The Emerging Church & The One Project pt. 3

1. THE EMERGING
CHURCH
&
THE ONE PROJECT?
PART 3
“LEONARD SWEET”
PART 2 ON LEONARD SWEET
MY
STUDY
INTO
THE
EMERGING
CHURCH
STARTED
WHEN
A
PASTOR
BACK
EAST
ASKED
IF
I
KNEW
ANYTHING
ABOUT
“THE
ONE
PROJECT”.
WHEN
I
BEGAN
TO
STUDY
INTO
THE
HISTORY
OF
THE
PROJECT
AND
THOSE
WHO
STARTED
THE
MOVEMENT,
I
WAS
LEAD
TO
ENQUIRE
ABOUT
THE
EMERGING
CHURCH
AND
ITS
TEACHINGS
AND
HISTORY.
I
FOUND
THAT
IT
DEALS
WITH
MUCH
MORE
THAN
JUST
“SPIRITUAL
FORMATION”
AND
“CENTERING
PRAYER.”
1

2. Leonard Sweet and Rick Warren
2
Tape
cassette
series
produced
in
1995,
four
years
after
Quantum
Spirituality,
joining
with
Warren.
In
2008,
Sweet
issued
an
explanation
or
response
to
all
the
criticism
he
had
been
getting
about
his
theology
and
new
age/Emerging
Church
connections.
Sweet
claimed
he
had
no
connection
with
New
Age,
and
was
apposed
to
the
Emerging
church
ideas,
but
never
refuted
all
the
garbage
he
has
put
out
from
1991
through
2008.
See
slides
below.

3. The Tide of Change
Warren Smith’s Response
¨ “Their recorded discussion is titled The Tides of Change and was
packaged as part of an ongoing series called ‘Choice Voices for
Church Leadership.’ … According to information on the tape
set, this presentation was about ministry on the emerging ‘new
frontier.’”
¨ “Challenging pastors to make changes in their ministry to meet
the emerging postmodern culture and the changing times,
Sweet and Rick Warren present themselves not only as pastors
but also as modern-day change agents. In their conversation
together, Sweet enthusiastically remarked to Warren: ‘I think
this is part of this New Spirituality that we are seeing birthed
around us.’”
Warren
Smith,
who
has
written
much
about
the
spiritualistic,
New
Age,
emerging
church
errors
that
have
been
coming
into
the
Evangelical
world
has
this
to
say
about
Sweet’s
doctrines:
3

4. The Tide of Change
Warren Smith’s Response
¨ “‘New Spirituality’ is the term that most New Age leaders are
now using instead of ‘New Age Spirituality.’ … Emerging
church figures like Sweet, Brian McLaren, and others are also
employing the term ‘New Spirituality.’ They use it to describe
the ‘new’ Christianity they are practicing as ‘New Christians’
and ‘New Light leaders.’”
¨ “What has become clear over the last decade is that the ‘New
Spirituality’–with its bottom line belief that God is ‘in’
everything–is, in reality, the foundational New Age ‘hub’ for the
coming New World Religion. This panentheistic New Age/New
Spirituality teaching that God is ‘in’ everything will be the
‘common ground’ melting pot belief that the coming New
World Religion will ultimately rest upon.”
¨ (Warren Smith Blog, http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=997
4

5. 5
Omega?
Panentheism
(from
Greek
πᾶν
(pân)
"all";
ἐν
(en)
"in";
and
θεός
(theós)
"God";
"all-­‐in-­‐God")
is
a
belief
system
which
posits
that
the
divine
(be
it
a
monotheistic
God,
polytheistic
gods,
or
an
eternal
cosmic
animating
force),
interpenetrates
every
part
of
nature
and
timelessly
extends
beyond
it.
Panentheism
differentiates
itself
from
pantheism,
which
holds
that
the
divine
is
synonymous
with
the
universe.[1]
In
panentheism,
the
universe
in
the
first
formulation
is
practically
the
whole
itself.
In
the
second
formulation,
the
universe
and
the
divine
are
not
ontologically
equivalent.
In
panentheism,
God
is
viewed
as
the
eternal
animating
force
behind
the
universe.
Some
versions
suggest
that
the
universe
is
nothing
more
than
the
manifest
part
of
God.
In
some
forms
of
panentheism,
the
cosmos
exists
within
God,
who
in
turn
"pervades"
or
is
"in"
the
cosmos.
While
pantheism
asserts
that
'All
is
God',
panentheism
goes
further
to
claim
that
God
is
greater
than
the
universe.
In
addition,
some
forms
indicate
that
the
universe
is
contained
within
God.[1]
Much
Hindu
thought
is
highly
characterized
by
panentheism
and
pantheism.

