Popular Worship Leader Ignites Furor For Heretical Tweet Saying ‘Buddha,’ ‘Muhammad’ And ‘You’ Are ‘Christ’

LTRJ Note: In 2012, Lighthouse Trails tried to warn the church about the contemplative-promoting band, Gungor, in our article titled Tens of Thousands Introduced to Contemplative Advocates Gungor and David Crowder at Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade. Our warning was ignored by Christian leaders such as Greg Laurie and certain other large Calvary Chapel churches. As for Michael Gungor, we do not find it surprising that after practicing contemplative prayer all these years, he moved into the interspiritual (i.e., all paths lead to God) camp. As Ray Yungen pointed out so succinctly, this is the “natural” course contemplative practitioners tragically take. And this is why, after nearly 20 years, Lighthouse Trails continues warning the church about occultic mystical practices such as centering prayer and contemplative spirituality.

Michael Gungor

BY  SARAH MAE SALIONG

SEE: https://www.christianitydaily.com/articles/12739/20210729/popular-worship-leader-ignites-furor-for-heretic-tweet-saying-buddha-muhammad-and-you-are-christ.htm;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Thousands of people responded to a tweet by Michael Gungor, the lead singer of the famous band Gungor, on Friday, July 23. The post drew widespread criticism because it asserted that, although Jesus is the Christ, so are Buddha, Muhammad, people, and the church.

Several readers interpreted Michael Gungor's tweet as a universalist statement. The text of Gungor's tweet stated: "Jesus was Christ. Buddha was Christ. Muhammad was Christ. Christ is a word for the Universe seeing itself. You are Christ. We are the body of Christ."

Gungor expressed gratitude for the kind responses to his tweet, writing, "Thanks for all the thoughtful replies everyone."

Then, in support of what he tweeted, he suggested that everyone read Richard Rohr's book "The Universal Christ" and listen to his Liturgists podcast, where he claims they discussed the topic in depth.

His counter-argument and "freedom to question things"

 Happy that his post sparked so much discussion on what he meant by "Christ," a subject he thinks is essential, the musician went live on Instagram to dissect his tweet in more detail and answer questions from fans.

 "Christ is a word for the universe, seeing itself. You are Christ's. We are the body of Christ," he said in his Instagram Live video.

Following the "met with fury" reaction to his tweet, Gungor stated that although he was raised Christian, the "concept of Christ" and the meaning of the term "Christ" were not discussed in-depth or on a consistent basis.

Thus, he believes that the book "The Universal Christ," which he recommended people read in his tweet, is an excellent introduction to the topic.

Gungor then responded to those who claimed his tweet was "unorthodox to mainstream historical Christianity," saying he's "guilty as charged."

But he went on to clarify that those accusations relating to historical mainstream Christianity don't bother him in the least.

"For a number of reasons, historical mainstream Christianity is the force in the world that, (I'm not going to say it) doesn't have any good or that it doesn't have any worth. But it is the force in the world that is responsible for the Inquisition, Manifest Destiny, all sorts of colonialism and genocide, sexism, patriarchy, homophobia, ecology, violence, and countless other evils. I'm not too worried about being unorthodox to the power systems of Christianity, to be honest with you," he said.

He went on to say that orthodoxy caused him to feel alienated from the body of Christ, but that he quickly discovered the "freedom to question things" and began "moving away from those things."

"I'm not claiming that my take on what Christ is, is what most Christians have said," he continued. "If you are concerned about that, you should call me a heretic, and I will accept your accusation."

In response to the criticism that he was abusing the term "Christ," Gungor stated that he is more interested in the "traditional use of the word Christ as a concept" rather than as "the last name of Jesus" or as a "political flag for our team."

"I think it ought to mean something bigger. I think it ought to mean something universal for the sake, not only of individual practice. I think it makes the concept of Christ and the practice of this unity incredibly more powerful," he said.

"I think it's less violent to find the more broader universal understanding of the word Christ that doesn't leave us in the seat of colonizers of culture, of ideas of religion, of spirituality, of metaphysical land like I was saying before," he added.

As for comparing Christianity to other faiths such as Buddhism or Islam, Gungor said that he is not "flattening the important distinctions of other traditions," but rather "honoring" the "specificity of the traditions."

