A New Age View of the Trinity Enters the Church

[Guest shiloh357]

A New Age View of the Trinity Enters the Church

Today, the word Trinity, or Trinitarian theology, is taking on a whole new meaning, one of which most Christians are unaware but one that is working its way into the church through the highly popular book, The Shack. Let me explain. Many people have defended their admiration for The Shack, saying it is “just a novel.” But Shack author William Paul Young admits that The Shack is more than a novel; he considers it a theological book:

Please don’t misunderstand me; The Shack is theology. But it is theology wrapped in story.1

Young said these words in a book written by C. Baxter Kruger titled The Shack Revisited where Young wrote the foreword. He also stated in the foreword:

If you want to understand better the perspectives and theology that frame The Shack, this book [Kruger’s] is for you. Baxter has taken on the incredible task of exploring the nature and character of the God who met me in my own shack.2

Reading through The Shack Revisited, it becomes clear that Baxter’s main theme is what he calls “the trinitarian life.”

[Jesus] became what we are, entered into our world of confusion. . . . He found his way into our darkness, into the scary places inside our souls. And there he pitched his tent forever—and he brought his Papa [the Father] and the Holy Spirit with him. . . . inside of us all, because of Jesus, is nothing short of the very trinitarian life of God. . . . “I am good” because Jesus and his Father and the Holy Spirit have found me and live in me.3

Contrary to what I have described about the Trinity in my book, Baxter’s (and Young’s) view of the Trinity is not just about the shared deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Rather it encompasses all of humanity and all of creation:

From all eternity, God is not alone and solitary, but lives as Father, Son, and Spirit in a rich and glorious fellowship of utter oneness. . . The trinitarian life is a great dance of unchained communion and intimacy . . . This life is unique, and it is good and right. . . . And this love, giving rise to such togetherness and fellowship and oneness, is the womb of the universe and of humanity within it.4

In presenting this view of the Trinity that there is “oneness” and “togetherness” throughout the universe and all humanity, Kruger introduces the idea that there is no separation between God and His creation:

The New Testament’s witness to Jesus leads to a revolution in human understanding of God as the blessed Trinity. It also leads to a revolution in our understanding of creation and of human existence as not separated from the triune God, but together with God in relationship forever. . . .

The triune God, the human race, and all creation are not separated but together in relationship. Jesus is the relationship. In his own being, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and all creation are together.5

This is classic New Age panentheistic thought that teaches that God is in all things and all people, that everything is sacred (filled with divinity), and that there is no gap between God and man and God and creation. While we would expect this kind of belief in the New Age, it is absolutely contradictory to biblical Christianity. Yet, the author of one of the most popular Christian books today has come right out and stated that Kruger’s book is the framework of The Shack. Kruger further explains this trinitarian “theology”:

This means that the mutual indwelling of the blessed Trinity now includes us! In Jesus, the human race has been gathered into the Holy Spirit’s world. . . . the staggering oneness of the blessed Trinity, have found us in our shacks—us: you, me, all of us—forever.6

The very identity of Jesus Christ as the One in whom the Father, the Holy Spirit, and all creation are bound together carries profound geopolitical, racial, social, environmental, economic, and educational implications . . . As the Creator incarnate, Jesus, in his relationship with his Father in the Spirit, is integral to every sphere and area of human life and of the life of our planet. Nothing was left behind when he ascended.7 (emphasis added)

Kruger states that “heaven and earth are united”8 and that “the life and oneness of the blessed Trinity have crossed the infinite divide and embraced us forever.”9 This is reminiscent of the New Age idiom “as above, so below” meaning that there is no gap between God in Heaven and His creation on earth. If this were true, then Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross would have been unnecessary. Kruger continues:

 

 

 

Jesus has included us in his relationship with his Father, and in his relationship with the Holy Spirit, and in his relationship with every person, and in his relationship with all creation. Jesus is the center of it all. . . .

