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Idolatry

You never, never, never, supplement the authority of God with the authority of the Church. However, for decades, there has been, in the mind of the ministry and laity, the idea that the voice of the Structure is the voice of God. This is nothing but rank idolatry, having another god before God’s face, --a flagrant and daring violation of the First Commandment.

Such a position is fatal, for it leaves no room to make a critical distinction between what is the voice of God and what is the voice of the Church.

Escaping the Cross

At the basis of much of this idolatry is the desire to escape personal responsibility in making decisions that would involve the cross of shame, rejection, humiliation for Christ’s sake, and the cross of standing alone. However, Jesus said, “whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:27.

No Spiritual Directors to Meddle

Furthermore, Jesus emphasized that no person is to meddle, interfere with, or impinge upon the soul’s union with Him, when He declared: “If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26. If one is required to hate the closest bonds on earth for the sake of Christ, what about a Spiritual Director, who sees his job as meddling with another person’s relationship with God?

Carter and Wife Sever Relationship With Southern Baptist Convention

Carter and his wife are so upset with what is going on in the Southern Baptist Convention that: “After much prayer and soul-searching, Rosalyn and I decided to sever our personal relationships with the Southern Baptist Convention, while retaining our time-honored Baptist customs and beliefs within our own local church.” Carter, 42.

In addition, the Baptists were offspring of the radical wing of the Protestant Reformation. Their reduction by Rome, along with the reduction of the Structure of Adventism, are surely among the greatest triumphs of Jesuit spiritual arms in our time.

Carter Warns of Baptist Ecclesiastical Dominance Over Laity as “Ruler[s] of the Church”

Carter continues, “Almost total dominance of Baptist pastors over laypersons has been implemented, based on this statement of a prominent conservative leader, W. A. Criswell: ‘Lay leadership of the church is unbiblical when it weakens the pastor’s authority as ruler of the church.’  This premise violates Jesus’ announcement that he was a servant, that his disciples would be servants, and that the greatest would be servant to all. There was certainly no biblical use of the word ‘ruler,’ but this self-promotion of pastors was made official in 1988, and now applies generally throughout the Southern Baptist Convention, most state conventions, and especially the mega churches.” –Jimmy Carter, pp. 42,43. (emphasis mine.)

Forced Acceptance of Creeds, Exaltation of Pastors, Breakdown of Barriers Between Church and State

One day in his Sunday Bible Class, Carter asked his large class of mostly visitors, what was being discussed in their churches. Among the responses were ‘forced acceptance of creeds, the exaltation of pastors, and the breakdown of barriers between church and state.” –Carter, 44.

Spiritual Formation in Southern Baptist Seminaries

Don Whitney a seminary professor in the Southern Baptist seminary has authored an article, “The Importance of Spiritual Formation in the Training of Ministers.” At the time of his writing this article, he was assistant professor of spiritual formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansa City, MO. In his article Whitney says, “I am here because our president, Dr. Mark Coppenger, believes that vigorous spiritual formation is both the antidote and the preventative for many rampant ministerial problems. He believes this so strongly that the creation and filling of the chair of spiritual formation was the first change in the faculty he made upon arriving at Midwestern in 1995.” –Don Whitney, “The Importance of Spiritual Formation in the Training of Ministers.” (Off the web).

On May 5, 2005, in a news release from Southern Seminary we read:

“LOUISVILLE, KY -The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary recently appointed to its faculty noted spiritual disciplines scholar Donald S. Whitney to teach in the new professorship of biblical spirituality and to pioneer a doctoral program in Christian spirituality.” –Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. (Off the web).

Thus, America’s largest “Protestant” denomination is going full tilt into spiritual formation.

All of this is graphic evidence of the Jesuit plan to take over all the Protestant churches, forming them in the image of the Roman hierarchy by taking over their ecclesiastical hierarchies into a position of absolute domination, just as it is in Rome. Interestingly, Carter feels that his former church has gone farther than Rome in exalting the authority of the hierarchy.

GC Imposes Spiritual Formation Globally

The month of 9-11-01, as the entire world was focused on the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, the Adventist Structure implemented Spiritual Formation for all of its ministry around the world in all 13 world regions.

A Stunning Picture of Spiritual Direction From a Structure Theology Professor

‘Trust ye not in a friend [companion, fellow, associate, neighbor], put ye not confidence in a guide [familiar, confidant], keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

“For the son dishonoreth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

“Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” Micah 7: 5-7.

Jesus quoted Micah 7:6 in Matthew 10: 35, 36 embedding it in the gospel.

Derek J. Morris, Professor, Advocates Jesuit Spiritual Formation

A few years ago, Derek J. Morris, then Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology at Southern College of Seventh-day Adventists, (more recently a pastor in California) gave a talk and produced a paper calling for Spiritual Formation in Adventism. Its title is “Spiritual Formation in Ministry.”

In this talk and paper, calling for Spiritual Formation in ministry, you have a stunning revelation of the inner working of Spiritual Directors.

“I would like to explore with you this morning the process of spiritual direction and its relevance as a dynamic for spiritual formation in ministry.” –Derek Morris, Spiritual Formation in Ministry. (emphasis mine)

Morris Credits Jesuits With Preserving Spiritual Direction

Derek writes, “For much of the Christian era the practice of spiritual direction was confined to Catholicism, particularly monasticism and the Society of Jesus [the Jesuits]. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in spiritual direction as a resource for spiritual formation among both Catholics and Protestants. A leading Protestant advocate of spiritual formation is Tilden Edwards, director of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C. [CC note: Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries is promoting the Shalem Institute as the leading place for studying to become a Spiritual Director. Shalem is staffed with Roman Catholic nuns who are experts in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, with Episcopal priests, psychiatrists, etc.] As I began my own prayer search for a spiritual friend, I came across the significant work by Tilden Edwards, Spiritual Friend: Reclaiming the Gift of Spiritual Direction. I [Derek Morris] strongly recommend this book as a valuable resource….

“In the final chapter of this book, Edwards refers to a spiritual direction training program at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D. C.” –Morris, p. 7.

Morris Explains About RC Spiritual Direction Programs

At this point Morris refers the reader to his footnote where he explains more: “The Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation began its experiment with long-term group spiritual direction in the fall of 1973. Its spiritual direction -training program commenced in the fall of 1978. Another such program began at the same time at Wainwright House in Rye, New York under the Guild for Spiritual Direction. The two most intensive Roman Catholic training programs offering graduate degrees in spiritual direction are run by the Jesuits of Weston, MA, and by the Dusquesne Institute of Formative Spirituality in Pittsburgh, PA. The only non-Roman Catholic graduate program in spiritual direction is offered by the Center for Christian Spirituality at the General Theological Seminary (Episcopal) in New York.” –Derek Morris, footnote, page 7

Obviously, Morris is quite comfortable with Jesuitism, Jesuit Spiritual Formation and Spiritual directorship, and is an enthusiastic advocate of implementing this Jesuit training within Adventism.

Morris anxious, Afraid; Finds Comfort In Assuring Himself That God is Leading Him Into Spiritual Direction

Morris continues, “I called Shalem and shared with Dr. Gerald May that I was a pastor, interested in the process of spiritual direction.” –Morris Spiritual Formation in Ministry, 8. Dr. May sent him a list of names of graduates and enrollees in Shalem’s program.

Morris relates how he was “embarrassed, anxious, afraid. This whole experience was a journey into the unknown. However, I found comfort in the counsel of Elizabeth O’Conner, reiterated by Dr. May. I prayed, ‘O Lord, I know that you are leading in this process. Please give me the courage to follow you.” –Morris, p. 8.

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