6. Other Books by Leonard Sweet
6
Current
2012
web-­‐
page
at
Christian
Book
Distributers
list
14
books
on
Emerging
Church
and
Leonard
Sweet,
and
lists
68
items
with
a
“Leonard
Sweet”
only
search.

7. 7
The Language of the Emerging
A
is
for
Abduction,
released
Jan.
2003,
Brian
McLaren
is
a
prominent
Christian
pastor,
author,
activist
and
speaker
and
leading
figure
in
the
emerging
church
movement.
He
has
often
been
named
one
of
the
most
influential
Christian
leaders
in
America
and
was
recognized
by
Time
Magazine
as
one
of
the
25
Most
Influential
Evangelicals
in
America
in
2005.
McLaren
is
on
the
international
steering
team
and
board
of
directors
for
Emergent
Village.

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10
Jerry
Haselmayer
(B.A.,
University
of
Southern
Indiana)
is
president
and
founder
of
Leadership
Pathways,
a
consulting
firm
that
partners
with
clients
to
deliver
experiential
learning,
tailored
personal
coaching,
and
organizational
change.
An
ordained
minister,
he
lives
in
Cincinnati
with
his
wife
and
three
children.
http://
www.amazon.com/Jerry-­‐Haselmayer/e/
B003Y376Q6

11. The Language of the Emerging Church
Book Description
¨ “This witty, yet substantive primer explores the
basic concepts and vernacular of postmodern
ministry. This ‘postmodern ministry-for-
dummies’ will help ‘immigrants’ learn to speak
PSL (postmodern as a second language), so they
can better live, minister, and make a difference
in the emerging postmodern context.”
¨ (http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/leonard_sweet.html)
11

12. The Language of the Emerging Church
Book Review
¨ “I cannot find a single redeeming feature to this
tragicomical book. The authors are earnest, but
they are completely clueless about the
philosophical concepts they are trying to
summarize and employ.” (By Timothy McGrew
"Philosopher" (Kalamazoo, MI)
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/A-Is-Abductive-Leonard-Sweet/product-reviews/
0310243564/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?
ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0)
Amazon.com
Review
of
the
book
A
is
for
Abduction.
Of
course
you
can
find
many
good
things
said
about
the
book
by
many
supporters
as
well.
12

13. Jesus Drives me Crazy!
13
Jesus
Drives
Me
Crazy!
Released
June
2003
Let’s
look
at
the
official
book
description
on
Amazon,
most
likely
taken
from
the
back
cover
or
forward
inside
the
book.

14. Jesus Drives me Crazy!
Book Description
¨ “The gospel presents a life-changing NUTS wisdom that
conflicts with normal ways of making sense of the world.
There is the World According to Normal. There is the
World According to NUTS . . . where NUTS is an acronym
for Never Underestimate the Spirit. The wisdom of Jesus
is a NUTS wisdom. ---From the book All people are
different, but some are more different than others.
Christians are meant to be the most different of all. Yet we
often 'normalize' God. We judge what is a successful
Christian and a successful church by the world according
to Normal, not the world according to NUTS, the wisdom
of Jesus.”
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Drives-Crazy-Leonard-Sweet/dp/0310232244/
ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1347782062&sr=1-20)
14

15. Jesus Drives me Crazy!
Book Review
One
of
the
book
review
on
Amazon.com
¨ “I think: This book is a complete waist [sic] of time and
money. The price of $.95 is a statement of it's value. Every
page is work to read and understand. The content is all
over the place like ADHD had a hand in this. … If you are
trying to understand more about Christianity and our
relationship with God - THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO
FIND IT! We read this book as a Sunday school project
and chose to abandon it as a bad idea. I don't normally go
off on things like this. (Bad ideas get thrown in the trash)
But this is so extreme I just had to.” (By E. McManus
(Chattanooga, TN)
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Drives-Crazy-Leonard-Sweet/product-
reviews/0310232244/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?
ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0)
15

