Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
Lowell and I have been approached in the recent past with questions regarding the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It was a book we were familiar with, having read some of it a couple years ago. So when we were approached, we began to research it a little more. What we found was enough to raise concerns. Was this book Biblical? Could Jesus talk to Sarah Young like this? Was it right for her to “yearn for more” like she says in her introduction?
New Age Practices and Concepts
In our research, we came across the book Another Jesus Calling: How False Christs are Entering the Church Through Contemplative Prayer by Warren B. Smith. Warren Smith is a Christian author and speaker whom God rescued out of the New Age. His book The Light That Was Dark: From the New Age to Amazing Grace is his testimony and one we recommend wholeheartedly. (local folks are welcome to borrow either book of Warren Smith’s from us)
This is what he says regarding Jesus Calling:
Having been formerly involved in the New Age movement, I became immediately concerned when I read the book. It was troubling for me to see a number of New Age practices and concepts being presented as completely normal for Christians. Even more troubling, there were no warnings or disclaimers about what was being introduced. By the end of the book, Jesus Calling and its “Jesus” had subtly and not so subtly introduced occult/New Age channeling, spiritual dictation, creative visualization, meditation, divine alchemy, co-creation with God, and practicing the presence like it was everyday fare. (Another Jesus Calling, p. 12-13)
In Another Jesus Calling, Warren B. Smith goes through his concerns not only with Jesus Calling, but the book that inspired Sarah Young to write it – the book, God Calling. In her introduction, she calls this book “a treasure to me”. However, God Calling is listed in the Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs as a channeled book.
On page 24 of Another Jesus Calling, Warren says this:
God Calling is a channeled book that was delivered through an occult process known as spiritual dictation. As previously mentioned, I had this book on my bookshelf with all my other New Age/metaphysical books when I was involved in the New Age movement many years ago.
He include a testimony of a woman who initially loved Jesus Calling, but who eventually abandoned it. This is her testimony:
I was given Jesus Calling as a gift from a friend who had previously shared what I was suffering: postpartum depression. She claimed this book would help me, and bring me peace.
I found peace in Sarah Young’s book. Every day’s devotion was a new light for me that invited a new presence in my home; Jesus’ presence. This new “Jesus” presence that I was reading about {seemed} more powerful than the God of the Bible. I remember thinking “This is not the Jesus I know.” I was so enamored and fixed on this peace, and His presence, and the picture of His hand on the cover of the book that I started imagining God (literally) walking by my side everywhere I went. I started putting the devotions above God’s Word and would justify to myself that each devotion was more powerful than reading God’s Word. This peace I thought I had was so convincing and real that I thought I had found a better way to read God’s Word. I remember God’s Holy Spirit speaking to me during these months of false peace by putting this question in my mind – “Is this book above the Bible?” Or “Is this book more important than my Word?”
Once I realized that I had defiled God’s presence with a false book, I understood that the Jesus in Jesus Calling was not the Jesus of Christianity or my fearful God that the Bible talks about, but a God whom I imagined to be my equal. (Another Jesus Calling, p. 126-127)
Not Testing the Spirits
I personally was so concerned with how widespread Jesus Calling is that I asked several people I trust to read Warren’s book Another Jesus Calling to give me their opinion. Lowell was the first one who read it after me. He is my sounding-board, the logical side of our equation at the Shoe, and can see many areas in black and white. Here are his thoughts:
Parts of Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling (in this man’s opinion) are an example of Satan as an “Angel of Light” in modern day shoe leather. The authority of the spirit speaking to her is never challenged, but blindly accepted at face value. The spirit uses “feel good platitudes” to twist the truth of the Bible. Encouraging her to “rest by the wayside” and use “the road less traveled” is a subtle encouragement to take it easy instead of swimming upstream and dealing with the hardships the Bible says Christians will face. As well as alluding to blatant new age/mystic books by the same titles.
