe, and as Creator inter-penetrates all created things (panentheism).” (41) “When God manifests spirit through matter, then matter becomes a holy thing. The material world is the place where we can comfortably worship God just by walking on it, loving it, and respecting it. Everything visible, without exception, is the outpouring of God. What else could it really be?” (41) All of creation is holy. (41)
Church	“The Second Body of Christ.” (51)
Man’s Problem	The “over-defended EGO.” (11) Settling for the part (the illusion/False Self).Living in delusion; attached to our limited cultural perspectives. (43) Biased, Addicted, Unaware (43)	Per Reasons to Believe: “In New Age spirituality, man’s problem is not sin; it is ignorance—ignorance of his own divine essence. Man does not need to repent, as one accountable to God; he needs to be enlightened, as one who is God.” (101)
Shadow Self	“Old language would have called it repentance, penance, or stripping.” (54) “Most of us have dreams of being chased by a shadowy figure; that was the origin of Jung’s name for this complex. We find in our shadow complex what our ego deems negative, and usually it is. But we also may find in the shadow good parts, positive dreams, capacities for hope and creativity that we have left to languish. Sometimes it is the shadow part that saves our lives, that points the new direction.” (55) “Persona (Greek for “stage mask”) and shadow are correlative terms. Shadow work gradually detaches us from our diligently constructed personas, often shaped in the first half of life. Our stage mask is not bad, evil, or necessarily egocentric; it is just not “true.” Our shadow is what we refuse to see about ourselves, and what we do not want others to see.” (55)	Jungian Psychology. Not Biblical.
Suffering	“We will live with a high degree of illusion that brings much suffering into the world.” (43) “The sacred task at hand is to let yourself be reclaimed by something deeper than the immediacy of struggle and pain. This something need not be identified or fixated upon, but surrendered to.” (52) “When Jesus later becomes the answer in his own passion, death, and resurrection, he discovers what Job finally experienced: in the midst of suffering, God can be trusted. The world is still safe, coherent, and even blessed.” (53) “If we could see all our wounds as the way through to their transformative effect, as Jesus did, then they would become ‘sacred wounds’ and not something to deny, disguise, or export to others.” (53) “The genius of Jesus’ teaching is that he reveals that God uses tragedy, suffering, pain, betrayal, and death itself, not to wound or punish us, but to bring us to a Larger Identity: ‘Unless the single grain of wheat loses its shell, it remains just a single grain’ (see John 12:24). The shell must first crack for the expanded growth to happen. In such a divine economy, everything can be transmuted, everything can be used, and nothing is wasted.” (53)
Heart	“We all have a GPS inside us, a God Positioning System: the heart.” (30) “Deep within the cave of my heart, a depth that belongs to me alone, I recognize a fire that burns brilliantly and glows with warmth. Through that glowing fire I see the outline of a face, the face of Christ, but I also see my face, and then I begin to see Christ’s face as my face. Sometimes I cannot tell Christ’s face from my own face, and all at once I recognize a single face whose eyes are looking inward and outward.” (30) “For God knows me in a deep way, a way that I still hardly know myself; and it is this endless inscrutable depth where love burns brightly that I learn to trust my thoughts, my words, my actions.” (30)
Image of God	“The Holy Spirit holds this divine image within every created thing, and becomes its “soul.” (58) “Teresa [Ávila] says our soul refers to our God-given godly nature. Your God-given godly nature is the infinite reality of you. You’re worth all that God is worth. You are as precious as God is precious.” (58)
Love	Available within our hearts when we bypass the ‘egoic, binary operating system’ and allow the third force to manifest love.” (9) “Love is always letting go of a fear.” (29) “Divine love or charity has nothing to do with feelings of “liking” one another.” (30) “To love someone “in God” is to love them for their own sake and not for what they do for us.” (30) “The fire in the heart of God is the same fire that burns in us once we have the interior vision that lets us acknowledge divinity within ourselves….” (31) “Love, not merely as sentiment or feeling, but love as the inner dynamism of God in God’s triune self. Love as the generative power that overcomes death. Love as self-donation. Love as the welcome of the ‘other’ as another self. Love as the gravitational force that binds all disparate things together. Love as the fire that burns clean and as the balm that heals. Love as the vision that sees the integrity of both parts and whole. Love as source and end and the path between.” (31)
Sin	Per John Mark Comer’s website, “Richard Rohr defined sin this way: ‘Sins are fixations that prevent the energy of life, God’s love, from flowing freely. (They are) self-erected blockades that cut us off from God and hence from our own authentic potential.’” (source) “A chosen state of separation from God, not just moral purity.” (4) “The great illusion that we must all overcome is that of separateness.”(12) “A foundational illusion.” (13) “self-destructive illusion is that we are separate and alone.”(13) “‘Sin primarily describes a state of living outside of union” (14) “Sin is a mistake about who you are and whose you are.” (14) Page 51 of Immortal Diamond: “Only the False Self can and will sin. The False Self lies because it is somehow a lie. It steals because it has allowed itself to be stolen. As Jesus said to those who were killing him, false selves ‘do not even know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).’” “If you do not let go of your false self at the right time and in the right way, you remain stuck, trapped, and addicted. (The traditional word for that was sin.).” (26) “God forgives it by becoming incarnate. If God becomes a human being, then it’s good to be human! Incarnation is already redemption.” (34) “The great illusion that we must all overcome is the illusion of separateness.” (35)	Got Questions Ministry: “Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). Through Adam, the inherent inclination to sin entered the human race, and human beings became sinners by nature. When Adam sinned, his inner nature was transformed by his sin of rebellion, bringing to him spiritual death and depravity that would be passed on to all who came after him. We are sinners because we sin and we sin because we are sinners. This passed-on depravity is known as inherited sin. Just as we inherit physical characteristics from our parents, we inherit our sinful natures from Adam. King David lamented this condition of fallen human nature in Psalm 51:5: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”Another type of sin is known as imputed sin. Imputed sin is the result of our having been credited with the guilt of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:18). To impute is ‘to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account,’ and imputed sin is Adam’s guilt attributed to or credited to us. All human beings are counted as having sinned in Adam and thus deserving the same punishment for sin as Adam. After Adam’s sin, everyone was subject to death, even before the Mosaic Law was given, because of imputed sin, which affects our standing before God.” (153)
Original Sin	Due to being made in the Image of God, “our family of origin is divine. “Our core is original blessing, not original sin. This says that our starting point is totally positive. As the first chapter of the Bible says, it is ‘very good’ (1:31). We do have someplace good to go home to. When the beginning is right, the rest is made considerably easier.” (35) “This idea was put forth by Augustine in the fifth century but never mentioned in the Bible.” (56) “The teaching of original sin started us off on the wrong foot—with a no instead of a yes, with mistrust instead of trust. We have spent centuries trying to solve the “problem” that we’re told is at the heart of our humanity. But when we start with a problem, we tend never to get beyond that very mind-set.” (56)	Per GotQuestions: “Original sin can be defined as ‘the moral corruption we possess as a consequence of Adam’s sin, resulting in a sinful disposition manifesting itself in habitually sinful behavior.’ The doctrine of original sin focuses particularly on its effect on our internal nature and our standing before God…The fact of original sin means that we cannot please God on our own. No matter how many “good deeds” we do, we still commit sin, and we still have the problem of a corrupt nature within. We must have Christ; we must be born again (John 3:3). God deals with the effects of original sin in our hearts through the process of sanctification. As John Piper puts it, ‘The problem of our moral defilement and habitual sinning is solved by his purifying us by the work of Spirit’ (‘Adam, Christ, and Justification: Part IV,’ preached 8/20/2000).” Rohr denies that humanity is separated from God because of sin. Per Alisa Childers, “it’s our shame that makes us feel separated from him. This is what Richard Rohr refers to as the ‘small self.’”	“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9 “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Mark 7:21-23  “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” Romans 5:12 “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Isaiah 52“Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” Ephesians 2:3“What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?” Job 15:14“And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done’.” Genesis 8:21“As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;’ Romans 3:10“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” Romans 7:18-19
Salvation	A “new kingdom is waiting to be born” when we look to “the third force” which is at hand through the practice of nondualism. (9) Awareness. (14) Enlightenment (18) Reorder (18) “Salvation is a gradual realization of who we are—and always have been—and will be eternally.”(24) “We’re saved because we’re connected—not because we’re worthy.” (34) “To reconnect people to their original identity ‘hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3)” (35) “In the human mind of Christ, every part of creation knows itself as (1) divinely conceived, (2) beloved of God, (3) crucified, and (4) finally reborn. He [Risen Christ] carries us across with him, assures us it is okay, and thus models the full journey and final direction of consciousness. That is my major thesis about how Jesus ‘saves us.’” (158)	“Rohr’s position amounts to a doctrine of self-salvation – and completely eclipses the historical reality of Jesus.” (92) Rohr advances that Salvation doesn’t come through Jesus. Instead, Rohr proposes that Jesus merely modeled Salvation by demonstrating solidarity with the marginalized and oppressed. Solidarity would then be the outward result of  “True Self” at work.  Is it true that Jesus showed compassion towards men, women, and children from all areas of life (widow, orphan, prostitute, rich, poor, etc)? Yes! This is true!  However, Jesus’s compassion came from being God, the Son…Not an enlightened man. Nor did Jesus advocate that people follow their hearts. He encouraged them to take up their cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). (92)	This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.” (Acts 16:30-33) “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” Ephesians 1:7
Conversion	“Letting go of our own small vantage point is the core of what we mean by conversion.” (33) “Conversion to solidarity is to have basic compassion for the poor in general,” (80)	Per Steven Bancarz: “It should be noted that there is a huge difference between the Christian experience of being ‘born again’ and the experience of enlightenment, as described among New Agers. The born-again believer comes into a relationship with God (through the washing away of sin by the blood of Jesus) and by the Spirit of God entering into a person from without. The supposed enlightened person realizes that he or she is God by awakening an innate divine essence that is within all people.” (79)	“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38 “Correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,” 2 Timothy 2:25 “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,” Acts 3:19 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Redemption	“The whole of creation is moving toward this full maturation of the Godseed planted within it, which makes you, on some level, an evolutionist.” (4) “Flesh does not need to be redeemed by any sacrificial atonement theory.” (23) “God forgives it by becoming incarnate. If God becomes a human being, then it’s good to be human! Incarnation is already redemption.” (34)	Dr. Michael McClymond: “Something that happened to Jesus and should happen to us too. The biblical death-and-resurrection story teaches us that everyone has to let go of egoistic attachments (“crucifixion”) so as to be reborn (‘resurrection’). Jesus’s death was ‘God’s great act of solidarity’ with humanity, and ‘not some bloody transaction ‘required’ by God’s offended justice in order to rectify the problem of human sin.’ Jesus’s death didn’t accomplish redemption. Instead, I am Jesus, you are Jesus, everyone is Jesus—that is where Rohr ends up.” According to Rohr’s false gospel, you and I are already enough. We are divine (due to his version of Christ entering creation at the ‘Big Bang,’ as well as at your conception).	Per GotQuestions: “The benefits of redemption include eternal life (Revelation 5:9-10), forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), righteousness (Romans 5:17), freedom from the law’s curse (Galatians 3:13), adoption into God’s family (Galatians 4:5), deliverance from sin’s bondage (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:14-18), peace with God (Colossians 1:18-20), and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). To be redeemed, then, is to be forgiven, holy, justified, free, adopted, and reconciled. See also Psalm 130:7-8; Luke 2:38; and Acts 20:28. The word redeem means ‘to buy out.’ The term was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. The application of this term to Christ’s death on the cross is quite telling. If we are ‘redeemed,’ then our prior condition was one of slavery. God has purchased our freedom, and we are no longer in bondage to sin or to the Old Testament law. This metaphorical use of “redemption” is the teaching of Galatians 3:13 and 4:5.”