16. The Church in Emerging Culture
16
The
Church
in
Emerging
Culture:
Five
Perspectives.
Released
Oct.
2003
Leonard
Sweet
is
general
editor
who
holds
a
“conversation”
with
five
other
church
leaders.
Thus
he
can
direct
the
emphasis
of
the
book!
*
Andy
Crouch
is
young
writer
and
editor
*
Michael
S.
Horton
is
a
reformed
theologian
*
Frederica
Mathewes-­‐Green
is
an
Orthodox
Christian
and
commentator
*
Brian
McLaren
is
a
pastor
and
senior
fellow
of
Emergent
Village.
*
Erwin
Raphael
McManus
is
a
cultural
revolutionary
and
pastor
of
the
innovative
and
interethnic
L.A.
based
community
Mosaic.
The
idea
of
the
book
is
have
a
“conversation”
with
several
people
who
have
different
views
of
Emerging
culture
and
what
the
churches
response
should
be.
It
seems
clear
from
many
of
the
reviews
that
the
liberal,
progressive
thoughts
are
held
up
prominently
as
the
correct
answer.

17. The Church in Emerging Culture
Book Description
Official
book
description
from
Amazon.com,
taken
from
the
back
cover.
Asked
what
seems
to
be
a
rhetorical
questions
in
their
estimation.
The
Emerging
Church
is
pitted
against
Reformed,
Orthodox
ideas
in
“conversation,”
with
the
editor
of
course
supporting
the
Emerging
church
ideas.
¨ “What should the church look like today? What should be the
focus of its message? How should I present that message? We
live in as pivotal and defining an age as the Great Depression or
the Sixties--a period whose definition, say some cultural
observers, includes a waning of the church's influence. The
result? A society measurably less religious but decidedly more
spiritual. Less influenced by authority than by experience. More
attuned to images than to words. How does the church adapt to
such a culture? Or should it, in fact, eschew adapting for
maintaining a course it has followed these last two millennia?”
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/Church-Emerging-Culture-Five-Perspectives/dp/
0310254876/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348032449&sr=1-1&keywords=the
+church+in+emerging+culture)
17

18. The Church in Emerging Culture
Book Review
¨ “Brian McLaren … talks way too much. The man had to
put his two cents on everything, and recap everyone. It
didn't seem like a even handed presentation of 5 views
with McLaren giving the last word in every chapter.”
¨ “Useful to see contrasts. Too much of McLaren. Would like
to seen more ‘orthodox’ participants in line of Horton. “
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/The-Church-Emerging-Culture-Perspectives/product-
reviews/0310254876/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_3?
ie=UTF8&filterBy=addThreeStar&showViewpoints=0)
18

19. Summoned to Lead
19
Summoned
to
Lead.
Released
2004,
one
of
his
earlier
books
on
leadership.
We
will
return
to
the
issue
of
Leadership
a
little
later
with
the
book
I
Am
a
Follower
in
Presentation
4.

20. “God sent a Person not a Proposition”
A Conversation with Len Sweet
20
Fall
of
2005,
George
Fox
University
published
an
interview
with
Leonard
Sweet
on
the
Emerging
Church.

21. “God sent a Person not a Proposition”
A Conversation with Len Sweet
Notice
the
drawing
away
from
any
form
of
organization
and
leadership.
¨ “George Fox Journal: What is the emergent church?
Len Sweet: It probably would mean something different
to everyone you would ask, but from my perspective, the
‘emergent church’ is an ongoing conversation about how
new times call for new churches, and that the mortar-
happy church of the last half of the 20th century is ill-
poised to face the promises and perils of the future. In fact,
attempting to define the ‘emergent church’ betrays the
essence of the movement because the emergent
consciousness questions the notion that there is such a
thing. Rather, there are only individual emerging churches
that are missional in orientation that grow out of the
indigenous soils in which they are planted. In other
words, no two emerging churches are alike.”
21

22. “God sent a Person not a Proposition”
A Conversation with Len Sweet
Remember
the
idea
of
tables
and
chairs,
we
will
see
this
again.
“Key
words
for
emerging
churches
are
incarnational,
missional,
and
relational.”
These
are
all
terms
being
used
in
the
SDA
church
by
those
pushing
this
movement.
¨ “George Fox Journal: Are there some common practices in
emerging churches?
Len Sweet: Pews are now antiques. Since the focus of
emerging churches is on community, their worship space is
flexible. Some have tables and chairs. Others have a more
living room look and feel. But emerging churches are proving
to be very surprising. For example, hymns are now back. And
the church’s liturgy and Eucharist are being rediscovered in
creative and compelling ways. A lot of emerging churches are
very ‘smells and bells’ in their worship. Whatever the
diversity of spiritual practices, the key words for emerging
churches are incarnational, missional, and relational.”
¨ (http://www.georgefox.edu/journalonline/fall05/emerging.html)
22