Young never questions the authority of this “Jesus spirit” even though God in His Word commanded us to test the spirits we are confronted with in 1 John 4:1 and pray for discernment in James 1:5. We are also warned in 1 Timothy 4:1 that “some will give heed to seducing spirits” in the last days.
All in all – the flattering, “feel good” attitude and Scripture-twisting approach of Young’s “Jesus” bring to mind the same questions and doubts that Satan brought to Eve in the Garden of Eden……….“Yea hath God said?” It is not my intent to pass judgement on the whole book as unscriptural but parts of it definitely are. It concerns me that people in our Christian churches are reading this (and other gateway new age devotional books) with little discernment and without trying of the spirits via comparison to the holy, inerrant Word of God!
Truth and Error
I also asked Ted Byler to read Another Jesus Calling and share his thoughts on Sarah Young’s book, Jesus Calling. Ted is a Bible scholar and the author of The Mystery of Christ in the Revelation. This is what his thoughts were on Jesus Calling:
By her own admission, Sarah Young was motivated to write Jesus Calling after reading the New-Age book, God Calling, using similar techniques of meditation, contemplative prayer, and spiritual dictation that mysticism employs. “I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more,” she writes. Like the two human mediums in God Calling, Young wanted to sit, pen in hand, and receive messages directly from Jesus as she communed with God. “Increasingly, I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day,” she says. This discontent, or non-sufficiency of the Scriptures, is the basis of her book – the wish for something more, something beyond the Bible. For while she says she believes the Bible is inerrant, she did not find it sufficient to her need.
It is this idea that I find most worrisome about Jesus Calling. The desire for something more has been at the heart of a slew of erroneous beliefs and cults. In her times of contemplative prayer, Young supposedly heard directly from Jesus, and she wrote down what He was saying – in first person, for Jesus was supposedly speaking to her. Here’s a sample: “I want My Body of believers to be radiant with the Light of My Presence. How I grieve when pockets of darkness increasingly dim the Love-Light. Return to Me, your First Love! Gaze at Me in the splendor of holiness, and My Love will once again envelop you in Light…” Is this really Jesus’ wish? Why is it not found in the Bible? Apparently it is a “new revelation.” For although Young says Jesus Calling is simply her own personal messages from Jesus, the fact is inescapable that she has recorded them as a spiritual revelation received by her and given for the benefit of others. It is more than Jesus speaking to her, the book is intended to be Jesus speaking through her to others. And while book sales show that it has been very successful, it is based in a deception that the Scriptures directly warn against (2Cor 11:4; Gal 1:8).
Rather than characterize Jesus Calling as Biblically unsound, I would say it is extremely one-dimensional. Over and over again, the Love of Jesus is emphasized, it is a Love-Light, a warm mist, a Presence, a cocoon of Light, etc. Virtually never is mentioned the NT description of the Christian life as a one of suffering, tribulation, and struggle (2Tim 3:12; Mat 10:34, 16:24). Rather, Young’s messages from Jesus are always soothing and pleasant to the ears, filled with flowery, restful expressions that describe vague spiritualisms and peaceful, relaxing mystical experiences (2Tim 4:3). They do not at all concord with the NT portrayal of the Christian experience in this life, but they do coincide with a yearning for “something more.”
It has been said that the greatest damages the Kingdom of God has suffered since the Apostles committed God’s will for man in the Holy Scriptures has been inflicted by well-intentioned Christians. A mixture of truth and error has been a very successful form of deception in the Devil’s arsenal. The “Jesus” in Jesus Calling implies that the highest form of Christianity is hearing directly from Him and “experiencing His Presence.” This does not concord with the New Testament’s portrayal of the Christian life as one of suffering, self-denial, a battle to overcome (Rev 3:21). Nor does it agree with the fact that the Spirit-taught Scriptures are the Christian’s guide, and they are adequate for every need.
This post is one that is very hard for me to publish. In fact, I’ve tried dodging it for months now. So please remember I post this out of love for our Lord, and great concern that the Bride of Christ remain unspotted from the world.
