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The Real Problem with IHOP
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The following is a comment that was left on this blog this morning from another post, but I think it answers the crucial problems with IHOP theology.
I had a GOOD experience with IHOP, I enjoyed it, I moved right on up the food chain. I was traveling to other IHOPs at their request and expense, worship team leader, teacher, etc etc. I was more than involved, IHOP was integral to my existence. It’s not the experience, many people have indeed had bad experiences, many have good experiences. Leaving IHOP was painful, sometimes today even, I go, hoping to catch a glimpse and exchange a word or two with a friend and catch up.
My leaving IHOP had to do with wanting to walk in the Truth. IHOP has many good ideas; Praying all the time, how can that be bad? But the way they are carried out defy the scriptures. There are the myriad of vocational offices, that are unbiblical (i.e. Anna anointing, intercessory missionary etc) that have no basis whatsoever in scripture. The scores of people, dropping out, the fascination with the writings of gnostics (mystics) that were considered heretical even when they were written some hundreds of years ago. Etc, there is much more. It came down to whether my experience was valid in the light of the revealed Word of God, or was I changing the Word around to fit in with my experience? We don’t see many of things anywhere in scripture, nor do we find them in the writings of the 1st, 2nd and 3d c. church fathers. We do however find ALL of these practices in gnosticism, hinduism, catholicism, kundalini and even mormonism! But not in orthodox or even historic Christianity.
It was a choice to serve God and not myself,- -what felt good to me or my experience.
You know there is a lot of tossing around of the phrase ‘awaken love’, it makes me wonder what it was which awakened in Rebecca Candler, what was re-awakened in Tyler Deaton? We talked so much about ‘putting the first commandment first’ Jesus told us exactly how to do this, -”If you love me, keep my commandments” there you have it, that puts the first commandment first. When we embrace a monastic lifestyle, we are shutting ourselves off from the world, where Jesus left us on purpose, He didn’t take us out of the world, we are here to make disciples, to be examples. IHOP, in many of it’s practices is returning to medieval catholic doctrine, and in many cases going back to the heresy of the 1890s-1940s latter rain theology, even worse, embracing outright pagan practices. It feels good, the emotional rush is intoxicating, a sense of a divine purpose is felt. But it isn’t what Jesus told us, it isn’t what the scripture commands and it is not what the Holy Spirit teaches.
Jessica, I was sincere, I wanted more of God, I wanted to be in service. But it turns out (almost) everything IHOP taught me was about serving my own self, stroking me, it wasn’t valid service. Let the scripture judge your experience, not the other way around.
It is a very deep deception. Be a Berean, no matter what it costs you.
-Chad Golani
Filed under: IHOP, New Age Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism Tagged: | C. Peter Wagner, catholicism, contemplative mysticism, Cults, Gnosticism, Hinduism, IHOP cult, IHOP Elected Seed Generation, IHOP mormon teachings, IHOP murder, IHOP teachings, IHOP's Bridal Paradigm, Kundalini, Latter Rain eschatology, Mike Bickle, monastic lifestyle, new apostolic reformation, pagan practices, Roman Catholic Mysticism, spiritual covering teachings, spiritual deception, Tyler Deaton Update