He emphasized the principles of loving one another, as well as the fact that "unity" in the Body of Christ does not imply "uniformity," but rather allows for some "distinctions."

Flat-out error

Prophetic minister Jennifer LeClaire, in an article in Charisma, pointed out how Michael Gungor has "become the latest Christian celebrity to denounce Christ," with his wife following him.

"Blasphemy! This is a doctrine of demons!" LeClaire wrote in response to Gungor's tweet.

LeClaire, founder of the Awakening House of Prayer (AHOP) said the worship singer is "not the first" to fall away from the faith, as a "growing number of 'visible' Christians have turned their back on Christ."

"Don't ignore the signs of the times. In His discussions on the end of the age, Jesus warned us not to let anyone deceive us (Matt. 24)," LeClaire wrote.

"If it weren't possible to get caught up in the great falling away, Jesus wouldn't have issued such a strong warning to His followers and left a record of it for you and me."

"Christ" in the orthodox Christian tradition

 According to Christian News Now, the term "Christ" is derived from the Greek word Christos, which translates as "anointed one." The Hebrew term for "anointed one" is "Mashiach," which translates as "Messiah."

Those searching for the Messiah described in Old Testament texts like as Daniel 9:25-26, Isaiah 32:1, and Isaiah 61:1 recognized Jesus as "Jesus the Messiah" or "Jesus the Anointed One."

This indicates there is only one Christ -one Messiah- and He is Jesus, the Son of God.

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SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS: https://ratherexposethem.org/?s=ROHR

 

EX-NEW AGER DOREEN VIRTUE INTERVIEWS ALISA CHILDERS: PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY & THE NEW AGE

Alisa Childers, the author of “Another Gospel,” warns that Progressive Christianity is so far removed from biblical Christianity that its followers may not be saved. Alisa explains the similarities between the new age and Progressive Christianity. You can preorder her book and receive bonus gifts, including admission into a private Facebook group by signing up at https://www.alisachilders.com/another... Please watch the American Gospel films. You can learn more about them at http://www.americangospelfilm.com

NEW YORK CITY: CATHOLIC CHURCH REPLACES JESUS AT THE ALTAR WITH GEORGE FLOYD & HAS CONGREGATION AFFIRM RACIAL JUSTICE PLEDGES~CHURCH SUPPORTS LGBTQ, ILLEGALS, NEW AGE ZEN MEDITATION, ETC.

KENNETH BOLLER, SJ-HAS NO BLACKS ON HIS STAFF!

  • Kenneth Boller, SJ

    Pastor

    kboller@sfxavier.org

    Ken grew up in Queens, NY and entered the Jesuits after graduating from high school. The usual Jesuit training included a B.A. from Fordham in Math and Philosophy and a M. Div. degree from Woodstock. College.  Other studies included an M.S. in Math from NYU and degree in secondary school administration from Fordham. Ken’s primary ministry through the years has been in education, serving as a teacher, principal and president at four Jesuit high school, Canisius H.S., Fordham Prep, St. Peter’s Prep and Xavier H.S.(three times). In between, he served as Pastor of St Aloysius Church in Harlem, NY. 

    Throughout the years Ken has enjoyed varied pastoral ministries leading and directing the Spiritual Exercises, assisting in various parishes on the weekends and ministering at the youth detention center in the Bronx for many years. Having grown up in a large extended family, he has been privileged to accompany family members from Baptism and the range of sacraments through funerals, always celebrating life. 

    He is delighted to return to 16 th Street for the fourth time. 

    Church of St. Francis Xavier

SEE: https://sfxavier.org/

AND: https://sfxavier.org/racial-justice

AND: https://sfxavier.org/catholic-lesbians

AND: https://sfxavier.org/gay-catholics

AND: https://sfxavier.org/immigration-initiative

AND: https://sfxavier.org/zen-meditation-group

16th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue | Mailing Address: 55 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212-627-2100 | Fax: 212-675-6997 | E-Mail Address: StFrancisXavier@sfxavier.org

SHORT VIDEO:

SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/09/01/nyc-catholic-church-replaces-jesus-at-the-altar-with-george-floyd/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

A Catholic church in New York City has replaced Jesus on their altar with graven images of their new “martyred saints” of “racial injustice” and has offered a prayer to their god for their commitment to their new religion of “racial equity.”