23. The Gospel According to Starbucks
23
The
Gospel
According
to
Starbucks:
Living
with
a
Grande
Passion,
Jan.
2007
Alex
Bryan
quotes
several
times
from
this
book
in
his
doctoral
thesis
which
was
under
the
mentorship
of
Leonard
Sweet
at
George
Fox
University.

24. The Gospel According to Starbucks
Book Description
¨ “You can learn to pay attention like never before, to
identify where God is already in business right in
your neighborhood. The doors are open and the
coffee is brewing. God is serving the refreshing
antidote to the unsatisfying, arms-length spiritual
life---and he won't even make you stand in line. Let
Leonard Sweet shows you how the passion that
Starbucks has for creating an irresistible experience
can connect you with God's stirring introduction to
the experience of faith.”
¨ (http://www.christianbook.com/html/static/leonard_sweet.html)
24

25. The Gospel According to Starbucks
Book Review
¨ “Most books have both good and bad points in them.
But every so often, I run across a book that has
practically no redeeming value. This was one of those
books. Bluntly, it was one of the worst books I've read
in a while. …
It is ridiculous and offensive (not to mention just
plain wrong) to imagine God saying, ‘Wow, Starbucks
has a great thing going there. Let's try that.’ (By the
way, the Epilogue is entitled ‘Jehovah Java.’)” (By
Nathan Markley (Lawrence, KS)
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/The-Gospel-According-Starbucks-Passion/product-reviews/
1578566495/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?
ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0)
25

26. Jesus Manifesto
26

27. 27
Jesus
Manifesto,
June
2010.
“Frank
Viola
has
been
pioneering
in
organic
missional
church
life
since
1988.
He
brings
over
20
years
of
experience
to
the
table
in
what
is
now
a
growing
phenomenon.
Beyond
planting
organic
missional
churches,
he
is
a
bestselling
author
and
sought-­‐after
conference
speaker.
Frank's
public
speaking
covers
a
wide
range
of
topics
including
the
centrality,
supremacy,
and
all-­‐sufficiency
of
Jesus
Christ,
the
deepening
of
the
spiritual
life,
Christian
community,
church
planting,
God's
eternal
purpose,
mission,
and
church
renewal.
He
has
written
numerous
books
on
the
deeper
Christian
life
and
radical
church
reform,
including
the
bestsellers
From
Eternity
to
Here,
Jesus
Manifesto
(coauthored
with
Leonard
Sweet),
and
Pagan
Christianity?
(co-­‐authored
with
George
Barna).
…”
(from
his
own
website:
http://
frankviola.org/biography/)
He
has
written
several
books:
Reimagining
Church:
Pursuing
the
Dream
of
Organic
Christianity;
Finding
Organic
Church
:
A
Comprehensive
Guide
to
Starting
and
Sustaining
Authentic
Christian
Communities;
Beyond
Evangelism;
Epic
Jesus:
The
Christ
you
Never
Knew.
Book
sets
sold
under
caption:
“Its
Time
to
ReChurch.”
see
also:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_church)
This
book
uses
language
that
we
will
find
in
the
One
Project.
This
book
is
being
promoted
by
Alex
Bryan
and
The
One
Project.

28. Jesus Manifesto
Book Description
Verbatim
quote
from
CBD
Christian
Book
Distributors
web
site.
¨ “Should believers follow Christianity ... or Christ?
Should we point others to core values ... or the
cross? Charging that today’s church has mistakenly
framed conversion as a change of direction rather
than a change in connection, Sweet and Viola offer a
corrective ‘manifesto’ featuring 10 crucial ways to
restore the supremacy of Jesus himself.”
¨ (http://www.christianbook.com/jesus-manifesto-restoring-supremacy-sovereignty-
christ/leonard-sweet/9780849946011/pd/946011?product_
redirect=1&Ntt=946011&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP)
28

29. Jesus Manifesto
Official Editorial Review
¨ “The Christian church is falling apart and in
desperate need of a revival. According to Professor
Sweet and bestselling author Viola, what is lacking is
a groundbreaking revelation of Christ that boggles
the mind and enraptures the heart. … [T]his insistent,
impassioned essay condemns as pharisaic those
preachers who forgo a Christ-centered theology in
favor of a cute, singular slogan or mission. The
authors urge churches to focus on the man who
embodies the entire religion.” cont.
29
Official
Book
Review
Book
seller
posts
on
amazon.com.
Sounds
good
at
first
glance.