Transformation	“Transformation is often more about unlearning than learning, which is why the religious traditions call it ‘conversion’ or ‘repentance.’” (27) “conversion, change of consciousness, change of mind.” (84) “Transformation is a process of letting go. The word “change” normally refers to new beginnings. But transformation, the mystery we’re examining, more often happens not when something new begins but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level. It invites and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place because the old place is falling apart. The mystics use many words to describe this chaos: fire, darkness, death, emptiness, abandonment, trial, the Evil One. ” (84) “The transformative dance between attachment and detachment is sometimes called the Third Way. It is the middle way between fight and flight, as Walter Wink describes it.” (84) “The contemplative & transformative stance is the Third Way. We stand in the middle, neither taking the world on from another power position nor denying it for fear of the pain it will bring. We hold the dark side of reality and the pain of the world until it transforms us, knowing that we are both complicit in the evil and can participate in wholeness and holiness.” (84) “Transformation begins with a new experience of a new Absolute, and, as a result, your social positioning gradually changes on almost all levels. Little by little you will allow your politics, economics, classism, sexism, racism, homophobia and all superiority games to lose their one-time rationale. You just “think” and “feel” differently about most things. If this does not happen in very specific ways, I have no reason to believe you have been converted.” (84)	Per Steven Bancarz: “It should be noted that there is a huge difference between the Christian experience of being ‘born again’ and the experience of enlightenment, as described among New Agers. The born-again believer comes into a relationship with God (through the washing away of sin by the blood of Jesus) and by the Spirit of God entering into a person from without. The supposed enlightened person realizes that he or she is God by awakening an innate divine essence that is within all people.” (79) “God wants to renew our minds, not remove them.” attributed to R.C. Sproul Dr. Chris Berg: “Rohr’s understanding of Christianity is uniquely his own, as he draws on New Age movement theology infused with Christian language and tradition. For instance, he is theologically committed to panentheism, a works-based universal salvation through spiritual contemplation to gain hidden knowledge, and that humans are essentially good and have a divine nature.”	“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:10-11 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Repentance	“Transformation is often more about unlearning than learning, which is why the religious traditions call it ‘conversion’ or ‘repentance.’” (27)	Rohr uses terms interchangeably, such as “Transformation” for “conversion” and “repentance,” while “conversion” is also utilized for “solidarity.”  Dr. Douglas expounds,“Rohr wants to root all spiritual traditions in a Perennial Wisdom. He believes that his understanding of ‘the universal Christ” opens Christians up to the spirituality of other religions and should lead to social transformation.’” (62) “By making a spurious concept of ‘the universal Christ’ more important that the historical Jesus Christ, Rohr detaches redemption from Jesus’ shed blood on the cross, which was given to redeem sinners (1 Jn 1:7; He 9:12, etc.). Christ’s work was indeed ‘transactional,’ and thank God it was. Through Christ’s atoning and penal sacrifice, those who have faith in Christ are washed clean from sin and receive His perfect righteousness (Eph 2:8; 2 Co 5:21). This is called the great exchange, but it could be called the great transaction. And this transaction does lead to godly transformation. Christ-followers are forgiven of their sins, justified, given the righteousness of Christ, born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, made agents of God’s unstoppable and eternal Kingdom, and given a new dynamic to worship God and serve their neighbor in the Holy Spirit’s power through plenteous good works (James 2:14–26; Ephesians 2:8–10; John 15:1–8). That is the real gospel. That is what turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is what can turn the world upside down again. Rohr’s false religion will not.” (62)	“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:32 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” Proverbs 1:23 “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” Acts 8:22 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Gospel (“Good News”)	The foundational good news is that creation and humanity have structurally been in this (‘Trinitarian’) flow from the very beginning (Ephesians 1:4, 9-10; Romans 8:21-25, 29).” (10) “To preach and know the gospel we must get the ‘who’ right! What is the self we are working with? Who are we? Where do we objectively abide? Where did we come from? Is our DNA divine or is it depraved?” (35)“Some will think that I am arrogantly talking about ‘personally divine’ and eagerly dismiss this way of talking about resurrection as heresy, arrogance, or pantheism. The Gospel is much more subtle than that. Jesus’ life and his risen body say instead that the discovery of our own divine DNA is the only, full, and final meaning of being human. The True Self is neither God nor human. The True Self is both at the same time, and both are a toral gift.” (156)	Rohr’s gospel is self-focused (because we are also the Christ) and therefore works-based. This is an unbiblical gospel.  Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his book about John Knox and the Reformation, summarizes it this way:  “The tragedy of the last hundred years has been due to the fallacy of imagining that you could shed Christian doctrine but hold on to Christian ethics.” (81) Lessening the authority of the Scriptures by elevating subjective experience (Mysticism), means abandoning His leadership. And neglecting God’s leadership equates to choosing a counterfeit gospel. And a counterfeit gospel provides a false option of justice and freedom.	“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Grace	“Grace is the key to accepting all deaths—and experiencing all resurrections.” (45) “Basically, grace is God’s first name, and probably last too.” (45) “An unexplainable goodness is at work in the universe. (Some of us call this phenomenon God, but the word is not necessary. In fact, sometimes it gets in the way of the experience, because too many have named God something other than grace.)” (45) “The Bible shows a relentless movement toward the actual possibility of intimacy and divine union between Creator and creatures.  For this to happen, there needs to be some degree of compatibility, likeness, or even ‘sameness’ between the two parties. In other words, there has to be a little bit of God in us that wants to find itself. (Yes, read that again!)” (46) “We see the message of implanted grace most clearly in Jesus.” (46) “We doubt, deny, and reject our sonship and daughterhood much of the time. Such unaccountable gratuity is precisely the meaning of grace and also why we are afraid to trust it.” (46) “Simone Weil said, ‘It is grace that forms a void inside of us and it is also grace that fills that void.’ Grace leads us to the state of emptiness, to that momentary sense of meaninglessness in which we ask, ‘What is it all for? What does it all mean?’ Without grace we will not enter into such a necessary void, and without grace the void will not be filled. All we can do is try to keep our hands cupped and open. And it is even grace to do that. But we must want grace and know we need it.” (47)	Dr. Douglas Groothuis- “The Apostle Paul will speak the final word to Richard Rohr, who has turned the gospel itself upside down:‘I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (Galatians 1:6–9)—Douglas Groothuis’” (62)Per GotQuestions, “Grace, is an essential part of God’s character. Grace is closely related to God’s benevolence, love, and mercy. Grace can be variously defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” (82) “To fully understand grace, we need to consider who we were without Christ and who we become with Christ. We were born in sin (Psalm 51:5), and we were guilty of breaking God’s holy laws (Romans 3:9–20, 23; 1 John 1:8–10). We were enemies of God (Romans 5:6, 10; 8:7; Colossians 1:21), deserving of death (Romans 6:23a). We were unrighteous (Romans 3:10) and without means of justifying ourselves (Romans 3:20). Spiritually, we were destitute, blind, unclean, and dead. Our souls were in peril of everlasting punishment.” (82)	“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” Romans 11:6“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Romans 3:20-24
Works	“Only people who have done their inner work can see beyond their own biases to something transcendent, something that crosses the boundaries of culture and individual experience.” (43)	Rohr’s gospel is a works-based, false gospel. Instead, Christianity is salvation by grace alone, through faith/trust alone, in Jesus’s work, alone.  Dr. Groothuis: “By making a spurious concept of ‘the universal Christ’ more important that the historical Jesus Christ, Rohr detaches redemption from Jesus’ shed blood on the cross, which was given to redeem sinners (1 Jn 1:7; He 9:12, etc.). Christ’s work was indeed ‘transactional,’ and thank God it was. Through Christ’s atoning and penal sacrifice, those who have faith in Christ are washed clean from sin and receive His perfect righteousness (Eph 2:8; 2 Co 5:21). This is called the great exchange, but it could be called the great transaction. And this transaction does lead to godly transformation.	“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:28-29“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” Romans 11:6“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24
Truth	The “Really Real” in us and in the world. (43) Relative truth is the small self (False Self). Absolute truth is the True Self which will exist forever. (50)	Per GotQuestions: “In defining truth, it is first helpful to note what truth is not:    • Truth is not simply whatever works. This is the philosophy of pragmatism.    • Truth is not simply what is coherent or understandable. A group of people can get together and form a conspiracy based on a set of falsehoods where they all agree to tell the same false story, but it does not make their presentation true.    • Truth is not what makes people feel good. Unfortunately, bad news can be true.    • Truth is not what the majority says is true. Fifty-one percent of a group can reach a wrong conclusion.    • Truth is not what is comprehensive. A lengthy, detailed presentation can still result in a false conclusion.    • Truth is not defined by what is intended. Good intentions can still be wrong.    • Truth is not how we know; truth is what we know.    • Truth is not simply what is believed. A lie believed is still a lie  The Greek word for ‘truth’ is aletheia, which refers to ‘divine revelation’ and is related to a word that literally means ‘what can’t be hidden.’   1. Truth is that which corresponds to reality.   2. Truth is that which matches its object.   3. Truth is simply telling it like it is. Jesus had made the simple statement “I am the truth” (John 14:6), which was a rather incredible statement. How could a mere man be the truth? He couldn’t be, unless He was more than a man, which is actually what He claimed to be. The fact is, Jesus’ claim was validated when He rose from the dead (Romans 1:4).”	“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6“When the Spirit of truth [Holy Spirit] comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44“Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:17Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37
