A.D. 252 Afterwards, an honorable believing woman, called Cointha, or, as others call her, Quinta, was seized and brought into a temple of idols, and placed before these, in order to compel her to worship them. But when she recoiled with abhorrence from the idols, they tied her feet together, and dragged her through all the streets of the city of Alexandria, beat her with rods, and as some writers have records, rubbed her naked body against mill-stones. When they had dragged, beaten, and rubbed her long enough, so that her body was completely lacerated, they at last dragged her into the suburbs, and there pelted her with stones until she was covered with them.
In this ongoing Herescope series Preparations for Suffering we must pause for a sober look at the current evangelical madness which is rushing headlong into open idolatry.
Pastor Larry DeBruyn has just published an article on T.D. Jakes, which reveals a new twist on his heretical teachings, “Eroticizing the Eucharist: T.D. Jakes and Communion at ‘A Table Set for Two.'”[1]
In this article, Pastor DeBruyn examines a recent “Communion” message by Bishop T.D. Jakes, in which he “eroticizes the ordinance” of communion, turning it into a blatantly sexual experience. Warning: this message of T.D. Jakes is not only pure heresy, it is also very graphic. Jakes uses erotic imagery to redefine biblical communion. His teaching is so vivid, in fact, that those who have difficulty in this area of their lives should not expose themselves to his words!
And herein lies the idolatry. For with his words, T.D. Jakes has woven a verbal PICTURE, an IMAGE of communion that has the potential to become indelibly stamped in people’s minds. His words not only conjure up lustful thoughts, but he equates this with a super-spirituality. Jakes’ words are a literal photo-op of idolatrous worship.
The two always go together in occult idolatry, both sexuality and spirituality. And in the human brain the two forces work together in a potent combination, creating a synergy, a super-combustible reaction that opens one up to the demonic realm. The creation of an IMAGE of this sort in the mind is IDOLATRY. Furthermore, idolatry feeds off of lust, and vice versa. Pastor DeBruyn has written:
Imagination creates images–even idolatrous images–and the images can either be material or mental, visual or verbal.
Someone once said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In an image-oriented age where people watch more and read less, the statement makes its point. But words can also create images, powerful images. Through the mind’s eye, we see.[2]
This is why T.D. Jakes’ newest heresy is so volatile and dangerous. In his radical revision of true holy communion, T.D. Jakes is also laying the groundwork for the divinization of man. Pastor DeBruyn’s article raises the question:
Is he advocating that magically transubstantiated elements possess the power to divinize communicants? At face value, his words suggest this to be the case. According to his scheme of spirituality, the communion elements become a magical-mechanical-means whereby Christians become “gods.”[3]
Note that T.D. Jakes is not one of the recognized “Emergent” church leaders, which is where most of this idolatry is coming in like a flood. Rather, he is one of the evangelical leaders[4] commonly associated with the Word-Faith movement.[5] He is also a “Oneness Pentecostal,” meaning that he denies the doctrine of the Trinity. Yet, despite these faulty credentials, Jakes is widely accepted as an esteemed evangelical leader. Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries has aptly questioned his evangelical credentials:
How very sad, the alleged Church “militant” is so tepid and timid will not even defend the Holy Trinity. So a flaming heretic like Dr. T.D. Jakes with a very powerful speaking persona will now come right into this SBC meeting and dominate it as he did last year at C3 2006. And from there other “evangelical” church groups will be more emboldened to follow suit and Jakes will go from someone who was once on the fringe of the Church to front and center stage. But know this: Opening this door to Jakes will also be opening the door for mainstream acceptance for a whole host of other Word Faith and Emergent Church spiritual “knuckleheads.” Unfortunately I must say there are quite perilous times ahead.[6]
Indeed, it is the Emergent movement where much of this “Sex God” consciousness-altering spirituality is harbored, nurtured and promoted. And as Pastor DeBruyn has previously noted, this emergent idolatry is intent on creating an alternate path to heightened spiritual experiences, and “divinity.” His groundbreaking article on this topic of sensual idolatry, “Evangelicals: Emergent and Erotic” was first published on Herescope as a series.[7] His latest book Unshackled: Breaking Away from Seductive Spirituality, covers this topic in depth.[8]
We have previously written on Herescope[9] about how other evangelical leaders are using sophisticated mechanisms to manipulate the brains, creating lustful thoughts and pleasurable feelings to further their heretical agenda. We have published articles critical of the new “passion” emphasis,[10] which invokes romanticism, eroticism, and lust in worship.[11] These fleshly lusts are quickly becoming substitutes for true spirituality. This latest doctrinal perversion of T.D. Jakes is an alarming example of these emerging erotic seductions, luring people into heretical imaginations. And it is an obvious example of the dangers inherent in idolatry.