30. Jesus Manifesto
Official Editorial Review
¨ “To do so, readers must learn the subtle distinction
between following Christ and realizing Christ already
lives within them. Some may find this message
controversial, even pantheistic. Yet the biblical
passages show the message is rooted in Scripture. The
authors provide a lot to digest, but quotations from
poets and philosophers break up the text and help
readers grasp abstract concepts. Though most
applicable to pastors and seminarians, all Christian
readers will discover a new perspective and deeper
purpose.”
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Manifesto-Restoring-Supremacy-Sovereignty/dp/
0849946018/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1347790411&sr=8-1)
30
Continuing
Amazon
official
Review.

31. Jesus Manifesto
Author’s own words
¨ “In the incarnation, the beating heart of the universe became a
human heart.13 …
¨ “‘Breath on Me, Breath of God’ is more than a metaphor and a
hymn. It’s a testimony of the risen Christ who breathes in you
and me. Christ dwells in us. Why don’t we also let Him breathe
through us by our lives as an offering to Him? Singer/song-
writer Maria McKee has a song called ‘Breathe’ in which she
does exactly that: she presents an offering of herself to Christ:
I will let you breathe through me
I will let you be with me…
My heart beats your blood;
your breath fills my lungs. 15” (Jesus Manifesto, p. 64)
31
This
is
a
couple
of
statements
taken
from
one
page
of
Sweet’s
book.
Concepts
here
are
pantheistic
in
nature,
and
a
view
which
Sweet
has
clearly
expressed
in
other
books
before
this.

32. 32
“[footnote
13]
For
another
way
of
putting
it,
‘the
beating
heart
of
the
universe
now
beneath
a
human
heart,’
see
English
literary
critic
Muriel
C.
Bradbrook
as
quoted
by
Michael
Mayne
in,
“The
Enduring
Melody”
(2006),
p.
179.”
“Muriel
Clara
Bradbrook
(1909
–
11
June
1993)
was
a
British
literary
scholar
and
authority
on
Shakespeare.
She
was
Professor
of
English
at
the
University
of
Cambridge,
and
Mistress[1]
of
Girton
College,
Cambridge.”
“Michael
Clement
Otway
Mayne
KCVO
(10
September
1929
–
22
October
2006)
was
an
English
priest
of
the
Church
of
England
who
served
as
the
Dean
of
Westminster.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mayne)
Martin
Buber
(1878-­‐1965)
however,
is
the
person
who
coined
the
statement
“The
beating
heart
of
the
universe
is
holy
joy.”
Martin
Buber
was
an
Austrian-­‐born
Israeli
philosopher
best
known
for
his
philosophy
of
dialogue,
a
form
of
existentialism
centered
on
the
distinction
between
the
I-­‐Thou
relationship
and
the
I-­‐It
relationship.”
(http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Buber)
This
statement
of
his
is
quoted
on
numerous
web
sites
with
other
pantheistic/New
Age
sentiments.
Sweet’s
“Christ
dwells
in
us”
is
stated
as
a
fact
for
all
men.
This
is
a
Hindu
idea
and
at
the
heart
of
pantheism,
but
only
true
of
the
Christian
and
not
in
a
metaphysical
way.
“[footnote
15]
Maria
Mckee
on
Nightmusic
‘Breathe,’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
+RvRxYty2ie0.”
Sweet’s
reference
is
taken
from
a
YouTube
video
of
a
night
club
setting
where
McKee
sings
this
song.
There
is
not
the
slightest
intimation
that
this
is
Christian
song
being
song
to
Christ.
For
more
on
McKee
see
next
slides.