Crucifixion	“It seems to be a historical happening to communicate the universal pattern that has been true since the beginning of time.” (4) ‘Necessary suffering has been the shape of the universe.” (4) “Order, Disorder, Reorder” (4) “There is a cruciform shape to reality, it seems. Loss precedes all renewal; emptiness makes way for every new infilling; every transformation in the universe requires the surrendering of a previous ‘form.’” (40)	Dr. Michael McClymond: Per Rohr, Crucifixion is “something that happened to Jesus and should happen to us too. The biblical death-and-resurrection story teaches us that everyone has to let go of egoistic attachments (‘crucifixion’) so as to be reborn (‘resurrection’). Jesus’s death was ‘God’s great act of solidarity’ with humanity (33), and “not some bloody transaction ‘required’ by God’s offended justice in order to rectify the problem of human sin’ (140). Jesus’s death didn’t accomplish redemption. Instead, I am Jesus, you are Jesus, everyone is Jesus—that is where Rohr ends up.” (92) Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “Like many heretics, Rohr wants to liberate Christianity from any narrow limitations for the purpose of making it more appealing to the ungodly (2 Tim 4:3). Not so for Paul: ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ’ (Gal 1:10). Rohr ends up liberating Christianity from the truth of the Bible and from the gospel itself. To counteract his counterfeit teaching, consider the real ‘universal Christ’ and the atonement achieved by Jesus Christ.” (62)	“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” 1 Peter 3:18“And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.” Mark 15:17-26
Propitiation	“Violent theory of redemption” (25) “A nonsensical theological notion” (25) “Very hard to defend” (25) “Franciscan alternative orthodoxy emphasized incarnation more than redemption. Franciscans did not believe that God sent Jesus to earth to die as a substitutionary atonement* for our sins.” (60) “[A] universal at-one-ment, instead of any notion of sacrifice, which implies an angry God who needs to be bought off.” (60) “On the cross, Jesus bears the consequences of hatred publicly, but in an utterly new way that consists of forgiveness and letting go. We finally call it “resurrection,” not just for Jesus’ body, but for all of history.” (60) “As long as we employ any retributive notion of God’s offended justice (required punishment for wrongdoing), we trade our distinctive Christian message for the cold, hard justice that has prevailed in many cultures throughout history.” (60) “It’s time for Christianity to rediscover the real biblical theme of restorative justice, which focuses on rehabilitation, healing, and reconciliation, not punishment. We should call Jesus’ story the ‘myth of redemptive suffering’—not as in ‘paying a price’ but as in offering the self for the other. ‘At-one-ment’ instead of atonement! (60) “Restorative justice, of course, comes to its full demonstration in the constant healing ministry of Jesus. Jesus represents the real and deeper level of teaching of the Hebrew Prophets. Jesus never punished anybody! Yes, he challenged people, but always for the sake of insight, healing, and restoration of people and situations to their divine origin and source. Once a person recognizes that Jesus’ mission (obvious in all four Gospels) was to heal people, not punish them, the dominant theories of retributive justice begin to lose their appeal and authority.” (60) “Salvation became a one-time transactional affair between Jesus and his Father, instead of an ongoing transformational lesson for the human soul and for all of history. I believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is a revelation of the infinite and participatory love of God, not some bloody payment required by God’s offended justice to rectify the problem of sin. Such a story line is way too small and problem-oriented.” (63)	“For Rohr, God’s love is more of an evolutionary energy than a sacrificial offering God Himself provided through Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).” (62) He dismisses all biblical language of atonement — such as sacrifice, expiation, paying the price — as contextual “metaphors” that reflect a fallacious ‘transactional thinking.’ (62) Propitiation is one of the essential teachings of Christianity. It is throughout the Scriptures. “Propitiation means ‘averting the wrath of God by the offering of a gift.’ It refers to the turning away of the wrath of God as the just judgment of our sin by God’s own provision of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.” (64) “Even though God is a God of infinite love, he does not show mercy at the expense of his justice, so propitiation is the way that the loving God shows us mercy justly.” (64) “In other words, what God requires, God himself provides in Christ. And Christ willingly undertakes his work as propitiator (the one who offers the gift of propitiation) and propitiation (the gift of propitiation itself). He is, by his own choice and for our sake, priest and sacrifice, mediator, and gift.” (64)	“Through Christ’s atoning and penal sacrifice, those who have faith in Christ are washed clean from sin and receive His perfect righteousness (Ephesians 2:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). This is called the great exchange, but it could be called the great transaction. And this transaction does lead to godly transformation.” Groothuis (62)“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:1-3“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Romans 5:9 “For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29 “Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”Romans 3:25-26 “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”Isaiah 53:5 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
Resurrection	“Resurrection is saying that matter and spirit have been working together from the first moment of the big bang.” (155) “Resurrection [is] another word for change” (170–1). (2) “But Jesus, once he came to his full realization, which is his risen state,” (4) “As Alpha becomes Omega (Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13), as both Bonaventure and Teilhard de Chardin would put it.” (10) “Resurrection is no longer a one-time anomaly in the body of Jesus, but the pattern of the universe.” (10) “Resurrection fits into this shift in point of view beautifully and necessarily. Jesus died. Christ arose. That’s precisely what the transformation is – Christ’s consciousness untied from a specific place and time.” (90)	Dr. Michael McClymond: “the general principle of all reality,” and ‘resurrection [is] another word for change.’ On Easter Sunday “one circumscribed body of Jesus morphed into ubiquitous Light.’ He adds: ‘If a video camera had been placed in front of the tomb of Jesus, it wouldn’t have filmed a lone man emerging from a grave . . . [but] something like beams of light extending in all directions.’ Yet Rohr cheekily affirms that “I am quite conservative and orthodox by most standards on this important issue [of Jesus’s resurrection].”	“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” John 11:25“And you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.” Acts 3:15“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:13-17
Rohr’s Description of Christianity	“Christian life is a commitment to love, to give birth to God in one’s own life and to become midwives of divinity in this evolving cosmos.” (1) “The Law of Three is Christianity’s authentic temperament,”(9) “If one of the primary markers of a Christian life is solidarity as modeled by Jesus, I am afraid that most of us still have a long way to go. It’s one of the reasons I say that Christianity is still in its infancy.” (80) “Only healthy religion is prepared to realign and reconnect all things and reposition us inside of the whole, in true community instead of mere individualism.” (84)	Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “Monotheism — whether Jewish, Christian, or Islamic — takes God to be separate from the created world in His being; He is transcendent, unchangeable, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and wholly good. The cosmos possesses none of these qualities because it is contingent, finite, changeable, and marred by sin. Christianity affirms that despite this Creator/creation distinction, humans are made in God’s image and likeness (Ge 1:26; 9:6; Ja 3:9) and that God Himself incarnated once-for-all in the person of Jesus, the Christ, to redeem fallen creatures (and the whole universe) through His perfect life, atoning death, and space-time resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-8). At his Second Advent, He will purge, judge, and redeem the world (Acts 1:8; Ro 8:18–23). Moreover, God is with us (Mt 1:23) and in His followers (Col 1:27). But this hardly makes creatures one in essence with God, since creatures remain contingent and finite beings and can never become infinite as God is infinite.”	“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;” Corinthians 5:14“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Faith	“Just the continuation of participating” in the life-long mystery of the undoing and remaking of everything. (4) “The willingness to ‘hold’ to the paradoxes.” (32) Faith is being present through contemplative practice. “We need contemplative practices to loosen our egoic attachment to certainty and retrain our minds to understand the wisdom of paradox.” (32) “Faith does not need to push the river precisely because it is able to trust that there is a river. The river is flowing; we are already in it.” (47) “People of deep faith develop a high tolerance for ambiguity, and come to recognize that it is only the small self that needs certitude or perfect order all the time. The Godself is perfectly at home in the River of Mystery.” (47) “Mystery is not something we can’t know. Mystery is endless knowability on many different levels. Living inside such endless knowability is finally a comfort, a foundation of ultimate support, security, unrestricted love, and eternal care. It usually takes much of our life to get there; it’s surely what we mean by ‘growing’ in faith. Each soul must learn on its own, hopefully aided by observing other faith-filled people.” (104)	Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “Rohr writes that Christians can ‘take the leap of faith’ that ‘God’s presence” was “poured into a single human being’; but then he adds, ‘so that humanity and divinity can be seen to be operating as one in him — and therefore in us!’ While Christians are brought into union with Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit, this is not an incarnation, since they have been redeemed through Christ’s work of incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Moreover, Jesus is God’s ‘one and only son’ (Jn 3:16), and we are not.” Per GotQuestions,  “This definition of faith contains two aspects: intellectual assent and trust. Intellectual assent is believing something to be true. Trust is actually relying on the fact that the something is true. Believing that Jesus is God incarnate who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and was resurrected is not enough. Even the demons “believe” in God and acknowledge those facts (cf. James 2:19). We must personally and fully rely on the death of Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. We must “sit in the chair” of the salvation that Jesus Christ has provided. This is saving faith. The faith God requires of us for salvation is belief in what the Bible says about who Jesus is and what He accomplished and fully trusting in Jesus for that salvation (Acts 16:31). Biblical faith is always accompanied by repentance (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15). The biblical definition of faith does not apply only to salvation. It is equally applicable to the rest of the Christian life. We are to believe what the Bible says, and we are to obey it. We are to believe the promises of God, and we are to live accordingly. We are to agree with the truth of God’s Word, and we are to allow ourselves to be transformed by it (Romans 12:2).”	“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6“So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:5-8 “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:17 (Fruit of the Spirit is evidence of trusting in God/walking by the Spirit). “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2:16 “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