The Reverend, Kenneth Boller, SJ of St. Francis Xavier in NYC offered a prayer to commit the church to acknowledge their “white privilege,” fight against “racial injustice,” promote “racial equity,” and to “strive to eliminate racial prejudice from your thoughts and actions so that you can better promote the racial justice efforts of our church.”

On the altar, instead of Jesus, you can see pictures of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery — all people who have been hailed as martyrs for the cause of “racial justice” by Marxist revolutionaries. Churches, too, have embraced this religion.

Just to be clear, the Roman Catholic Church removed Jesus from their altar long ago and replaced Him with an idol of self-sufficiency, works righteousness, and sacerdotalism. To the Roman Catholic, the cross is insufficient to remove the guilty stains of sin from the sinner and their religion requires an endless cycle of confession and penance, continually moving one from a state of grace to a state of damnation. Salvation is never secure. So, it should come as no surprise that these churches take the same approach to the history of racism in this country. To them, the stain hasn’t been — and never can be — fully removed and thus requires endless acts of penance and restitution on behalf of their ancestors who may or may not have committed the sin of racism.

But this religion isn’t unique to the Roman Catholic Church. An increasing number of Evangelical churches, including Southern Baptist and Presbyterian churches, are embracing this new religion. “Racial justice” has become a recurring theme at Evangelical meetings and sadly, the majority of Evangelical leaders are pushing the exact same theology.

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EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM: https://sfxavier.org/racial-justice

ORGANIZATIONS WORKING AGAINST RACISM

 

DOREEN VIRTUE: PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY IS NEW AGE

Doreen Virtue

Repenting to plants? Jesus was just a good moral human teacher? The Bible is a metaphor written by men, to pick and choose from? These are among the shockingly heretical Progressive Christian beliefs and practices that Allyson Rossborough grew up in. When God opened her eyes to the truth of Who Jesus is, Allyson began studying the Bible and learning from solid teachers. She realized how twisted the false progressive/liberal teachings were. Now, Allyson helps others to deconstruct progressive beliefs, and compare them to Scripture. You can contact Allyson at Instagram.com/AllysonRossborough Allyson’s blog about the 8 heretical points of progressive Christianity is at https://www.manifoldministries.com/fr... Here are three recommended videos on the issues with the progressive movement: Alisa Childers: https://youtu.be/FwyJk1G_Dm0 and https://youtu.be/mxg4wHywv-s Allie Beth Stuckey: https://youtu.be/Kie9r89naF0

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BLOG 20 - 8 POINTS OF PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY

BY Allyson Rossborough

SEE: https://www.manifoldministries.com/freedom-and-truth/8-points-of-progressive-christianity;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

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About a month ago I discerned through the 8 points of Progressive Christianity on my Instagram.  These 8 points are up on the Progressive Christianity website found here.

My heart in doing this to help Bible believing Christians understand where Progressive Christians are coming from and what the implications are for following their teachings.  I also want to show that Progressive Christianity is not following the true God of the Bible. 

Before you read, please understand that not all Progressive Christians believe all of these 8 points.  The major belief they all have in common though is that the Bible is not their authority.  Experience and feeling tend to be the authority of a Progressive Christian. 


1. “Believe that following the path of the teacher Jesus can lead to healing and wholeness, a mystical connection to “God,” as well as an awareness and experience of not only the Sacred, but the Oneness and Unity of all life;"

This is the first point from progressive christianity.org. Within the first line we can see that Progressive Christians deny that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. They reduce Christ to a human teacher. Such that if they follow what this good teacher taught, they will find healing wholeness in their souls, and they will have a connection with god.

This is very subtle and speaks straight to our flesh. We naturally want to show how "good" we are by ascribing to a list of things to prove to ourselves and others that we aren't bad people. That we are better than others, since we do all these great things. In the PC mind set, by following teacher jesus, they are given a set of rules to show themselves and others they are good Christians. Thus, this will give them healing and wholeness, or in other words, life fulfillment. Then through their goodness, they will achieve a connection with what they call god. 

Next, once this connection is achieved they will understand the secrets of the Universe… this is new age rhetoric. And very unbiblical. 