33. Jesus Manifesto
Maria McKee: “Breathe”?
33
Maria
McKee
was
a
founding
member
of
the
cowpunk/country
rock
band,
Lone
Justice,
in
1982,
with
whom
she
released
two
albums.
Some
claim
she
had
a
“conversion”
experience
before
making
her
1989
album
“Maria
McKee”.
The
whole
album
and
song
“Breathe”
for
all
practical
purposes
are
secular
songs
having
nothing
to
do
with
God
or
Christianity,
(despite
some
claims
from
the
CCM
world),
but
has
new
age/mystical
sounding
lyrics
about
drinking,
prostitution,
bar
hopping,
love
affairs,
and
even
suicide.
Breath
lyrics:
“At
first
I
was
scared
when
I
opened
up
my
head
and
the
motor
that
was
running
was
the
mind
of
you,
I
was
scared
when
I
looked
at
my
reflection
and
the
shine
I
saw
were
the
eyes
of
you….
Whenever
I'm
alone
and
you're
lost
out
there
I
can
feel
you
breathe
cause
our
lungs
we
share,
When
I'm
alone
anytime,
anywhere,
I
can
feel
your
heart
beat,
'cause
our
blood
we
share.
I
was
scared
when
you
came
into
my
room,
The
walls
became
the
sea,
your
voice
was
the
moon
Oh,
when
you
rocked
me
in
your
arms,
Like
a
song,
a
wave
on
the
tide
of
you.”
The
music
video
gives
not
the
slightest
hint
that
this
is
a
religious
song
or
speaking
of
Christ
or
Christianity.

34. 34
“‘Show
me
Heaven’
is
another
song
recorded
by
McKee
for
the
soundtrack
to
the
movie
‘Days
of
Thunder’
(which
was
released
in
June
1990).
McKee's
recording
was
a
massive
hit
in
the
United
Kingdom,
spending
four
weeks
at
number-­‐one
in
September
1990,
and
became
by
far
her
highest-­‐charting
single
ever.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Show_Me_Heaven)
“She
refused
to
perform
this
song
in
public
up
until
recently,
when
she
sang
it
for
the
first
time
in
eighteen
years,
at
Dublin
Gay
Pride.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_McKee)
This
song
has
nothing
to
do
with
Christianity.
It
is
an
erotic,
sensual
song,
mixing
metaphorical
language
to
describe
a
sexual
encounter.
The
Music
Video
is
from
a
bedroom
scene.
“Hey
babe
I
need
your
hand
to
steady
me.”
Really?
Is
she
talking
about
Christ?
1993
Album,
“You
gotta
sin
to
get
saved,”
has
a
very
similar
theme.

35. 35
(EGW)
“Pantheistic
theories
are
not
sustained
by
the
Word
of
God.
The
light
of
His
truth
shows
that
these
theories
are
soul-­‐destroying
agencies.
Darkness
is
their
element,
sensuality
their
sphere.
They
gratify
the
natural
heart,
and
give
license
to
inclination.
…
The
sophistries
regarding
God
and
nature
that
are
flooding
the
world
with
skepticism
are
the
inspiration
of
the
fallen
foe,
who
is
himself
a
Bible
student,
who
knows
the
truth
that
it
is
essential
for
the
people
to
receive,
and
whose
study
it
is
to
divert
minds
from
the
great
truths
given
to
prepare
them
for
what
is
coming
upon
the
world.
I
have
seen
the
results
of
these
fanciful
views
of
God,
in
apostasy,
spiritualism,
and
free-­‐lovism.
The
free-­‐love
tendency
of
these
teachings
was
so
concealed
that
at
first
it
was
difficult
to
make
plain
its
real
character.
Until
the
Lord
presented
it
to
me,
I
knew
not
what
to
call
it,
but
I
was
instructed
to
call
it
unholy
spiritual
love.”-­‐-­‐Testimonies,
vol.
8,
pp.
291,
292.
(1904)

36. Jesus Manifesto
Giving ourselves to Christ?
“BREATHE”
MARIA MCKEE
“BREATHE ON ME, BREATH
OF GOD”
¨ “At first I was scared when I
opened up my head and the
motor that was running was
the mind of you, I was scared
when I looked at my reflection
and the shine I saw were the
eyes of you….
¨ Whenever I'm alone and
you're lost out there I can feel
you breathe cause our lungs
we share, When I'm alone
anytime, anywhere, I can feel
your heart beat, 'cause our
blood we share.”
¨ “Breathe on me, breath of God, Fill me
with life anew, That I may love what
Thou dost love, And do what Thou
wouldst do.
¨ Breathe on me, breath of God, Until my
heart is pure, Until with Thee I will one
will, to do and to endure.
¨ Breathe on me, breath of God, till I am
wholly Thine, Until this earthly part of
me glows with Thy fire divine.
¨ Breathe on me, breath of God, so shall I
constant be, And live with Thee the
perfect life Of Thine eternity.”
36
Sweet
suggests
that
“Breathe
on
me
Breath
of
God”
and
“Breathe”
by
Maria
McKee
are
one
and
the
same?