Contemplative Prayer	“We need contemplative practices to loosen our egoic attachment to certainty and retrain our minds to understand the wisdom of paradox.” (32) “Contemplative prayer is largely just being present: holding the tension instead of even talking it through, offering the moment to God instead of fixing it by words and ideas, loving reality as it is instead of understanding it fully. In our daily lives, this prayer is most commonly articulated as a willingness to say, ‘I don’t know.’ We must not push the river, we must just trust that we are already in the river, and God is the certain flow and current.” (32) “Until we see these patterns (which is early-stage contemplation), we will never be able to see what we do not see. Without such critical awareness of the small self, there is little chance that any individual will produce truly great knowing or enduring wisdom.” (43) “‘I must be ‘nothing’ in order to be open to all of reality and new reality. The Zen master calls this state ‘the face we had before we were born.’ Paul would call it who you are: ‘in Christ, hidden in God’ (Col. 3:3). I just say it is who you are before you did anything right or anything wrong, who you are before you thought about who you are. Our thinking doesn’t make it so. Thinking creates the ego self, the self of reputation, the insecure self. Contemplation recognizes the Godself, the Christself of abundance and security.” (107) “Contemplation is not churchy, pious, or quiet. It has little to do with having an introverted personality. It really is a different mind—it’s not thinking, which is what we mean by calling it objectless awareness. We don’t focus on any particular object of consciousness.” (137)	Seminary professor and author, Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “What is biblical prayer? Evangelical writer and teacher Kenneth Boa describes it as ‘personal communion and dialogue with the living God.’ This statement should be uncontroversial (if one means the God of the Bible), but supporters of CP would add that the deepest, most profound form of prayer is of the contemplative variety. To avoid confusion, ‘contemplative,’ used in this context, is not synonymous with awareness or concentration. Rohr defines contemplation as ‘an alternative consciousness that refuses to identify with or feed what are only passing shows.’ These “passing shows” are one’s thoughts.” (106) “However, such a concept of contemplative prayer is challenged by our Lord himself. When Jesus taught his disciples what to do until his return, he instructed, ‘But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man’ (Luke 21:36).27 Mental passivity combined with an “open heart” and the refusal to interact with thoughts appears incompatible with Jesus’ divine injunction.” Groothuis goes on to say, “Additionally, when Jesus taught on prayer, he said not to “use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do” (Matt. 6:7; see also vss. 8–13). Repetition itself is not the problem, but meaningless repetition, which is specifically advocated by CP.” (106) “CP presents another glaring problem. If CP ushers us into a plane of existence beyond thought and image, how can this be a relational act with the personal God of Christianity? A personal relationship requires at least two persons. CP seeks to transcend the individuality of the meditator, and in so doing, it eradicates any possibility of a personal relationship. Another devastating blow is that one cannot have a personal relationship with something detached from knowable features. If we transcend knowledge, then nothing—not even God—is knowable. Furthermore, while wisely applied silence can sometimes help to avert a heated argument, it seems to have no constructive power in building a relationship.” (106) Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “The support lent to CP tends to be full of partial truths, much hermeneutical error, and the imprecise use of language. Contemplative prayer misrepresents key attributes of God. He is transcendent yet always personal; he is not reducible to mere impersonal forces or literal light, and he is certainly not a state without properties (as is the non-dualistic Hindu concept of Brahman). We know and communicate with this personal God through personal means, not through transcendence of personality. Thus, CP is at worst spiritually dangerous, and at best does not appear to serve any sanctifying purpose. Therefore, we have no good reason to engage in the practice. Still, we must continue to intelligently and prayerfully converse with fellow believers regarding this trend. Thinking Christians should not be silent about this error.” (106)	“What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” 1 Corinthians 14:15  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:18 “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:9-13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” James 5:13 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:7“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;” Psalm 1:1-6“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2“What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” 1 Corinthians 14:15“Pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Nondualism	“Nonduality is not a part of the innate vocabulary of the Christian spiritual tradition. It’s a ‘loan word’: a term imported from Eastern religions, which first became widely popular in the West during the second half of the twentieth century.” (48) “Nonduality is sometimes described as non polarization or the capacity to be open, inclusive, and tolerant of paradox.” (48)  “By definition, all mystical experience is nondual: the classic descriptions of mystical experience inevitably feature that brief, overpowering sense of the boundaries dissolving and finding oneself at one with everything.” (48) “Classically known as ‘the unitive state,’ the highest level of spiritual attainment.” (48) “Jesus modeled and exemplified nonduality.” (49) Rohr claims that in order to understand concepts like the Trinity and Jesus’s incarnation, nondual thinking is necessary. Rohr equates non-dual thinking with mystical, experiential knowledge of God. (110)F	Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age): “What is nondualism? It means ‘not two’ and usually refers to a view that everything is part of one although appearing to be separate. The goal is to erase the false perceptions of subject-object distinctions.” (108) & Don and Joy Veinot: “For Rohr, contemplation is the method to bring one to the realization that he or she is already ‘in’ Christ, and to the non-dualistic understanding that all is ‘one’ with what he calls ‘Divine Reality” (seemingly, his term for God). Rohr is, therefore, a passionate advocate of contemplative practices, including Contemplative Prayer. This type of prayer is not normative prayer as found in Scripture, but rather, it is a certain method that is more akin to Eastern meditation techniques.” (112) Dr. Douglas Groothuis: Pertaining to Christianity, “God is the unique and supreme Creator of the universe (Gen 1:1), who cannot be identified with the cosmos because he is transcendent. God is a self-existent being on whom the universe depends (Acts 17:25); he is a self-reflective, personal being (Ex 3:14) who acts in the world. Christianity is also trinitarian, which distinguishes it from other forms of theism. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, is God incarnate, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one,” which his audience identified as a claim to deity (Jn 10:30).” (132) Dr. Groothuis distinguishes Christianity from nondualism here: “Pantheistic monism (nondualism), a worldview that has influenced the West largely through transcendental meditation and the New Age movement. As taught by Sankara (AD 788-820), nondualistic Hinduism claims that reality is ultimately one (monism). All apparent distinctions, dualities, and diversities are not real but illusory (maya) and due to our ignorance (avidya) of ultimate reality. This ultimate reality of great oneness or nonduality is called Brahman… Monism cannot become merged with monotheism. Nondualism denies the duality of the Creator-creature distinction affirmed by Christianity. While Christianity teaches that the creation is not divine, nondualistic Hinduism teaches that there is nothing but divine, and the self itself is divine in essence.” (132)	“Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” Romans 1:25 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22 “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—” Galatians 1:1 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:33-36“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” Acts 17:24-25 “Consequently, he (Jesus) is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