The Truth:
Let we forget, the Scripture calls this form of idolatry by the term adultery. Spiritual adultery. As Dr. Francis Schaeffer wrote many years ago:
We find [God] uses the term adultery, and parallel terms over and over again, in regard to the people of God turning away from Himself.
In Exodus 34:12-14 he says: “Take heed to thyself , lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves. For thou shalt worship no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God; lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice.” When the people of God turned aside to these gods, the false gods round about, what does God call it? He says, Do you not understand what you are doing? You are going whoring, you are caught in the midst of spiritual adultery….
In Ezekiel 6:9 God is speaking, not Ezekiel. “I am broken with their whorish heart.” God is saying about His people who have turned away into apostasy, “I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols.” Notice how God is concerned about His people. This is not a neutral thing, a matter of indifference, to God. God is not just a theological term; He is not a “philosophical other.” He is a personal God, and we should glory in the fact that He is a personal God. But we must understand that since He is a personal God, He can be grieved. When His people turn away from Him, there is sadness indeed on the part of the omnipotent God.[12]
“Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.” (Psalm 106:39)
Endnotes:
1. Pastor Larry DeBruyn, “Eroticizing the Eucharist: T.D. Jakes and Communion at “A Table Set for Two,” http://guardinghisflock.com/2010/03/04/eroticizing-the-eucharist-1/. See original article for footnote in this text. Pastor DeBruyn’s article also references U2 and its perverted “‘U2-charist’, a Holy Communion service that employs the Irish supergroup’s best-selling songs in place of hymns.” For more information on the significance of Bono and U2, and their connections with Rick Warren, see Herescope’s article “The RED 3-legged Stool” posted here: https://herescope.net/2006/10/red-3-legged-stool.html
2. Pastor Larry DeBruyn, Unshackled: Breaking Away From Seductive Spirituality, (2009). See this webpage for book details: https://herescope.net/2009/10/unshackled.html
3. Ibid, http://guardinghisflock.com/2010/03/04/eroticizing-the-eucharist-1/
4. T.D. Jakes has associated with Rick Warren at key events. In 2005 we wrote: “Rick Warren of Saddleback Church spoke to a gathering of 12,000 people in Dallas, Texas at the Reunion Arena for a live broadcast of the Global Day of Prayer event. He was joined on-stage by Rev. Jack Graham, T.D. Jakes, and other evangelical luminaries.” See article posted here: http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NLJulyAugust_2005.htm
5. Scroll down to Jakes, T.D. and see the articles linked to from this Deception in the Church webpage: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith.html
6. ” T.D. Jakes And Oneness Pentecostalism (AKA Modalism),” by Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries, 1/10/07. Posted here: http://apprising.org/2007/01/10/td-jakes-and-oneness-pentecostalism-aka-modalism/ Cited at http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith.html
7. Start here and follow the links – “Evangelicals: Emergent and Erotic” https://herescope.net/2009/06/evangelicals-emergent-and-erotic.html
8. See this post for details: https://herescope.net/2009/10/unshackled.html
9. See “The Dopamine-Driven Church” series that begins here: https://herescope.net/2007/04/dopamine-driven-church.html
10. See “Mike Bickle’s Gigolo Jesus: IHOP’s Bridal Paradigm,” by K. Jentoft, published here: https://herescope.net/2008/05/mike-bickles-gigolo-jesus.html
11. See “God’s Dream: A Kingdom Building Dream,” posted here: https://herescope.net/2008/07/gods-dream.html
12. Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, The Church Before the Watching World, chapter 2: “Adultery and Apostasy–The Bride and Bridegroom Theme.” The Complete Works of Francis A Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview, Volume Four, A Christian View of the Church (Crossway, 1982), pp. 141-142.
*This quotation comes from The Bloody Theater of Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized Only Upon Confession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus, Their Saviour, From the Time of Christ to the Year A.D. 1660: Compiled from various authentic chronicles, memorials, and testimonies by Thieleman J. van Braght (1660). Quotation is from the 5th English Edition, 1951, p. 133. This 1157 page historical tome is briefly known as Martyrs Mirror.