Foreword
Foreword
This web page includes a Foreward by Chris Lawson from the book Christian Journaling or Psychic Channeling? by Brenna E. Scott. As the subtitle states, this book is ‘A Critical Comparison of the Jesus Calling Series with Occult Training Literature.’ We highly suggest you read the content of this book Foreword if you are interested in Christian Journaling and Christian devotional books, and the Jesus Calling devotional series by Sarah Young. This is an important book for everyone who is interested in journaling, the Bible, and learning how not to do Christian Journaling. You can read the book online on our site for free. Thank you for visiting our Foreword page, and we encourage you to share this with others. They may end up sincerely thanking you for sharing the warnings found within this book.
Christian Journaling or Psychic Channeling?
A Critical Comparison of the Jesus Calling Series with Occult Training Literature
Brenna E. Scott
Foreword by Chris Lawson
When I first received a notebook full of Brenna Scott’s research into Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling series of devotionals, I was surprised and fascinated with its contents. Brenna’s extensive research had not only further confirmed to me the many theological problems within Jesus Calling, her work also brought to light a vast number of other extra-biblical problems within Sarah Young’s writings. I went from seeing the false teachings in the single Jesus Calling devotional to witnessing an entire system of false teachings permeating the Jesus Calling brand.
Many Christians have expressed concern about Young’s writing method because of its similarity to automatic writing, an occult channeling practice. Brenna’s work focuses instead on the content of Young’s writing, suggesting that it—intentionally or not—effectively serves as a training course in psychic channeling.
As evidence, Brenna assembles a mock step-by-step channeling “manual,” composed of quotations from actual occult books and matching quotations from Sarah Young’s books. This alarming direct comparison lets readers see for themselves how closely the Jesus Calling series tracks with psychic channeling books.
It is important to note that a person does not have to be in a full-trance (catatonic) state or even a light-trance state to receive so-called messages, communications, and impressions from the spirit world. Nor does one need to be voluntarily or involuntarily possessed by a spirit entity to perform psychic channeling. Nor does one need to realize what he or she is doing. If one simply applies the methods that Sarah Young’s “Jesus” teaches, as shown in this study, he or she may very well become “psychic” and open channels for a whole range of mediumistic-type practices.
Sifting through thousands of pages of material from Sarah Young books to show that the Jesus Calling series teaches channeling has been no small task. Brenna has carefully examined the following books in order to provide documentation for the book in your hands: Jesus Calling, Dear Jesus, Jesus Lives, Jesus Today, Jesus Always, Jesus Listens, Jesus Calling Morning & Evening, Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids, Jesus Today: Devotions for Kids, Jesus Always: 365 Devotions for Kids, Jesus Calling Bible Storybook, two journaling books for adults and three board books for toddlers.
Brenna has also included the occult New Age book, God Calling (not written by Young), in this report for two reasons: 1) Young, herself, has acknowledged that God Calling inspired her to write Jesus Calling and 2) It is important to see the remarkable similarities between the authors.
It is likely that the majority of the millions who have read Jesus Calling are not aware that God Calling is indeed an occult New Age book. One of today’s largest Christian publishersHarvest House—published a book in the 1990s that identifies God Calling as such. Warren B. Smith explains:
In The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs . . . John Weldon and John Ankerberg provide ample evidence as to why God Calling is a channeled New Age book. In their chapter on channeling—under the subheading of “Impersonations and Denials of Christianity” the two respected apologists describe God Calling as a book “replete with denials of biblical teaching” as it “subtly encourages psychic development and spiritistic inspiration under the guise of Christ’s personal guidance . . . and often misinterprets Scripture.” Citing a number of passages in God Calling that are unbiblical and have New Age implications, the two authors explain that channeling is a form of occult mediumship and according to the Bible “is a practice specifically forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:9-12).” Yet Sarah Young stated it was God Calling that inspired her to receive her own “messages” from “Jesus.” In her original introduction to Jesus Calling, Young went out of her way to praise God Calling as “a treasure to me.”
- [Source: Warren B. Smith, The New Age Implications of Jesus Calling (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2014), p. 4; https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=16568.]
Based on Sarah Young’s high esteem for God Calling, it seems that from the start of her Jesus Calling journey, she was not testing the spirits as we are instructed to do in 1 John 4:1-6. Nor has she, to my knowledge, included this important command in her books:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
The command to “try the spirits” does not mean we try the spirits on for size, so-to-speak, and play around with them. And it does not mean we try them out like a new bike or test drive them like a new car. Rather, it means we are to “test” the spirits—test their doctrine and examine their teachings to see if they line up with Scripture. Are their ideas, principles, and directives consistent with what Jesus Christ of Nazareth taught, with what the apostles taught, and with what the book of Acts instructs the church? In short, are we being taught by the person of the Holy Spirit or by “seducing spirits”?
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils [demons];
While you are reading Brenna’s research, ask yourself, “Is this the language and are these the concepts that Jesus and the disciples used?” You decide for yourself. However, in making your decision, keep in mind that the fact that tens of millions of copies of Jesus Calling have been sold does not authenticate the “Jesus” of Jesus Calling. According to the Bible, while it’s true that the masses were drawn to Jesus to be fed by Him or to witness His miracles, the crowds quickly thinned out when He preached the Gospel to them. As shown earlier in our passage in 1 John, the masses will be drawn to the teachings “of the world” but not to the truth of Christ. Please think these things through carefully under the light of Scripture as if your life depends on it, because when it comes to the Gospel, it really does.
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
—Chris Lawson
SpiritualResearchNetwork.org
You are on the Foreword page.
Click here to read Prologue: My Reason for Writing by Brenna E. Scott