We are not separated from the blessed Trinity, but included in the trinitarian life. This is our identity, the truth of our being, and our destiny of joy.10

William Paul Young not only admitted in the foreword of Kruger’s book that The Shack is based on Kruger’s panentheistic ideas on the Trinity, Young also presented the idea of what he calls “the lie of separation” on a television series on TBN in 2017 when he stated:

It is a “lie” to believe that God is “separate” from His creation.11

Former New Age follower, Warren B. Smith, explains this “lie of separation”:

In the New Age, we didn’t believe in a real Satan. The only thing “satanic” was to not believe in the divine “Oneness” of all creation. The only “Satan” were those who were under “the illusion of separation”—those who did not believe that God was “in” everyone and everything.12

Read a few quotes by one who is accepted as the New Age “Christ” who reveals himself in various channeled writings:

The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself. There is no separation of God and His creation.13—A Course in Miracles

The oneness of the Creator and the creation is your wholeness, your sanity and your limitless power.14—A Course in Miracles

Let Me take you with Me, My friends, back to your Source, back to the cradle of your Being, and release in you your Godhead.15—Maitreya

I shall drive from this Earth forever the curse of hatred, the sin of separation.16—Maitreya

The only solution is the Ultimate Truth: nothing exists in the universe that is separate from anything else—The “God” who spoke to Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God.17

This is your assignment. This is your work. You are to destroy the illusion of separation.18—Neale Donald Walsch’s “God”

As we are witnessing a growing apostasy in the church, which the Bible says will happen in the days before Christ’s return, a New Age spirit and false “Christ” who proclaims that God is in everything and everyone and there is no separation between God and man will continue to make himself known to the world. Paul warned about those who worship “the creature more than the Creator” (see Romans 1:23-25) in not recognizing that God and creation are truly separate and always will be. Unfortunately, many who proclaim to be Christians will fall for this lie. God, indeed, is separate from His creation. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is not humanity, and He is not creation.

 

 

 

 

https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=27756

[missmuffet]

People are deceived. Our world is being corrupted.

Question: "What does the Bible teach about the Trinity?"

Answer: The most difficult thing about the Christian concept of the Trinity is that there is no way to perfectly and completely understand it. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also teaches that there is only one God. Though we can understand some facts about the relationship of the different Persons of the Trinity to one another, ultimately, it is incomprehensible to the human mind. However, this does not mean the Trinity is not true or that it is not based on the teachings of the Bible.
 

The Trinity is one God existing in three Persons. Understand that this is not in any way suggesting three Gods. Keep in mind when studying this subject that the word “Trinity” is not found in Scripture. This is a term that is used to attempt to describe the triune God—three coexistent, co-eternal Persons who are God. Of real importance is that the concept represented by the word “Trinity” does exist in Scripture. The following is what God’s Word says about the Trinity:

1) There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5).

2) The Trinity consists of three Persons (Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8, 48:16, 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew plural noun "Elohim" is used. In Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for “us” is used. The word "Elohim" and the pronoun “us” are plural forms, definitely referring in the Hebrew language to more than two. While this is not an explicit argument for the Trinity, it does denote the aspect of plurality in God. The Hebrew word for "God," "Elohim," definitely allows for the Trinity.

In Isaiah 48:16 and 61:1, the Son is speaking while making reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Compare Isaiah 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19 to see that it is the Son speaking. Matthew 3:16-17 describes the event of Jesus' baptism. Seen in this passage is God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father proclaims His pleasure in the Son. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are examples of three distinct Persons in the Trinity.

3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one from another in various passages. In the Old Testament, “LORD” is distinguished from “Lord” (Genesis 19:24; Hosea 1:4). The LORD has a Son (Psalm 2:7, 12; Proverbs 30:2-4). The Spirit is distinguished from the “LORD” (Numbers 27:18) and from “God” (Psalm 51:10-12). God the Son is distinguished from God the Father (Psalm 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9). In the New Testament, Jesus speaks to the Father about sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). This shows that Jesus did not consider Himself to be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also all the other times in the Gospels where Jesus speaks to the Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoke to another Person in the Trinity—the Father.

4) Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16).

5) There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the Trinity. This is simply an area which our finite minds cannot understand concerning the infinite God. Concerning the Son see Luke 22:42, John 5:36, John 20:21, and 1 John 4:14. Concerning the Holy Spirit see John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, and especially John 16:13-14.

6) The individual members of the Trinity have different tasks. The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); salvation (John 3:16-17); and Jesus' human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father initiates all of these things.

The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matthew 11:27; Revelation 1:1); and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent.