Dualism	“Dualistic thinking, or the ‘egoic operating system,’ as my friend and colleague Cynthia Bourgeault calls it, is our way of reading reality from the position of our private and small self. ‘What’s in it for me?’ ‘How will I look if I do this?’ This is the ego’s preferred way of seeing reality.’” (49) “The dualistic mind is essentially binary, either/or thinking. It knows by comparison, opposition, and differentiation.” (49)  Dualistic thinking is when we look at people through our narcissistic lens of control, determining what is true and/or false, with our comfort level being the gauge. Rohr claims that only through contemplative practices can we retrain the mind to see others as ‘God images.’ (113) Dualistic thinking is “either/or.” Non-dualistic thinking is “both/and” (114) Rohr claims that we are not able to either accept or understand how Jesus can be both divine and human with our dualistic minds. (115)	The Christian perspective is to renew our minds with the Holy Spirit’s help through reading God’s Word, not removing our minds (opening them up to any voice/thought which enters). We need to test what is coming into our minds to make sure those thoughts are good (2 Cor 10:5; 1 Thes 5:21; 1 John 4:1). Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age) & Don and Joy Veinot: “Rohr commonly asserts that we need to move from a dual mindset (not making or discerning distinctions). Rohr accepts dualism for practical things like doing math or learning to drive, but he associates dualism with judgment and condemnation in a spiritual context. For Rohr, a change in consciousness is needed as a part of ‘Emerging’ (Progressive) Christianity.” (112) “Rohr equates ‘dualistic thinking’ with division and strife…Therefore, he teaches we need to move to a new, ‘non-dual consciousness.’ One way this is to come about is through what Rohr terms ‘contemplation.’” (112) “For Rohr, contemplation is the method to bring one to the realization that he or she is already ‘in Christ,’ and to the non-dualistic understanding that all is ‘one’ with what he calls ‘Divine Reality’ (seemingly, his term for God.” (112) “[Contemplative prayer] is not normative prayer as found in Scripture, but rather, is a certain method more akin to Eastern Meditation.” (112)	“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:5 “but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21-24 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 1:2-10 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Second Coming	“This is why I (Richard) say we need to switch our thinking from ‘Jesus came to fulfill us’ to ‘we have come to fulfill Christ.’ We are a part of this ever-growing cosmic Christ that is coming to be in this one great big act of giving birth described in Romans 8:22.” (1) “He’s unfolding. As you know, I think I say later in the book, for me, that’s the meaning of the second coming of Christ. There was the personal body in Jesus, now the unfolding mystery of the body of Christ is the second coming, and the second coming is nonstop.” (4)	Per GotQuestions: “The second coming of Jesus Christ is the hope of believers that God is in control of all things, and is faithful to the promises and prophecies in His Word. In His first coming, Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem, just as prophesied. Jesus fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Messiah during His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. However, there are some prophecies regarding the Messiah that Jesus has not yet fulfilled. The second coming of Christ will be the return of Christ to fulfill these remaining prophecies. In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Servant. In His second coming, Jesus will be the conquering King. In His first coming, Jesus arrived in the most humble of circumstances. In His second coming, Jesus will arrive with the armies of heaven at His side.” (116) Dr. Groothuis provides the New Age Perspective of the Second Coming: “The idea of Jesus’ Second Coming is spiritualized and democratized to refer to the evolutionary ascent of an awakened humanity. Soli, billed as an “off planet being” channeled through Neville Rowe, offers this esoteric insight: “You are God.  You are, each and every one, part of the Second Coming.”[vii]  The notion that “this same Jesus” (Acts 1:11) who literally and bodily ascended to heaven will himself return in like manner on Judgment Day is rejected as narrow-minded literalism (see also Philippians 3:20-21). Furthermore, final judgment after death is denied in favor of reincarnation.” (120)	“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10 “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” Revelation 1:9 “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Incarnation	Per Rohr, we live in a “Christ-soaked world.” Christ is in everything. And yet is transcendent. (4)  “Real Presence is everywhere.” (23) “He [Rohr] is a passionate proponent for what he calls an ‘incarnational worldview’. In his book The Universal Christ  he explains this mindset in the following way. “What I am calling an incarnational worldview is the profound recognition of the presence of the divine in literally ‘everything’ and ‘everyone’ (Rohr, 2019a:18).” (85) “God forgives it by becoming incarnate. If God becomes a human being, then it’s good to be human! Incarnation is already redemption.” (34) “When Christians hear the word ‘incarnation,’ most of us think about the birth of Jesus, who personally demonstrated God’s radical unity with humanity. But I want to suggest that the first Incarnation was the moment described in Genesis 1, when God joined in unity with the physical universe and became the light inside of everything. This, I believe, is why light is the subject of the first day of creation.” (36) “God’s presence in the general word ‘flesh’ (John 1:14). John is speaking of the ubiquitous Christ we continue to encounter in other human beings, a mountain, a blade of grass, or a starling.” (36)	Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “The Incarnation happened but once — in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has all authority: “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:22). That cannot be rightly affirmed of anyone else. To think otherwise is to mutilate Holy Scripture beyond recognition (2 Peter 3:16; Matthew 15:1–6). The Incarnation means that the eternal Word, without ceasing to be God, took on one true human nature in the person of Jesus, who was the one and only Christ or Messiah.” (62) Per GotQuestions: “Incarnation is a term used by theologians to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh. This is similar to the hypostatic union. The difference is that the hypostatic union explains how Jesus’ two natures are joined, and the Incarnation more specifically affirms His humanity. The word incarnation means ‘the act of being made flesh.’ It comes from the Latin version of John 1:14, which in English reads, ‘The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.’” R.L. Reymond in the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology defines incarnation as “the act whereby the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, without ceasing to be what he is, God the Son, took into union with himself what he before that act did not possess, a human nature and so [he] was an continues to be God and man in two distinct natures nad one person, forever.” (87)	“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,” Galatians 4:4“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” Colossians 2:9“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Colossians 1:15“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:14-17“For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” Hebrews 2:10
Heaven	In reference to a new Heaven and a new Earth: Rohr speaks to a “Godseed” planted within us which will come to “full maturation” alongside all of creation. (4)  The soul. (27)	Dr. Douglas Groothuis explains the view of Heaven from the New Age vantage: “Belief in Jesus’ resurrection and ascension is denied or spiritualized to remove them from the realm of the physical and the historical. Many others besides Jesus are recognized as “Ascended Masters” on the spiritual plane. Joseph Campbell interprets the Ascension to mean that Jesus “has gone inward . . . to the place from which all being comes, into the consciousness that is the source of all tings, the kingdom of heaven within.”[vi] For Campbell, Jesus does not ascend to the right hand of the Father but descends to the divine depths of the collective soul.” (120) Randy Alcorn: “This place [Heaven] is not an ethereal realm of disembodied spirits, because human beings are not suited for such a realm. A place is by nature physical, just as human beings are by nature physical. (We are also spiritual.) What we are suited for- what we’ve been specifically designed for- is a place like the one God designed for us- Earth.” (133; Intro) Alcorn goes on to say that “The writers of Scriptures present Heaven in many ways, including as a garden, a city, and a kingdom…However, many people make the mistake of assuming that these are merely analogies with no actual correspondence to the reality of Heaven (which would make them poor analogies). Analogies can be pressed too far, but Scripture makes it clear that Jesus is preparing a place for us, and God’s Kingdom will come to Earth, and a physical resurrection awaits us, there is no reason to spiritualize or allegorize all earthly descriptions of Heaven…Too often we have been taught we’ve been taught that Heaven is a non-physical realm, which cannot have real gardens, cities, kingdoms, building, banquets, or bodies. So we fail to take seriously what Scripture tells us about Heaven as a familiar, physical, tangible place.” (133; Ch 2) “As human beings, whom God made both physical and spiritual, we are not designed to live in a non-physical realm – indeed, we are incapable of imagining such a place (or, rather, non-place). Adam did not become a “living being” – the Hebrew word “nephesh”- until he was both body and spirit (Ge 2:7). We are physical beings as much as we are spiritual beings. That’s why our bodily resurrection is essential to endow us with eternal righteous humanity, setting us free from sin, the Curse, and death.” (133; Ch 2).	“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (Jesus) John 14:2 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Philippians 3:20 “And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” Luke 23:43 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20 “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:1 “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3:13 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:35 “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” Psalm 73:25 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” Mark 16:19
Enneagram	On page xvi of Ebert’s and Rohr’s book, The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, Rohr shares this about the Enneagram: “Andreas Ebert and I again offer the Enneagram as a very ancient Christian tool for the discernment of spirits, the struggle with our capital sin, our “false self,” and the encounter with our True Self in God. Anything this powerful and this converting is sure to be fought and resisted by the egocentric self, and even by control-needy prelates.” (148) In response to these claims, on Veinot and Montenegro explain “In fact, it is of interest that Rohr and Ebert did not claim a Christian origin for the Enneagram in the earlier edition of their book. Ebert writes in the 1992 introduction to Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert’s Discovering the Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for the New Spiritual Journey (trans. Peter Heinegg; New York: Cross Road, 1992): ‘The Enneagram is a mysterious model of the psyche that is not originally Christian.’” (112) On page xxi, Rohr continues, “It is no surprise me that the Enneagram is so distasteful to soft spirituality and even to individualistic spirituality.” (148)	Is the Enneagram Christian? No. The Enneagram was created by George I. Gurdjieff in 1916 for the purpose of gleaning knowledge from the Cosmos as well as for creating “sacred dances” (using an occult number wrapped around the shape: 142587). Divination is the act of seeking information from any spiritual sources other than God, which is *prohibited* by God (Deut 18; Galatians 5). Therefore, this man-made tool is not spiritually neutral. Nor is it “redeemable.” Does God redeem Diviners? Yes!But not the act of divination. Is the Enneagram ancient? Possibly, but not likely. The shape (1916; Gurdjieff) and it’s