"Thanksgiving" meant thanking God for His blessings, but now -

"Thanksgiving" meant thanking God for His blessings, but now -

Which "God"do we thank? And why?

by Berit Kjos - November 26, 2003


Redefining terms. Revising history. Re-imagining God.... Where does do the changes lead? Whom will Americans thank for this land?

The post-modern world has no love for our Biblical God. Those who resist today's spiritual transformation are demeaned as fundamentalist foes -- enemies to the evolving vision of peace and unit. In fact, UNESCO's Declaration on Tolerance shows only intolerance for Biblical faith and evangelism:

* Tolerance... involves the rejection of dogmatism and absolutism [confidence in God's Word]....
* Tolerance... means that one's views are not to be imposed on others.
* Intolerance is a global threat....
* Scientific studies and networking should be undertaken to coordinate the international community's response to this global challenge, including... effective countermeasures, as well as research and monitoring...."[1] UNESCO's Declaration on Tolerance

UN Declarations are considered "soft" international laws, but they set standards for all nations. And since a growing global "collective" already embrace this ideology, "Christians" around the world are pressured to adapt. Some -- like "emerging church" leader Leonard Sweet -- claim it's the only option: "Reinvent yourself for the 21st century or die."[2]

Like the false shepherds of Old Testament days, pastors and leaders are doing just that! In the list below, notice the spiritual progression (or rather regression) from thanking our Biblical God to seeking a universal deity -- and from faith in God's unchanging Word to belief in an "evolving consciousness:"

"...giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ....” (Ephesians 5:18-20)

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits..."[3] George Washington, 1789

"I used to believe that pagans in far countries were lost if they did not have the gospel of Christ preached to them.... I no longer believe that."[4] Billy Graham

"The first Reformation was about belief; this one's going to be about behavior.... The first one was about creeds; this one's going to be about our deeds. The first one divided the church; this time it will unify the church."[5] Rick Warren

”We all belong to the same family. Hindus, Muslims and all peoples are our brothers and sisters. They too are the children of God."[6] Mother Teresa

"I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That's what I believe."[7] President George W. Bush
"…what I believe is that Jesus came to show us Christ consciousness.... to show us the higher consciousness that we’re all talking about here...”[8] Oprah Winfrey

“...the religious elites of Western Christendom have given up on the belief that there is no salvation outside the church."[9] The Globalization Reader

"Have 'the elites of Western Christendom' grown so disillusioned," asked Mike Miller in an email to our website, "that they would trade the inner peace of God for the 'worldly peace' envisioned by U.N. leaders and loyalists?"

Yes, they have! The world's "elite" don't rise to such heights without compromise. Unlike the firm faith of the persecuted pilgrims who sought freedom to follow God in America, today's popular Christianity embraces the wants and ways -- along with the feelings and failures -- of this postmodern world.

All around us we see the poisoned fruit of seeds planted in universities, seminaries, schools and churches long ago. (This gradual shift from Biblical truth to a "social gospel" is outlined in these two articles: Treason and Subverting the Church.) When our church leaders began to trade God's unchanging Word for a humanist social agenda, pluralism filled the spiritual vacuum.

Resisters were seen as obstacles to the process. "[B]ecause you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you," warned Jesus long ago. "If they persecuted Me they will persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." (John 15:19-21)

With the gradual quenching of Truth, discernment fades. That's one reason why a growing list of "Christian" elites are now guiding the world toward a man-shaped vision of collective "salvation." But don't thank God for the change! This is humanity's futile work, a sign that "the whole world is under the sway of the evil one!" (1 John 5:19)

The pastors and world leaders listed below are only a small representation of all the participants in this transformation:

Millennium Development Goals: "The Tony Blair Faith Foundation will organise a global campaign to mobilise young people, across religious divides.... The foundation... will promote understanding between the major faiths, and increase understanding of the role of faith in the modern world. The foundation will work with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists."[10]

Tony Blair: "...religious faith is a good thing in itself, that so far from being a reactionary force, it... should be a force for progress. But it has to be rescued... from the extremist and exclusionary tendency within religion today."[11]