37. 37
Leonard
Sweet
seeks
to
give
the
Hymn
“Breathe
on
me….”
a
mystical
new
age
meaning,
and
puts
it
in
the
same
category
as
the
secular
mystical
song
“Breathe”.
But
this
is
ridiculous
based
on
the
facts.
A
simple
comparison
will
bring
this
out.
“…
the
mind
of
you”
and
“the
eyes
of
you”
phrases
are
pantheistic
and
New
Age
in
nature,
and
have
nothing
to
do
with
giving
ones
self
to
Christ
as
Leonard
Sweet
claims.
Yet
this
book
is
being
promoted,
as
we
will
see,
by
The
One
Project.
“Breath
on
me
Breath
of
God,”
was
written
by
Edwin
Hatch
in
1878
and
is
taken
from
the
thoughts
in
John
20:22
—“He
breathed
[1720
Strong’s]
on
them,
and
saith
unto
them,
Receive
ye
the
Holy
Ghost.”
[Strong’s
1720:
“From
G1722
and
φυσάω
phusaō
(to
puff;
compare
G5453);
to
blow
at
or
on:
-­‐
breathe
on.
This
Greek
word
is
used
in
Jn
20:22
and
is
the
only
place
used
in
NT.]
Joh
20:22
He
breathed
on
them
(enephusēsen).
First
aorist
active
indicative
of
emphusaō,
late
verb,
here
only
in
N.T.
though
eleven
times
in
the
lxx
and
in
the
papyri.
It
was
a
symbolic
act
with
the
same
word
used
in
the
lxx
when
God
breathed
the
breath
of
life
upon
Adam
(Gen
2:7).
It
occurs
also
in
Ezek
37:9.
See
Christ’s
promise
in
Joh_16:23.
Jesus
gives
the
disciples
a
foretaste
of
the
great
pentecost.
(Clarks
Commentary?)
Joh
20:22
He
breathed
on
them
-­‐
It
was
customary
for
the
prophets
to
use
some
significant
act
to
represent
the
nature
of
their
message.
See
Jer.
13;
Jer.
18,
etc.
In
this
case
the
act
of
breathing
was
used
to
represent
the
nature
of
the
influence
that
would
come
upon
them,
and
the
source
of
that
influence.
When
man
was
created,
God
breathed
into
him
the
breath
of
life,
Gen_2:7.
The
word
rendered
“spirit”
in
the
Scriptures
denotes
wind,
air,
breath,
as
well
as
Spirit.
Hence,
the
operations
of
the
Holy
Spirit
are
compared
to
the
wind,
Joh_3:8;
Act_2:2.
Receive
ye
the
Holy
Ghost
-­‐
His
breathing
on
them
was
a
certain
sign
or
pledge
that
they
would
be
endowed
with
the
influences
of
the
Holy
Spirit.
Compare
Act_1:4;
John
2.
(Barnes
Commentary)
Joh
20:22
he
breathed
on
them
—
a
symbolical
conveyance
to
them
of
the
Spirit.
(JFB
Commentary)

38. Jesus Manifesto
Unsolicited Review
¨ “There are good reasons to be concerned about contemporary
Christianity. But must the answer always be ‘a fresh alternative --
a third way’ (pg. xiii)? In the case of Jesus Manifesto, authors
Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola construct a ‘third way’ that bears
little resemblance to the ‘narrow road’ (Matt. 7:13-14) which Jesus
Himself preached.”
¨ “[T]he authors begin with a series of sweeping, but predictable,
generalizations about the grim state of affairs: ‘The world likes
Jesus; they just don't like the church. But increasingly, the church
likes the church, yet it doesn't like Jesus’ (pg. xvi), … This kind of
‘bash the church’ rhetoric is at the heart of the postmodern, post-
evangelical movement, and propels much of what Sweet and
Viola unpack. Apparently, for many "emergent" Christians,
problems with the church are a license to reconfigure the gospel.
And, ultimately, Jesus Manifesto seems determined to do just that.”
38
This
unsolicited
review
on
Amazon.com
by
Michael
Duran
summarizes
what
many
others
have
also
said
about
the
book.