accompanying “types” (1969-1971; Claudio Naranjo) are not ancient. However, the worldview behind its formation is incredibly ancient (Panentheism mixed with Gnosticism). It needs to be shared that neither Panentheism nor Gnosticism are compatible with Christianity. In fact, both John and Paul were countering Gnosticism in the 1st century (John 1; Colossians 2). As Marcia has wisely shared in interviews, “The Enneagram is not like meat sacrificed to idols. The Enneagram is the idol itself.” Rhenn Cherry (Enneagram Theology: Is It Christian, p.115): “The Enneagram journey to True Self is a diversion from recognizing the realityof man’s fallen nature and need for redemption, which is made possible only through the saving work of the incarnate and resurrected God-Man. Ultimately, the Enneagram journey of self-discovery makes the need for the Person and work of the biblical Christ Jesus of Nazareth, go away. Richard Rohr and the authors he mentored have offered adopters of the Enneagram a mislabeled (Christian) tool that misdiagnoses their problem (lack of self-knowledge) and proposes an amusing, misguided path (Enneagram) to a solution (True Self) that does not exist. The Enneagramis a proverbial road to nowhere that provides its own peculiar language and sense of inclusion for its travelers to amuse themselves along the way to a mythical destination.” (145) Don & Joy Veinot and Marcia Montenegro (Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret; p. 81): “If Rohr’s teachings are true, we must abandon what the historic Christian church has taught and maintained since its inception. If they (Rohr’s teachings) are false, Richard Rohr must be exposed as a false teacher, and the occult ‘spiritual tool’ called the Enneagram must be abandoned. Today, as in the days of Elijah, the people must choose whom they will serve.” (90)	“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.” Deuteronomy 18:9-12 “And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.” Acts 19:19*These magicians did not incorporate magic (syncretism) back into their lives. Nor did they call it “Gospel-Centered Magic.” They chose God and trusted His way.“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:23“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21“As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.’” Acts 16:16-18“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Colossians 2:8-10“For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.” Zechariah 10:2“Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.” 2 Kings 23:24
Soul	“The spiritual path should be about helping you learn where your true ground, your deepest truth, and your eternal life really are. Our common phrase for that is ‘finding your soul.’”(27) “Teresa [Ávila] says our soul refers to our God-given godly nature. Your God-given godly nature is the infinite reality of you. You’re worth all that God is worth. You are as precious as God is precious.” (58) “[Our] Deepest Identity” (27) “[One’s] True Self” (27) “Unique blueprint” (27) “Our unique little bit of heaven is installed by the Manufacturer at its beginning! We are given a span of years to discover it, to choose it, and to live our own unique destiny to the full. The discovery of our own soul is frankly what we are here for.” (27) “Your soul is who you are in God and who God is in you.” (27) “The word ‘God’ simply doesn’t capture this infinite depth of my soul that stretches toward an endless horizon.” (30)	Per Biola Professor J.P. Moreland: “[The Soul is] an immaterial thing that contains consciousness and animates the body…The human soul would be the only soul that’s made in the image of God, obviously, and it may be the only soul that can survive the death of the body.” (134) Dr. Sean McDowell explains that humans are body AND soul. Here he provides three evidences for the soul (135): 1.) Free will. We have the capacity to make choices. 2.) Near Death Experiences. Medically dead individuals who are later revived and provide testimony of experiences after death.3.) Differences between the Mind and the Brain. There are parts of our mind or soul which cannot be explained in physical terms (i.e., thoughts, pain, etc.). GotQuestions: The human soul seems to be distinct from the heart (Deuteronomy 26:16; 30:6) and the spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12) and the mind (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). The human soul is created by God (Jeremiah 38:16). It can be strong or unsteady (2 Peter 2:14); it can be lost or saved (James 1:21; Ezekiel 18:4). We know that the human soul needs atonement (Leviticus 17:11) and is the part of us that is purified and protected by the truth and the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:22). Jesus is the great Shepherd of souls (1 Peter 2:25).” (136)	“Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” Exekiel 18:4 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Matthew 16:26“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 43:5“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:11-13
Syncretism	“This week’s meditations explore what Christians can learn about inner transformation from Buddhism. As Father Richard often says, ‘If it’s true, it is true all the time and everywhere, and sincere lovers of truth will take it from wherever it comes.’ [1] In his book The Universal Christ, he writes:‘I am convinced that in many ways Buddhism and Christianity shadow each other. They reveal each other’s blind spots. In general, Western Christians have not done contemplation very well, and Buddhism has not done action very well. [2] There is a reason that art usually shows Jesus with his eyes open and Buddha with his eyes closed. At the risk of overgeneralization: in the West, we have largely been an extroverted religion, with all the superficiality that represents; and the East has largely produced introverted forms of religion, with little social engagement up to now.’” (138)Rohr encourages the usage of the Enneagram, a tool developed in 1916 by George I. Gurdjieff for the purpose of divination: “When used in conjunction with a regular practice of contemplative prayer, the Enneagram can be powerfully transformative. It can open us to deeper and deeper levels of understanding and insight, love and grace. In the next two weeks of Daily Meditations, I will barely scratch the surface of the Enneagram’s potential to help us live to our fullest God-given identity.” (139)	GotQuestions: Syncretism, as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is ‘the reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief.’ This is most evident in the areas of philosophy and religion, and usually results in a new teaching or belief system. Obviously, this cannot be reconciled to biblical Christianity…Religious syncretism is simply not compatible with true Christianity. In fact, any modification to biblical law and principle for the sake of a ‘better’ religion is heresy (Revelation 22:18-19).” (140) Dr. Douglas Groothuis: “[An] example of such syncretism comes from the work of Richard Rohr. In Everything Belongs, he says, ‘I must be ‘nothing’ in order to be open to all of reality and new reality. The Zen master calls this state “the face we had before we were born.” Paul would call it who you are: “in Christ, hidden in God” (Col.3:3). I just say it is who you are before you do anything right or anything wrong, who you are before you think about who you are. Our thinking doesn’t make it so. Thinking creates the ego self, the self of reputation, the insecure self. Contemplation recognizes the Godself, the Christself of abundance and security.’ [Rohr] Rohr wrongly conflates the Buddhist idea of nothingness with Paul’s teaching that Christians are ‘in Christ.’ This is absurd, since being ‘in Christ’ is a personal and relational reality established by the objective and finished work of Christ. That is infinitely far from ‘nothing.’ Rohr also claims that this reality is divine, thus conflating the self (the creature) with God himself (the Creator). Such monism has no place in Scripture. (106) In response to Rohr’s book, Falling Upward, Os Guinness made the following statements: “ Rohr’s notion of “spirituality for the two halves of life” is quite anti-biblical…the notion of the two halves of life comes from Carl Gustav Jung and the “perennial tradition,” as Rohr admits. It also fits in perfectly with today’s mix-and-match syncretism and the idea of the common unity underlying all the world’s religions. So the real authorities and the main ideas for Rohr’s book come from fundamentally pagan and non-Christian sources—with an occasional doffing of the cap to Scripture.”  Guiness continues… “There is a serious ethical danger in Rohr’s teaching…In sum, Rohr’s Falling Upward is anti-biblical, non-Christian, and rooted in New Age thinking (often accompanied with Native American pagan practices), rather than being true to the teaching of Jesus and the Scriptures. The real question is why so many evangelicals are attracted to it.” (142) Video Resource: “The Story of Reality” by Greg Koukl	“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:14“But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word.” 1 Kings 18:21“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 Corinthians 10:14“You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you-” Deuteronomy 6:14Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Matthew 4:10“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4
True Self	Within the Opening Credits of Rohr’s book, Immortal Diamond, Rohr states that the True Self is behind the Ego/False Self (life experiences, culture, etc.). (143) Per Immortal Diamond, Rohr describes “resurrection” as the realization of the True Self. (143) In his devotional, Mining for an Immortal Diamond, Rohr quotes from the opening credits of his book, Immortal Diamond: “Our True Self is that part of us that knows who we are and whose we are, although largely unconsciously.” (144) A few sentences later, Rohr helps his readers understand that he is NOT representing historic Christianity: Rohr shares that “The clarification and rediscovery of the True Self lays a solid foundation—and a clear initial goal—for all religion. We cannot build any serious spiritual house if we do not first find something solid and foundational to build on—inside our self! ‘Like knows like’ is the principle. God-in-us already knows, loves, and serves God in everything else.” (144) “Original identity is ‘hidden with Christ in God.” (12) “The True Self is consciousness itself.” (14) “Innate purity.” (28) “Only your True Self lives forever and is truly free in this world.”(26) “Soul” (27) “Unique blueprint” (27) “Deepest identity” (27) The “basic goodness” and the “essence of our being.” (28) “The (Absolute Truth) True Self is indestructible.” (28) “God surely knows that most people are not malicious as much as mistaken, not deceitful as much as deceived, not ill willed but just terribly ignorant of their True Selves.” (p. 47, Immortal Diamond). “Only your soul can know the soul of other things. Only a part can recognize the whole from which it ame. But first something within you, your True Self, must be awakened.” (p. 60, Immortal Diamond)	Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age), Don Veinot, and Joy Veinot approach the topic of the True/False Self thoroughly in their book, “Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret:” “Rather than finding an ‘Authentic Self,’ the Scriptures teach Christians to yield to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit and ‘to be conformed to the image of His Son’ through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:29; Hebrews 5:9; Romans 8:29). If anything, it is the opposite of and in opposition to the idea found in the Enneagram’s ‘True Self.’ The ‘new self’ is ‘hidden with Christ’ (Colossians 3:3), not a ‘pure essence’ or ‘authentic self’ unearthed via the Enneagram. It is a supernatural work resulting from salvation by faith in the true Jesus Chrsit.” (80) Professor and author Carl Trueman defines the modern perception of “Self” in this way: “The self is closely identified with inner psychological thoughts and feelings (hence, trans ideology has become so plausible), and personhood is equated with self-consciousness (hence, babies in the womb and people suffering with dementia are increasingly thought of in nonpersonal ways and thus as not possessing rights).” (89) “The biblical notion of personhood does not begin with psychological categories or focus on feelings. It focuses on our being made in the image of God.” (89) GotQuestions gives an example of how Rohr’s usage of “True Self” aligns more with Hinduism then with Christianity:  “Inside everything, including the human soul, there is a reality that is not maya, which is called atman, sometimes translated as “true self” or “inner self.” The atman is eternal and is itself the core essence of each individual, the personality. Hinduism teaches that where the atman or true self resides, there is God. The atman provides humans with their consciousness and gives them divine qualities. According to Hinduism, “The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart . . . and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy” (Bhagavad Gita, 18.61).” (90)	“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Colossians 3:9-10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:9-10 (This demonstrates God is a personal and volitional, with a designed plan to change humanity at another point in time. Pointing to the Gospel).“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24“By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” 2 Peter 1:4“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” 1 Peter 3:18-22
False Self	“The false self only lies because it somehow is a lie.” (14) “Developed and sustained.” (28) “The false self lives in unconsciousness, and we do evil only when we are unconscious.” (14) “Most people are not sinners; they are just ignorant.” (14) “The false self is bogus more than bad; it pretends to be more than it is…It’s a costume.” (26) “Delusional” (27) “When you are connected to the Whole, you no longer need to protect or defend the part [False Self]. You are now connected to something inexhaustible.” (26) “If you do not let go of your false self at the right time and in the right way, you remain stuck, trapped, and addicted. Your false self is a social and mental construct to get you started on your life journey. It is a set of agreements between you and your parents, your family, your school chums, your partner or spouse, your culture, and your religion. It is your ‘container.’” (26) “Jesus would call your false self your ‘wineskin,’”(26) “The false self, which we might also call the ‘small self,’ is merely your launching pad: your appearance, your education, your job, your money, your success, and so on. These are the trappings of ego that help you get through an ordinary day. They are what Bill Plotkin wisely calls your ‘survival dance,’ but they are not yet your “sacred dance.’” (26) “Your false self is not bad or inherently deceitful. Your false self is actually quite good and necessary as far as it goes.”(26) The “fear, uncertainty, and confusion” which hide the gold. (28) “Your False Self is your necessary warm-up act, the ego part of you that establishes your separate identity, especially in the first half of life. Basically it is your incomplete self trying to pass for your whole self.” (152) “The False Self sees everything in parts and hierarchies.” (p. 51, Immortal Diamond)	Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age) & Don and Joy Veinot: “The ‘false self’ is a concept used repeatedly by Rohr and forms a central purpose of the Enneagram: to uncover this ‘false self’ and realize or awaken to the ‘true self.’”(91) In Chapter 6 of Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, Veinot and Montenegro explain that Rohr views “The False Self [as] simply a substitute for our deeper and deepest truth.” Rohr’s usage of the false/true self concepts cannot be applied to Christianity, for Scripture teaches us that every human falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). McClymond: “For someone like ‘Rohr, Jesus may be a helpful figure, but he can’t be indispensable, because it’s quite possible to pass from the incomprehension of the ‘false self’ into the wisdom of the ‘true self’—without hearing the name of Jesus or believing in him. Rohr’s position thus amounts to a doctrine of self-salvation—and completely eclipses the historical reality of Jesus.” (92) The “False Self” is Rohr’s substitute for sin. However, God’s Word tells us that sin is real. The Bible explains that all of humanity has sinned and falls short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23).  And while people are often tempted to lie and deceive one another (ie, make false claims, hide shame, etc), we do not possess a false self. Biblically, there is only one “self.” Instead of “false” or “true,” we are either “dead” (Eph 2) or “alive” (2 Cor 5:17). When we worship Jesus for who he is, Lord, we are then given new life in Him. Our old self is then crucified with Christ, and our new is then one He gives us (which we did not have prior). This is important: we did not possess this new life before it was given to us.	“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;  if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.” 2 Peter 2:4-10“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:19-21
EGO	“The ego makes life all about achievement and attainment.” (14) Our need for “order” (18) “The ego is that part of the self that wants to be significant, central, and important by itself, apart from anybody else.” (19) Rohr alleges that Jesus was referring to the ego when He says, “hypocrite” in Matthew 23, which means “actor” in the Greek. (19) “[The] identity we’ve manufactured in order to cope and survive.” (20) Self-preoccupation (20) “Your egoic false self is who you think you are, but your thinking does not make it true.” (26) “To be separate and to be superior but it also wants to be in control.” (124)	While “ego” often gets conflated with “pride” in our English vocabulary, the concept of the Ego was formulated by Sigmund Freud  Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age) & Don and Joy Veinot:
Prayer	“A life of prayer helps us develop a third eye that can read between the lines and find the golden thread which is moving toward inclusivity, mercy, and justice.” (15) “Surrender more than a performance that somehow pleased God. They were already experts in self-emptying (kenosis) and letting go. In other words, ‘poverty’ (inner non-acquisition) is first of all for the sake of prayer, never an end in itself.” (33) “We pray not to change God but to change ourselves. We pray to form a living relationship, not to get things done. Prayer is a symbiotic relationship with life and with God, a synergy which creates a result larger than the exchange itself. God knows that we need to pray to keep the symbiotic relationship moving and growing. Prayer is not a way to try to control God, or even to get what we want. As Jesus says in Luke’s Gospel (11:13), the answer to every prayer is one, the same, and the best: the Holy Spirit! God gives us power more than answers.” (39)
Problem of Evil	“The cause of our unrecognized and fully operative evil is our egocentricity,” (19) The “flesh” is the second source of evil, deadness, or unconsciousness. (21)	Per Melissa Dougherty (on behalf of CrossExamined): “[Evil/Hell/Satan/Heaven:] None of these are literal, but states of mind or metaphorical. Anything that’s considered evil, such as someone flying into the Twin Towers, is because they are in their False Self. The reason for pain, suffering, and evil is because of humanity’s unawareness of their inner divinity, and therefore asleep to their True Self. In this way, they have created their own personal Hell or Heaven. New Thought also believes in an ambiguous Universalism. There is no judgment, only love.” (140) “If suffering disproves your Christianity, you’ve missed Christianity. The Bible is filled with the suffering of those whom God loves. The central event of the Bible is one of suffering. Love involves suffering. “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” That means suffering. But Christianity also promises justice for evil. And grace. And life from death. Resurrection. New bodies. Hope. Jesus is the only hope for true pain. Without Him, there’s nothing left to do but rail against God with the most perverse insults imaginable… Why did God allow evil to come into this world? Why not create everything in the state of perfection we will be in after this world comes to an end? I think the answer is that God had a goal in mind that is greater than the suffering, and that goal is the revealing of Himself to His people so that we will be able to fully express our pleasure in Him through worship, enjoying Him for an eternity.” (141)	“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20“The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Proverbs 8:13“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Romans 12:9“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:13“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23
Bible	“Rohr views the Bible as a collection of books that merely record the authors’ experience of God or convery who they thought God was. The Bible is not viewed as God’s revelation. Rohr states, ‘Just as the Bible takes us through many stages of consciousness and history, it takes us individually a long time to move beyond our need to be dualistic, judgmental, accusatory, fearful, blaming, egocentric, and earning – and to see as Jesus sees.’” (6) “Indeed Rohr claims that the darkness over Israel (Matthew 27:45) and the curtain being torn in two (Matthew 27:51) must be understood symbolically (Rohr, 2019b).” (85) Rohr claims: “The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Perennial Tradition. It’s not Jewish, it’s not Christian, but it’s inspired.” (17)  Jonah in the fish is more about symbolism, than an actual event. (84)	Fred Sanders: “[Rohr has a] low view of Scripture as a morally polluted text with false statements in it.”

Citations:

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81. Lloyd-Jones, David M., and Iain H. Murray. 2011. John Knox and the Reformation. N.p.: Banner of Truth Trust.
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85. Roques, Mark. n.d. “(PDF) Richard Rohr, Mysticism and Neoplatonism.” ResearchGate. Accessed June 16, 2024. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351953319_Richard_Rohr_Mysticism_and_Neoplatonism. 
86. Berg, Chris. n.d. “i LIBERTY UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL PURGING THE NEW AGE: A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF NEW AGE PRACTICES BY THE CHURCH.” Scholars Crossing. Accessed June 16, 2024. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3896&context=doctoral. 