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If you do nothing else, please take the time to listen to this interview with Warren Smith regarding his concerns with Jesus Calling. It will help you understand better why we have the concern we do!
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You can also purchase Another Jesus Calling and The Light That Was Dark at either Lighthouse Trails Publishing or Amazon.
Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent-looking and, therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or any truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation.
To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died.
~ Dr. Harry Ironside
(Another Jesus Calling, p. 125)
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Carolyn Miller says
Thank you; you’ve echoed some of my own concerns, and put it into words much better than I can.
Autumn Root says
Interesting…we were given the “child’s version” awhile back,but I have not read much of it yet. I struggled with the style of writing and just couldn’t stick with it. Have never heard these concerns about it, but I intend to do my own research as well. Thank you for your honesty and willingness to potentially stand alone in some ways…that is what Jesus really called us to do….
Mariann says
Thank you Kendra for stepping out of you comfort zone & sharing what you’ve found!
Twila Peachey Smucker says
I have never read “Jesus Calling” but I did just read “The Light That was Dark” and found it very interesting. I want to take time to listen to this interview soon. Thanks, Kendra.
Nicole Sauer says
Very well written, Kendra! I was given the devotional awhile back and at first, I really liked it. My soul was parched from a long season of sleep deprivation and sickness and the devotional was soothing to me. When I first started hearing the controversy over the book, I felt defensive over it, that people were nitpicking. BUT, the more I look into it, I have come to the conclusion that it is no longer for me due to method and content. A devotional that I really like as an alternative is Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. 🙂 Thanks for being bold and courageous to give out a caution to Cgristians who may not know much about the methods used to write “Jesus Calling”.
Living in the Shoe says
Thank you for sharing this very real testimony! Warren B. Smith has similar ones in his book. Good for you, Nicole, for being willing to look past your disappointment and “defensiveness” to see if there is any truth to it at all. Many folks can’t get past the disappointment of their favorite author/leader/speaker being questioned. It shows maturity!
Michelle Therese says
I had “Jesus Calling” devotional and the Jesus Calling bible, full of this woman’s visions. I swiftly got rid of them after a short time spent reading them because they gave me the creeps.
Mary says
Thank you so much for writing this!! Confirms what I’ve been reading about it!!
Arlene Haney Machado says
Bold straight forward and excellent research. Thank you again.
Kelly says
Thank you Kendra, and Lowell. 🙂 I started questioning the book Jesus Calling about a month or two ago when I noticed some things she wrote, as Jesus speaking to us of course, that Jesus never directly said in His Word…I had never heard anything questionable about the author so I wasn’t sure what to think about it…until today. 🙂 So thank you for sharing your concerns and chasing TRUTH! As disappointing as it is, I am glad to have learned about it! And I hope I have learned my lesson to be more careful about the books I read. 😉
Living in the Shoe says
I will have to say you have spoken with much grace. It’s not an easy thing to give something up – something we have been told by Christianity at large is okay!
Living in the Shoe says
Thank you all for your encouragement! Only God knows how badly I did not want to publish this post. 😉
Danae says
Thank you very much for posting!
Anita says
I don’t understand what the problem is with changing one’s understanding of God and feeling Him beside us at every step like Warren quotes. It was certainly wrong that the lady valued the devotional book more than the Bible, and the Spirit was faithful to convict her, but I don’t know that the book was at fault. I think we should rejoice for any way it takes for us to get to know God better, and to know and feel that He IS actually walking beside us at every step is wonderful and life-changing!
Living in the Shoe says
“I think we should rejoice for any way it takes for us to get to know God better”. Of course……IF it is a Biblical method and the One True God we are getting to know. Warren was sharing the woman’s testimony, he does not condemn a closer walk with God nor does she.
Sarah Byler says
I am so glad we have diligent students of Gods word, and never could really feel comfortable getting into it, what I find alarming is the fact she was drawing from the new age”God Calling”.I really appreciate your effort into this, Wm and I agree 100%!
Lori says
http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/books/jesuscallingqa.aspx This troubles me. How can you be so sure that Warren Smith is someone you can recommend to people ? If you read this Q & A with Sarah Young, it is plain to see her heart in this. Listen to her words of caution :
Let me begin with some cautions. It’s essential to remember that the Bible is the only infallible record of God’s speaking. Always subordinate your personal listening to absolute biblical truth. If something you “hear” is inconsistent with biblical teaching, don’t write it down–it’s not from God. New Christians, especially, need to be cautious about listening to God in this way. I had been a Christian for 20 years before I began this practice. On the other hand, believers are instructed to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I believe there is immense value in learning to wait quietly in God’s Presence. For me, the main benefit has been coming to know God intimately, rather than simply knowing about Him. This has increased my love for Him, my trust in Him and His unfailing love (Psalm 13:5), and my awareness of His Presence with me always (Matthew 28:20).
Living in the Shoe says
How can you be so sure that Warren Smith is someone you can recommend to people ?
I have read Warren Smith’s testimony of how God called him out of the New Age spirituality and saved his soul and that of his wife. I have read several of his writings and those of Lighthouse Trails Research, which is his publisher and discernment ministry. I cannot say that I would probably agree with every single point that Warren makes, but I do think his research deserves much credit and consideration. He is able to identify New Age concepts, having been directly involved with it, whereas I cannot as easily (having not been involved in the New Age). I hope you listen to the interview since it truly portrays his heart and sincerity. At least he is open for questions whereas you rarely find Sarah Young available for interviews, etc.
As for the “be still” verse (Psalm 46:10), I have a huge problem with that. Christianity today has taken that verse and twisted it. Let me rephrase that – Satan has taken that verse and twisted it to where he can use it to get people to enter an “altered state of consciousness”. This view that it means for us to be still, quiet, and empty our minds is very recent. You’ll find this in Matthew Henry’s commentary (the huge book we’ve all had on our shelves for decades 🙂 ): Let his enemies be still, and threaten no more, but know it, to their terror, that he is God, one infinitely above them . . . he will be exalted among the heathen and not merely among his own people, he will be exalted in the earth and not merely in the church. . . . Let his own people be still; let them be calm and sedate, and tremble no more, but know, to their comfort, that the Lord is God, he is God alone, and will be exalted above the heathen.
Psalm 46:10 is a call for the world to watch and see what the Lord can do, not only among His people, but among the heathen. The verse directly prior to it is this: “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire.” Then it says: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” If we take it in context, it’s as plain as the nose on our face. Those who claim it is a call to contemplative prayer, the silence, meditation, and “listening” are taking one phrase out of the entire chapter and basing a practice on that. I encourage you to read this article about Psalm 46:10 written by Warren Smith: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=14965.
May God bless you as you continue to seek Him!
Amy says
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.” We all can hear Him, both for ourselves and for others. New Age is a counterfeit, right? But no one is out there counterfeiting $3 bills. Because they don’t exist. Satan only can produce a counterfeit of something that is real. Please, please, please read 4Keys to Hearing God’s Voice, by Mark and Patti Virkler. They draw clear lines between what is new age and what is not. And teach you how to hear God’s voice in an accessible, Bible-based and life giving way. This teaching has brought me into deeper intimacy with God.
Living in the Shoe says
It is true that God speaks to us, but NEVER will what He says to us contradict what He says in His Word as parts of Young’s book does. Sarah Young’s method opens up the whole realm of “new revelations”, which is dangerous to the church. God will never reveal something new that hasn’t already been revealed in the Bible. And while Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice”, we must also test the spirits like the Bible commands us to do.
ETA: I researched quickly Mark Virkler and his books. For those who read this comment, please know that Lowell and I in no way recommend his books. Judging from the description of the books, and some of the reviews, it does not look like something we can recommend at all. Thank you!