The only way to know God is through Jesus Christ. If we believe that all we have to do is follow a good teacher to be fulfilled and then know the secrets of the universe, then we believe in a system of works designed to put us in bondage, build our pride, and feed our sin nature; ultimately sending us to Hell. 

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 3:36 ESV


2. "Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience “God,” the Sacredness, Oneness and Unity of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom, including Earth, in our spiritual journey;"

This is the second point of the 8 points of Progressive Christianity found on their website. If you reduce Jesus Christ down to a good moral teacher, it makes so much sense that his teachings are one of many ways to god. Since most Progressive Christians believe in universalism, that Christ died for all regardless of what people believe about Him, there is no need to be exclusive. Because everyone means all religions too.

I would argue that most if not all Progressive Christians want some sort of relationship with God but since they keep denying their sin it's not possible. And since the jesus they follow is all about following a set of rules to be a good, moral, and spiritual person, they look to other religions or the new age to find their experience of god. 

Looking at all the world religions and the new age we can see that all of them, except Biblical Christianity, are set up for people to follow a set of rules to achieve something or to get into heaven or to get god. Or in other words to show they are good people.   

This statement by PC is also a way of saying we "respect" your experience of god. Since your religion, experience, and philosophy has the same outcome as ours, to be a good person, all religions and ideas must be the same. 

Jesus Christ was very clear when He said in John 14:6. "... 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" There is no way around that my friend. My professors at the PC seminary I went to couldn't even refute that claim. 

Keep your eyes open to words like interfaith, unity, and ecumenicalism. These are buzz words in PC. When you hear these words, start asking questions. Most likely, it's to promote the second point of Progressive Christianity.


3. "Seek and create community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:

Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,

Believers and agnostics,

Those of all races, cultures, and nationalities

Those of all sexual orientations and all gender identities,

Those of all classes and abilities,

Those historically marginalized,

All creatures and plant life;"

First, what is Biblical love? Biblical love is about laying our lives down for those around us, putting their best interest over our own best interest. Jesus showed us this love by dying for us, by taking our place and paying the price for our sin.  He came to die for our best interest so we could be free from sin and live with God forever. Biblical love points people to Christ and the Gospel so that they can be saved from the wrath of God. 

In the third point of Progressive Christianity, their definition of inclusion reveals what they truly believe love is. Love is acceptance of every person, including acceptance of all of their sin. 

If everyone is striving to follow this teacher jesus and everyone else in other religions around the world are doing the same thing, they must be accepting of sin. Because everyone is trying to make themselves a better person. By accepting everyone and their sin, they have loved like they think their jesus did. 

We all know this standard is impossible to live by. How many families are falling apart? We can't even accept our own families let alone everyone we meet. But if you fail at this type of love, they say just keep trying. 

This is what makes PC so binding. It either puts you in bondage or builds your pride. But most importantly, it keeps you a slave to your sin. 

This type of all inclusive love is a lie from hell and evil. By not pointing people to Christ and the Gospel, there is no hope for them and leaving them to God's eternal judgment is one of the most unloving things we can do. 


4. “Know that the way we behave towards one another and Earth is the fullest expression of what we believe, therefore we vow to walk as Jesus might have walked in this world with radical compassion, inclusion, and bravery to confront and positively change the injustices we experience as well as those we see others experiencing;"

One of the things we need to remember is that Progressive Christians do not submit themselves to the authority of the Bible. Because they don't believe it was divinely-inspired they don't use a Biblical understanding of the words "compassion" and "justice" as examples. They look to the world or their own experience to interpret those terms and apply them in a non-Biblical way. 

The fourth point of Progressive Christianity really breaks down what it means to follow their moral teacher jesus. Here we have a tangible list of rules so they know they are following him the correct way and thus they know they are "good" Christians. The language used leaves it up to the reader on how to interpret and implement each rule. 

This, I believe, is the point where well meaning Biblical Christians can get deceived by PC.  Christ tells us to have compassion, and empathy for the downtrodden and oppressed. The Bible is very clear on how to do these things. The issue within PC is that what Jesus says is filtered through a misinterpretation of love, that I mentioned yesterday, and the misunderstanding of Who Jesus Christ truly is. And that all comes from the lack of authority they ascribe to Scripture.  