87. Reymond, “Incarnation,” 424. Also quoted in Dr. Rhenn Cherry’s book, Enneagram Theology: Is it Christian (p.7)
88. Veinot, Don, Joy Veinot, and Marcia Montenegro. 2020. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret. N.p.: BookBaby (p. 90)
89. Keesee, Tim. n.d. “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: An interview with Carl Trueman | Tabletalk.” Tabletalk Magazine. Accessed April 6, 2024. https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2021/11/the-rise-and-triumph-of-the-modern-self-an-interview-with-carl-trueman/ 
90. Winfield, Nicole. 2009. “The eternal christ in the cosmic story.” National Catholic Reporter. https://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/eternal-christ-cosmic-story. 
91. Veinot, Don, Joy Veinot, and Marcia Montenegro. 2020. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret. N.p.: BookBaby.(p.89)
92. McClymond, Michael, and Richard Rohr. 2019. “’Everything Is Christ’—and Other Muddled Messages from Richard Rohr.” The Gospel Coalition. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/universal-christ-richard-rohr/. 
93.  Rohr, Richard, and Richard Rohr. 2016. “God as Flow.” The Mendicant ed. https://cac.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/theMendicant_Vol6No4.pdf.
94.  Koukl, Greg. 2015. “The Trinity: A Solution, Not a Problem Part 1.” Stand to Reason. https://www.str.org/w/the-trinity-a-solution-not-a-problem-part-1.
95. Koukl, Greg. 2015. “The Trinity: A Solution, Not a Problem Part 2.” Stand to Reason. https://www.str.org/w/the-trinity-a-solution-not-a-problem-part-2.
96.  GotQuestions. 2022. “What is the origin of the doctrine of the Trinity?” Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/origin-doctrine-Trinity.html.
97.  “Taking the Powers Seriously — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2023. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/taking-the-powers-seriously-2023-05-16/.
98.  “Principalities and Powers — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2023. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/principalities-and-powers-2023-05-15/.
99.  “What does the Bible say about angels?” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/angels-Bible.html.
100. “Who is the Holy Spirit? | GotQuestions.org.” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/who-Holy-Spirit.html.
101. Shreve, Mike. 2021. “15 Characteristics Of New Age Spirituality.” Reasons for Jesus. https://reasonsforjesus.com/15-characteristics-of-new-age-spirituality/.
102. Montenegro, Marcia. n.d. “Should People Trust Psychic Readings.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Accessed April 13, 2024. https://reasonsforjesus.com/should-people-trust-in-psychic-readings/.
103. “How can I tap into the wisdom of God?” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/wisdom-of-God.html.\
104. “Living the Contradictions — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2024. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/living-the-contradictions/.
105. “The Wisdom of Paradox — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2024. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-wisdom-of-paradox/.
106.  Groothuis, Douglas. 2015. “EXAMINING CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER.” (January–March), 12. https://holdfast.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/9ac18-examining_contemplative_prayer.pdf. 
107.  Rohr, Richard. 2003. Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer. N.p.: Crossroad Publishing Company. 
108. Montenegro, Marica. 2017. “NONDUALISM AND APOPHATIC THEOLOGY: LAND MINES IN CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY.” Christian Answers for the New Age. https://www.facebook.com/FormerNewAger/posts/nondualism-and-apophatic-theology-land-mines-in-contemplative-spiritualityby-mar/10154280754867237/. 
109. “The Need for Mysticism — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2020. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-need-for-mysticism-2020-08-02/.
110. “What is Mysticism? – Fr. Richard Rohr.” 2016. John Dickerman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8jvVmJ1baE.
111. Boyd, Newton. 2018. “Franciscan Mysticism part1.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NtUaos9Nus.
112. Veinot, Don, Joy Veinot, and Marcia Montenegro. 2020. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret. N.p.: BookBaby; pgs. 79-81.
113. “Richard Rohr What do we mean by dualistic thinking.” 2019. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oc7qF_msMw. 
114. “Richard Rohr – The Dualistic Thinker.” 2020. Popular Gospel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK9cw25R_4A&t=11s.
115. “Where do Christianity and Nonduality meet? – Father Richard Rohr.” 2012. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvg2DgjVgbE. 
116.  “What is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/second-coming-Jesus-Christ.html. 
117. “Richard Rohr – The Holy Spirit and How It Is Distinct From Jesus Christ and God.” 2019. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuknI5yM_Xw.
118.  “What does ‘Christ’ mean? | GotQuestions.org.” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/what-does-Christ-mean.html. 
119. Wellum, Stephen J. 2017. Christ Alone – the Uniqueness of Jesus As Savior: What the Reformers Taught… and Why It Still Matters. Edited by Matthew Barrett. N.p.: Zondervan. 
120. Groothuis, Douglas. 2017. “The New Age Jesus.” https://www.douglasgroothuis.com/post/the-new-age-jesus. 
121. “What Is Christ Consciousness? (with Fr. Richard Rohr).” 2015. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/139260277. 
122. Bancarz, Steven. 2016. ““Christ Consciousness” Debunked By Jesus.” Reasons for Jesus. https://reasonsforjesus.com/christ-consciousness-debunked-by-jesus/. 
123. “How can I have the mind of Christ?” 2023. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/mind-of-Christ.html. 
124. “Hell the Devil and the Afterlife.” 2017. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxf7-NGJUjE&t=6s. 
125. Barnett, Tim. 2021. “Hell: A Solution, Not a Problem.” Stand to Reason. https://www.str.org/w/hell-a-solution-not-a-problem. 
126. McDowell, Sean. 2014. “Does a Loving God Send People to Hell?” Sean McDowell. https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/does-a-loving-god-send-people-to-hell. 
127. Grudem, Wayne A. 2020. Systematic Theology, Second Edition: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. N.p.: Zondervan.
128.  “Does Satan exist? | GotQuestions.org.” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/does-Satan-exist.html. 
129. “What Keeps Everything from Belonging? — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2016. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/keeps-everything-belonging-2016-11-27/. 
130. “A Self-Balancing System.” 2018. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/self-balancing-system-2015-02-18/. 
131. “What does the Bible say about divination?” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-divination.html. 
132. Groothuis, Douglas. 2022. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. N.p.: InterVarsity Press. 
133. Alcorn, Randy C. 2009. Heaven. N.p.: Tyndale House Publishers.
134. Moreland, JP. 2012. “What Is the Soul and Is It Real? – Biola University Center for Christian Thought / The Table.” Biola’s Center for Christian Thought. https://cct.biola.edu/what-is-the-soul-and-is-it-real/. 
135. Impact 360. n.d. “How Do We Know We Have a Soul?” Impact 360 Institute. Accessed May 5, 2024. https://www.impact360institute.org/videos/how-do-we-know-we-have-a-soul/. 
136. “What is the human soul? | GotQuestions.org.” 2022. Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/human-soul.html. 
137. “Practicing Awareness — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2021. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/practicing-awareness-2021-11-11/.
138. “Telling Us How to See — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2021. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/telling-us-how-to-see-2021-11-07/. 
139. “Knowing Ourselves — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2016. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/knowing-ourselves-2016-04-24/. 
140. Doughterty, Melissa. 2023. “Yes, There is a Difference Between New Age and New Thought.” CrossExamined.org. https://crossexamined.org/whats-the-difference-between-new-age-and-new-thought/. 
141. Hall, Amy K. 2019. “What You Need to Know about Evil and Suffering.” Stand to Reason. https://www.str.org/w/what-you-need-to-know-about-evil-and-suffering. 
142. Guinness, Os. 2015. “The Rage for Rohr?” C.S. Lewis Institute. https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-rage-for-rohr/. 
143. Rohr, Richard. 2013. Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self. N.p.: SPCK Publishing. 
144. “Mining for an Immortal Diamond — Center for Action and Contemplation.” 2023. Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/mining-for-an-immortal-diamond-2023-08-07/. 
145. Cherry, Rhenn. 2021. Enneagram Theology. N.p.: Resource Publications.
146. Berg, Chris. n.d. “PURGING THE NEW AGE: A THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF NEW AGE PRACTICES BY THE CHURCH.” LIBERTY UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3896&context=doctoral. 
147. Got Questions Ministries, How can believers be in the world, but not of the world, 2023. https://www.gotquestions.org/in-but-not-of-world.html. 
148. Rohr, Richard, and Andreas Ebert. 2001. The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective. Translated by Peter Heinegg. N.p.: Crossroad Pub.
149. Richard Rohr. Immortal Diamond (N.p.: Jossey-Bass), 2013, 60-61.
150. Rohr, Richard. 2020. “Mysticism and Eco-Spirituality.” Center for Action and Contemplation. https://cac.org/daily-meditations/mysticism-and-eco-spirituality-2020-02-07/. 
151. Got Questions Ministries, What is the Definition of Heresy, 2022. https://www.gotquestions.org/heresy-definition.html 
152. Richard Rohr. Immortal Diamond (N.p.: Jossey-Bass), 2013, 64.
153. Got Questions MInistries, What is the definition of Sin, 2023. https://www.gotquestions.org/definition-sin.html 
154. Richard Rohr. Immortal Diamond (N.p.: Jossey-Bass), 2013, 46.
155. Richard Rohr. Immortal Diamond (N.p.: Jossey-Bass), 2013, 84.
156. Richard Rohr. Immortal Diamond (N.p.: Jossey-Bass), 2013, xiv.
157. Richard Rohr. Immortal Diamond (N.p.: Jossey-Bass), 2013, xiii.
158. Richard Rohr. Immortal Diamond (N.p.: Jossey-Bass), 2013, xii.