Slice of Laodicea

Apprising ministries has a piece posted yesterday that addresses Rob Bell’s stealth quoting of New Ager Marianne Williamson. This is so outrageous that it bears emphasis and repeating. Why did Rob Bell quote Marianne Williamson from her book, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” and then attribute the quote to Nelson Mandela? Why would the rank heresy of his statement not have caused a general insurrection in his church? Why are evangelical pastors not catching this and do they even care? If your church uses Nooma videos, go ask your pastor about this. Does he believe what Marianne Williamson and Bell are teaching?

Here is Bell’s quote.

There is a greatness [in mankind]. The writer here [of Psalm 8] uses the word “glory and honor” that resides in every single human being. Fragile and yet filled with the potential for glory and honor. I love how Nelson Mandela puts it in one of his writings. He says, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

And then he concludes by saying, “Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. We were born to manifest the glory—put on display, to show—the glory of God that is within us.” He says, “you may be a dirt clod, but there is greatness and power and glory that resides in every singe human being.”
(Week 330 05/29/05, audio sermon 12:27-13:28, transcription on file)

But wait a minute. What did Nelson Mandela supposedly say? “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

No, no, Rob. That wasn’t Nelson Mandela at all. That was New Age high priestess Marianne Williamson. You lifted it right off the pages of her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles“.

‘our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond all measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us the most.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, famous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just some of us; it’s in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. And as we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (190,191, emphasis mine)

Rob Bell is sending the doctrines of demons right down the pipeline into conservative evangelical churches through his books and Nooma videos. Just be aware that when he quotes someone that sounds dodgy theologically, he may be quoting a New Age heretic.