39. Jesus Manifesto
Unsolicited Review
¨ “Along the way, the authors teeter between sublimity and absurdity.
On the one hand, Sweet and Viola do a terrific job pulling everything
back to Christ, showing how Scripture and biblical history center
around the Son of God and all our causes and convictions should be
subordinate to Him. Their language is exultant, their praise effusive.
But the closer we examine the Christ they acclaim, the less He seems
like the biblical one.”
¨ “The ‘hard sayings’ of Christ about hell, damnation, and judgment are
nowhere to be found in this book (unless intimated toward religious
elites). As such, the Jesus of Jesus Manifesto is the friend of sinners NOT
the ‘judge of the living and the dead’ (Acts 10:42). The Jesus of Jesus
Manifesto comes to bring unity NOT ‘division’ (Lk. 12:49-57). The Jesus
of Jesus Manifesto carries an olive branch NOT a ‘sword’ (Matt. 10:34).
The Jesus of Jesus Manifesto ushers souls to heaven NOT ‘eternal
punishment’ (Matthew 25:32,46).”
39
Often
it
is
not
what
a
person
says
that
is
so
wrong
as
what
a
person
fails
to
say
or
include
when
describing
the
plan
of
salvation.
Half
the
story
or
half
truth
is
worse
than
blatant
error
because
it
is
more
subtle.

40. Jesus Manifesto
Unsolicited Review
¨ “It is this ecumenical evasiveness that spoils Jesus Manifesto. The
Bible teaches that the Good Shepherd will one day return with
‘the armies of heaven... to strike the nations’ (Rev. 19: 11-16),
that the cross of Christ ‘offends’ people (Gal. 5:11) and its
message is ‘foolishness to those who are perishing’ (I Cor. 1:18).
Sadly, it is this ‘offense’ that Sweet and Viola jettison in favor of
uncritical inclusion.”
¨ “One of the ways Jesus Manifesto attempts this is by
downplaying ‘doctrine.’ The authors write, ‘The apostles'
message throughout Acts is not the plan of salvation. It's not a
theology or a set of doctrines either. It is a person – Christ’ (pg.
12), and ‘According to Scripture, Jesus Christ (and not a
doctrine about Him) is the truth’ (pg. 80).”
40

41. Jesus Manifesto
Unsolicited Review
¨ “Can theology get in the way of relationship with Christ? Absolutely!
Is Jesus more than a doctrinal system? Of course! But the assumption
that a doctrine or ‘theological system’ ALWAYS impedes a relationship
with Christ is untenable. On the contrary, good theology fires a right
relationship with Jesus. In fact, how does one even ‘grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (II Pet. 3:18)
without embracing a series of biblical prepositions about Him?”
¨ “Scripture is filled with exhortations about believing correctly. In fact,
it was those same apostles (the ones who [supposedly] did not preach
‘a theology or a set of doctrines’) who cautioned against ‘false Christ’s
(II Cor. 11:3,4; 13-15) and admonished about a time when men ‘will not
endure sound doctrine’ (II Tim. 4:3). The apostle Peter warned about
‘false teachers’ who ‘secretly introduce destructive heresies’ (II Pet.
2:1).”
¨ (http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Manifesto-Restoring-Supremacy-Sovereignty/ product-
reviews/0849946018/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_two?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addTwo
Star&showViewpoints=0)
41

42. Jesus Manifesto
Unsolicited Review
¨ “Sweet’s and Viola’s manifesto starts with a purge. The
authors go right to the heart of the matter of the
supremacy of Jesus Christ by calling us to re-examine
what is meant by Acts 2:42ʹ′s mention of ‘the apostles’
doctrine,’ noting all the debris that modern churches tend
to teach has nothing to do with that doctrine, which is
Christ Himself. We get sidetracked into eschatology, how
to live by faith, spiritual warfare, evangelism, holiness,
Bible memorization, and on and on. That list of diversions
features a large number of sacred cows the authors
eventually gore and then ask readers to purge. No
Christian is left unchallenged.”
(http://ceruleansanctum.com/2010/06/book-review-jesus-manifesto.html)
42
This
is
taken
from
an
overall
positive
review.
We
will
continue
with
Leonard
Sweet
in
the
next
presentation.