As Christians, we can not trust everything or anyone who claims to be Christian.  We must check everything with scripture. Just because it sounds good or sounds Christian doesn't mean it is. This is why it is so important to renew our minds daily with the Word of God. That way we can spot the Truth from lies and know what is good and evil. 

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5. "Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning with an open mind and open heart, than in absolutes or dogma;"

Progressive Christians believe it is more humble to question everything and claim that it is not possible to know God's will; better for everyone to have questions and doubts but never really seek to find the true answers. 

I see this point being born out of a legalistic approach to Biblical Christianity. Many Progressive Christians have been hurt by the church and the hypocrisy they may have seen in other people's lives. If they were taught that to be a Christian requires following all of the rules in the Bible perfectly, but everyone, including themselves, are failing at it, of course they will reject what they were taught. 

What fills that gap?  They will tend to look at true Christians as very arrogant people. However, by not seeking out answers to their questions, they will become deeply proud of how "humble" they are. All while still being slaves to sin and closing themselves off to hearing the True Gospel.

And those who want to have the Christian label without submitting to Christ will gladly take this point to heart. If questioning without finding true answers makes them humble people, then it's a check mark off the list of virtues that prove them righteous and a 'good' person.  Which all goes back to the first point of following the good moral teacher jesus. 

Things to look out for with this point are  phrases like "Is that what God really meant?" Or "It is impossible to know God's will." These phrases and others like them are used by the enemy to plant doubt in our hearts when it comes to the Word of God. 


6. "Work toward peace and justice among all people and all life on Earth;"

In Progressive Christianity most believe in a type of universalism; that Christ died to save everyone regardless of what they believe about Him. And if this is true, it makes sense that they would work towards these things to make the world a better place. 

This is another tangible way Progressive Christians follow the moral teacher jesus. They are usually very active in societal issues and charity work. The work is done in a worldly way, taking no consideration of what Biblical peace and justice look like.  They are helping people but doing it in vain. They neglect to share the true Gospel of Jesus Christ with those they are helping and just make them comfortable with their sin. 

Peace and justice are Biblical principles that must be seen through the eyes of the Gospel in order to be done in a godly way that glorifies God. We must look to Scripture and study it diligently to understand and apply it's truths.  

This is another point where Biblical Christians can be deceived by PC. Jesus does call us to do this type of work; we should all be serving. But again, PC does not believe that Scripture is authoritative so they are looking to worldly ideas and structures to fix a spiritual problem. Many Christians don't know that and get deceived by what PC claims. By exploring their honest and compassionate desire to help, the enemy leads them into his trap.


7. "Protect and restore the integrity of our Earth and all of Creation;"

I listened to a story once about a group of PC seminarians who wrote down their sins to a plant. They confessed to it and vowed to do better in protecting the environment. This was at a prominent seminary in the U.S. that has sadly turned from Jesus Christ.

Point seven is another way Progressive Christians attempt to follow moral teacher jesus. And it usually turns into an idol; worshipping creation. This is another way those who follow PC can make themselves feel like a good person.  

This can be extreme, where like in the story above, they become overly apologetic to the environment, seeking to make reparations for their environmental sins; an ideology known as Eco-justice. Or it can be small things like buying reusable straws or bags. But all of this boils down to checking another virtue off the list defining a righteous person. 

As Christians we are called to be good stewards of creation. God has given us the earth to treat well for His glory. But we also must understand that creation is under a curse because of our sin. This earth will never be perfect. It will be when Jesus Christ returns and those who are His join Him for eternity on the new earth where there will be no more sin.


8. "Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love on this journey toward a personally authentic and meaningful faith."

We have come to our last point of Progressive Christianity. We can see that they want to continually educate themselves to be better people according to the standards of this world. They believe following Christ means following a moral teacher jesus; who is only one of many ways to god. The more they can learn, the more they can prove to themselves they are good enough for Heaven. The more they can check off their list of virtues. 

Biblically, we know even our good and righteous deeds are sinful and as filthy rags to our Holy God. We have all fallen short of God's glory. It will never be possible to be compassionate enough, or love others enough to earn God's favor. 

At the root of all of this is pride. Progressive Christians and others like them refuse to acknowledge their sin of self righteousness, or in other words,  pride.  They reject the True Gospel of Jesus Christ, instead believing they are morally superior and can earn utopia by their works. If we can never admit we are sick, we can never be healed. 

And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:31-32