First, it was Beth Moore with her ridiculous “God-given” vision of the professing Church, including Roman Catholics, being joined together by God in unholy unity. Now Kay Warren, wife of Saddleback megachurch pastor, Rick Warren claims she had a vision from God after the suicide of her mentally ill son in 2013. In a Facebook post, she writes:
Not long after our son, Matthew, died, I had a vision in prayer. I don’t regularly see visions, so this was unusual. In my mind’s eye, I pictured the Worship Center at Saddleback full of people who are living with a mental illness – depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, an eating disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia – or any other mental illness that was making life challenging.
Now, there is one thing to note here. Saddleback may be full of undiscerning professing Christians with a very lukewarm, if any, knowledge of Scriptural truth, at least as of now, it does not seem to be full of mentally ill people–at least to the extent that she makes it sound in her prognostication.
She continues,
Everyone in the room was reaching out to God without having to pretend that life felt okay – some people were crying, others wrapped themselves around a large wooden cross, some were praying, some were offering hugs to others – but all felt safe to bring their pain and their sorrow to God. Then I saw laughter – the kind of laughter that comes when others walking a similar life-path talk about the shared, common ups as well as downs, the moments of absurdity and humor in living with a mental illness. In my vision, hope began to rise. Hope for no more isolation. Hope for better days ahead. Hope for relationships with others who truly “get” what it’s like to live with a mental illness. Hope for acceptance and a place to belong. Hope for today… for tomorrow. And the day after that.
Of course, there is a lot of hoping going on in this so-called vision. A lot of hope, at least so far, that doesn’t rest on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. In fact, it appears that the hope is being placed in Saddleback’s efforts to make their sanctuary more hospitable to those suffering these illnesses. Shouldn’t these so-called prophetic dreams and visions be pointing to Christ?
She continues still,
As the years have gone by, this dream has remained alive in my heart. On May 19th, please join me for Hope Rising. If you are living with anxiety, depression, or any mental illness, I invite you to come experience community and fellowship through music, art, story, silence, laughter, prayer, listening, talking… and lots of hugs. You are not alone!
Ohhhh! Now I get it. This is an emotional manipulation to sell tickets to her Hope Rising event. For $29.00, you can purchase a ticket to come experience her prophetic vision and see it fulfilled in person through fellowship, music, art, story, silence, laughter, prayer, listening and talking … oh, and lots of hugs.
But wait, I don’t think that having one of these visions, and then selling tickets to carry out your vision, actually qualifies as prophecy. Yet Southern Baptists are willfully accepting and tolerating this nonsense among the ranks–and it will not go unnoticed.
I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. (Revelation 2:20 – 23)
[Contributed by Pulpit & Pen]