Rick Warren joins Tony Blair’s interfaith movement: "The Tony Blair Faith Foundation will fight extremism.... 'There is a new reality.... And it implies... peaceful coexistence or catastrophe,' said Blair.... The group’s advisory council includes evangelical megapastor Rick Warren... Ismail Khudr Al-Shatti, an adviser to the prime minister of Kuwait; and world Baptist and Jewish leaders."[12]

Rick Warren, the Interfaith Activist: (Interview at the Clinton Global Initiative) "Warren consistently used the language of a religious pluralist. He spoke of 'mosques, temples and churches' as central to the life of villages in the developing world.... Those people of faith can be trained to be the arms and legs of any development plan.... This is a big deal, because it signals an important turn in the American Evangelical tradition - from viewing people of other faiths primarily as lost souls requiring conversion to viewing them as partners in the plan to make earth more humane...."[13]



Obama: “I’m rooted in the Christian tradition.... I believe there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people."[14]

Trinity United Church of Christ -- YOGA: [Obama's church until recently] "Within each us is the seed of Divinity. Each Soul is divine. I bow to the divinity in us all!"[15]

In Our Own Words: "In Our Own Words (IOOW) provides a meaningful heart-centered bridge between diverse groups of Americans.... Thus, this project is intended to accelerate healing on a large social scale and to facilitate a more conscious evolution of Humanity.... Our energy is the combined will of all people with the spirit of the natural world, to be of one body, one heart, and one mind.'"[16]

Faith Without Borders: "Prof. Stackhouse believes that a public theology must offer a 'compelling view of transcendence' to 'fuel the spiritual capital' of a civilization and thereby sustain its moral fiber. He argues that Christianity is particularly adaptable as the basic component of a public philosophy that would serve the world-wide civil society that is coming into being.... "[17]

United Religions Initiative (URI): "California's [Episcopal] Bishop William Swing... founded the United Religions Initiative (URI), a global organization designed to bring all religions together to dialogue and seek common ground. 'You can work in terms of the model of the UN,' he explained.... While Christians around the world lament the election of a homosexual Bishop... few realize that this denomination has condoned outright paganism for years....

"I sat down in the back of the Presidio's small interfaith chapel to watch. The leader began. 'We are all branches of the one tree.... Lift us to the level of the universal…. Chant the names of the gods. Start with om….' 'Visualize whatever form shows your understanding of the divine,' urged a woman in a soft, hypnotic voice….”[18]

Interfaith Conference: "An international interfaith conference taking place in Madrid next week is being hosted by a Saudi charity that is affiliated with organizations blacklisted by the U.S. government.... Among those invited to attend the gathering organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) are former Vice President Al Gore and senior figures from the world’s leading religions.”[19]

The "New Spirituality" promoted by Oprah through occult books (written in an enticing form of Christianese) may be the most seductive of all. For example, The Secret and A Course in Miracles are based on messages channeled by demons masquerading as Biblical messengers who call themselves by Biblical names such as "Abraham" and "Jesus." The Shack and other "Christian" fiction blend "positive" truths with captivating plots that re-imagine a "God" more compatible with today's world. Readers learn to love fictional gods that blind their eyes to Biblical reality.

Neale Donald Walsch wrote Conversations with God back in the 90s. He has seduced seekers both inside and outside the church to trust his spirit guide who calls himself "God." His website, "New Spirituality," promotes the worldwide "Humanity's Team." Ponder this description:

"Humanity’s Team... proposes a New Spirituality that enlarges and enhances humanity’s current beliefs about God... bringing peace and harmony to our planet at last. The New Spirituality... is an expansion of all our present theologies; an updating of them; a refreshing of them, rendering all of our current sacred teachings even more relevant to our present day.... God is not separate from anyone or anything...."[20]

Our true God still reigns!

No global agenda can thwart His eternal plan! No pluralistic vision can cloud His bright promises to those who are His! No earthly obstacle can diminish the wonders of His unchanging Word in the hearts of those who love Him. It guides us, comforts us, and gives us hope. It also warns us:

"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you...
They speak a vision of their own heart,

not from the mouth of the Lord.
They continually say to those who despise Me,
‘The Lord has said, 'You shall have peace’;
And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart,

they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.’ ” Jeremiah 23:16-17

In the midst of change, we who trust Him have every reason to give Him our thanks! For His Word assures us that--

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed....
'Be still, and know that I am God!" Psalm 46:1-2, 10

“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name.'"
1 Chronicles 29:10-13