The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus' works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus, the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There have been many attempts to develop illustrations of the Trinity. However, none of the popular illustrations are completely accurate. The egg (or apple) fails in that the shell, white, and yolk are parts of the egg, not the egg in themselves, just as the skin, flesh, and seeds of the apple are parts of it, not the apple itself. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God; each of them is God. The water illustration is somewhat better, but it still fails to adequately describe the Trinity. Liquid, vapor, and ice are forms of water. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not forms of God, each of them is God. So, while these illustrations may give us a picture of the Trinity, the picture is not entirely accurate. An infinite God cannot be fully described by a finite illustration.

The doctrine of the Trinity has been a divisive issue throughout the entire history of the Christian church. While the core aspects of the Trinity are clearly presented in God’s Word, some of the side issues are not as explicitly clear. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—but there is only one God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Beyond that, the issues are, to a certain extent, debatable and non-essential. Rather than attempting to fully define the Trinity with our finite human minds, we would be better served by focusing on the fact of God's greatness and His infinitely higher nature. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34).

https://www.gotquestions.org/Trinity-Bible.html

[frienduff thaylorde]

This whole new age all inclusive dung pile reminds me I need to go take an interfaith .    Too much beans and cabbage and thus an interfaith ideal shall soon be flushed.

That is precisely what this whole doctrine is ,   DUNG .    and I refuse it with my entire being.  

[frienduff thaylorde]

Just now, frienduff thaylorde said:

This whole new age all inclusive dung pile reminds me I need to go take an interfaith .    Too much beans and cabbage and thus an interfaith ideal shall soon be flushed.

That is precisely what this whole doctrine is ,   DUNG .    and I refuse it with my entire being.  

Thanks for warning out against it .

[existential mabel]

well after coming out of all things new age and going to church i had a shock as at times it seemed more new age than  Christian bible teachings. and i have to say that was really confusing  and gradually i began to see it for  what it was. however it ended very badly for a dear friend of mine. and it is through this that now i have a loathing for it

[frienduff thaylorde]

11 minutes ago, Sojourner414 said:

Just when we thought all the bovine-sourced fertilizer that ever existed had been heaped on the steaming pile of theological nonsense called false teaching, they actually managed to find more and got a steam-shovel to dig it up....

 

At this rate: when Christ returns, He's gonna need chest waders...

Oh it just keeps mounding up.     Sometimes I ponder of when I am calling the all inclusive hug for world peace mindset DUNG

if I am not doing DUNG and injustice, due to at least it can be used for some good as in fertilizing.     But it does make a point when  I call it dung.   

[frienduff thaylorde]

11 minutes ago, existential mabel said:

well after coming out of all things new age and going to church i had a shock as at times it seemed more new age than  Christian bible teachings. and i have to say that was really confusing  and gradually i began to see it for  what it was. however it ended very badly for a dear friend of mine. and it is through this that now i have a loathing for it

Ya aint the first to say that one sis.    Others who were once new age and came out and went to visit churches were like goodness its all new age but called christain now .

The world has been duped, the churches are being duped and all hug for world peace all inclusive .   Which means soon

the ones like us,    GET betrayed .    And they will see our betrayer as such a man of LOVE , of all inclusive , of unity , of tolerance.    That is so scary for them.

they being prepared for anti Christ beast system and men and a man .    Only they think its a move of what seems to them as the HOLY SPIRIT leading them to the promised utopia.

 

[Marilyn C]

Good post Shiloh.  Now I think Satan is just putting on `new clothes` `contemporary packaging` for his lies, for this generation.

Marilyn.

[Dennis1209]

Personally I'm not going to waste my time reading 'The Shack', my time would be better spent in the Word.

I've heard about some of the bizarre representations in that book that repulse me. One of today's smartest men on creation science, Kent Hovind, espouses that book and likes it? Can we 'judge that book by its cover'?

[Dennis1209]

1 hour ago, Sojourner414 said:

Just when we thought all the bovine-sourced fertilizer that ever existed had been heaped on the steaming pile of theological nonsense called false teaching, they actually managed to find more and got a steam-shovel to dig it up....

 

At this rate: when Christ returns, He's gonna need chest waders...

Your post reminds me of this.

Lu 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth