Subject: Are Reason and Obedience opposites? |
Bible Note: Does God offend the mind to reveal the heart? Earnest: "Cognitive vs. Experiential Knowledge." We never prove the Bible by our own personal experiences; instead we prove experience by the Bible. If an experience does not line up with the Word of God, then it is not a valid source of truth. You write: "Don't we have to apply 'reason' to His Word in order to properly understand it? My answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT! Reason is the cause for the chaos in Word Study." You write: "TRUTH is always received in our spirit first, and then revealed to our heart (head/ reason/ thinking)!" My reply: 'Offending the Mind* 'Whether in the ashrams of cultists or at the altars of churches, the objective of achieving an altered state of consciousness is always the same: to dull the critical thinking process because the mind is seen as the obstacle to enlightenment. As John Wimber and John Arnott put it, "God offends the mind to reveal the heart."20 'Counterfeit Revival guru Rodney Howard-Browne explains that "you can’t understand what God is doing in these meetings with an analytical mind. The only way you’re going to understand what God is doing is with your heart."21 Thus, while Howard-Browne allows his subjects to make nonsensical sounds, he has often prohibited them from praying. On one occasion, as a woman was about to lapse into an altered state of consciousness, she became apprehensive and called out to God in prayer. Immediately Howard-Browne commanded her to cease. "Would you listen to me?" he shouted indignantly. "If your praying had helped, it would’ve helped you; now get laughing."22 'Even while people are lined up waiting to receive his touch, Howard-Browne commands them not to pray: "Now people in the lines, wait for me to come and lay hands on you, and don’t pray, please don’t pray." He addresses those who insist on praying as "stubborn people," adding, "People come trying to be all serious and praying. No! This is not the time to pray. This is not a prayer meeting; get in the joy; you can pray on the way home."23 'Like Rodney Howard-Browne and leaders of the Counterfeit Revival, the late Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh denigrated the mind, going so far as to say that the "goal is to create a new man, one who is happily mindless."24 Rajneesh’s experiences "on the road to enlightenment produced temporary insanity, possession, and almost killed him."25' _______________ *Offending the Mind. Numbers within or at the end of sentences are footnote numbers. To read the footnotes providing reference sources for this quote, go to: (www.equip.org/free/DP244-4.htm) Radioman2 |