One such effort is a packaged addictions program called Celebrate Recovery (CR). Also, we are told in scripture not to add to or take away from God's Word. The fundamental truths of scripture are no longer taught, therefore we have superficial Christians who spew out theyre saved because they say they are and have NO clue what it means to be born again by God! Celebrate With Us at Saddleback Church! Saddlebacks Rick Warren appoints 3 women pastors, Fed up with false teaching: Calvary Chapel church says So Long to the CC Association, Brodersen splits from CCA; calls for new Global Network, Michael Brown Continues to Deny the NAR, Defends Montanism, Progressive Christians and their doctrines of devils, Apologist James White Draws Concerns After Holding, Defending Interfaith Dialogue at Church With Muslim Imam, My church practices the Sinners Prayer'. Eternity A male teacher or pastor cannot allow women to carry out this violation of Scripture in his ministry. The idea is that the sinner has come to terms with Gods towering moral standards for humanity; absolute perfection (cf.Matt. All comments are handled manually, and I do not publish comments which promote false doctrine. It would be better if CR actually cited and explained the Scriptures that teach these concepts and used biblical terminology, but overall these small snippets of the 8 principles are mostly aligned with Scripture. The Celebrate Recovery Bible is a study bible with added stories and devotions. Popularity does not equal correct doctrine. 2022 by Berean Research. Covenant The Word Inspiration Scripture Alone 10. DNA OF CELEBRATE RECOVERY. Confess your sins to one another, is what the Bible says. July 2016 Sin Celebrate Recovery leads us through the 12 Steps and the 8 Recovery Principles that guide us along the biblical path of opening ourselves up to and trusting in God's grace, through Jesus Christ, for bringing change and healing in our lives, so that we can know a substantial measure of peace & joy and as it says in the Serenity Prayer to be If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Judging and Examining Ourselves [podcast] February 1, 2023. That purpose has been to weaken the church, dilute the theology of Christians exposed to the 12 Step religion, and to point unbelievers away from Christ. Discover the spiritual truth behind A.A. here. 2 Cor. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Further, the purpose of this review is not to question whether the 2.5 million participants have felt that they were assisted with enslaving behaviors, nor to doubt the sincerity of individuals seeking to help, but, instead, to examine CRs claim to be biblically based. And, although it should go without saying, the Beatitudes arent about hurts, addictions, or recovery. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. Have you ever heard him or anyone connected to RW/CR say For sin shall not have dominion over you? The word of God is all we need. New Mexico was the first state to adopt Celebrate Recovery into its state prison system and now has Celebrate Recovery pods in all its state prisons. False Teaching Your statement is clear evidence of just one of the many ways Celebrate Recovery is contrary to the scriptures. But perhaps one should not be so quick to throw out the baby with the bath water. Obeying the commands of scripture is not legalism - it's a major aspect of the Christian faith. Are we to avoid all womens bible studies and Christian book studies as well? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. John 8:34 Notice Johnny Baker (son of founder John Baker) and his wife Jeni start with the typical AA introduction: Johnny: Hi, Im Johnny and (rather than and Im an alcoholic) I struggle with Jeni: Hi Johnny!. God Bless, Celebrate Recoverys very foundations are unbiblical, and Jesus stressed just how crucial biblical foundations are: Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Purpose Driven Freedom From Sin Learn how your comment data is processed. Further evidence of CRs false gospel can be found near the end of the video. In todays post, this first problem will be demonstrated. [6][7] Leaders seek to normalize substance abuse as similar to other personal problems common to all people. January 2015 The word poor was used to describe abject poverty and a raggedly covered (if covered at all) beggar, cowered over with head down and hand out (TDNT, 6:886), while in spirit refers to our moral/spiritual state. Sins. A man invited me to it, and some things I liked about it. The man has sinned. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 1 John 4:5, You adulterous people! The biblical means for helping a saved person who is committing the sin of drunkenness is to follow the steps of church discipline (beginning with a one on one call to repentance and restoration) commanded in Matthew 18, and if he repents, disciple him in obedience to Gods Word. Many saved people have been forgiven by Jesus but never learned to free themselves of their past. Read the articles on this site entitled "Was Alcoholics Anonymous Started by Christians?" There are Celebrate Recovery State Representatives across the globe that are equipped to help get ministries started in local churches, and are available as a resource as the ministry grows. If it involves anything Purpose-Driven, you should avoid it like a sexually transmitted disease. Believing that God exists, that you matter to Him, and that Hes powerful is not the same thing as being born again by repentance and faith in Christ. I cringed whenever Id hear someone say, Im (insert name), and Im a grateful follower of Jesus Christ! Free Will CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 5:3-12), which are said to be eight ways to be happy, contain the progressive path to addiction recovery. This post reminded me of that ministry. By working the 12 Steps and the 8 Beatitude Principles, issue groups open up, share experiences, and find hope . Apostasy. Twelve Steps Reformed Theology Ill just let Scripture speak to those points: If the world hates you, know that it has hated me [Jesus] before it hated you. Stepping out of Denial into God's Grace: Participant's Guide, 1. A final point to consider, and not a minor one, is the fact that Celebrate Recovery is embraced by the world. Also, how could you ever defend the gospel of Jesus Christ when you claim that people need to first come to accept a god of their own understanding and then they can come to Jesus supposedly through Celebrate Recovery? Hold the phone, Henrietta. Universalism Our service offers engaging live worship and biblical-based teaching relevant to your circumstances. So that you can study what Gods word actually says in comparison to those well known 12 steps. Even Jesus had struggles with the religious leaders in his life. November 2015 Sin dominates the sinner and overpowers all. I have noticed that almost all CR attendees who have quit one addiction just turned to another. Spiritual perfection is defined as (United with God maturity development complete). I desperately tried to find Jesus in the recovery steps but could not find him. Thank you for this. [5] Promotional materials assert that over 5 million people have participated in a Celebrate Recovery step study in over 35,000 churches. People really need to get back to believing in the transforming power of Christ through true repentance and faith. Human Nature ALL sin is a bondage, including addictions. Also on page 11 it is stated, "Accustomed to a traditional twelve-step program and hesitant to make a switch? So, on the macro-level, CR has taken a worldly philosophy and attempted to Christianize it slightly in order to appeal to the lost, which, again is typical of the way Saddleback the original seeker driven church tends to operate, and which, as I mentioned earlier, is unbiblical. He said he spent eight days in Beaumont Hospital. Emergent Church Do you have any idea how contrary that statement is to the Christian faith? Your words are so wise Alison Jones: I am a Christian living in South Wales, UK, and ha Annie G.: It is not wrong to consecrate a day for the Lord, Greg: I agree. Spiritual Formation The Pharisees, who largely set the religious/spiritual tone of the day, would have propagated the photo-negative of the Beatitudes, and, thus, an incorrect understanding of the believer. It was "born out of the heart of Saddleback Church" with Rick's approval and under his oversight, and, as you might expect, is fraught with unbiblical issues at nearly every turn. As above, I will be going through steps 1-3, and 12, and directly quoted from CR website: 1 ) We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable. Thanks for stopping by! December 2015 As if man can free someone from the bondage of sin. 1 Founded 25 years ago by pastor Rick Warren and the Saddleback Church in California, it started with just 43 people but now has groups in 29,000 churches all over the globe with more than 3.5 million . Sin is breaking Gods law and rebelling against the holy God of the universe. He either never took the time to research the origins of the Twelve Steps and what they teach or he was intentionally making a false statement. Progressive (Social Justice) Christianity Johnny goes on to say that that [the indwelling Holy Spirit] is what gives us the power to find healing from our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. Get help and get the past out of the dark and let Gods light shine. We are in desperate need of an Elijah, Apostle Paul, John the Baptist, or Jonah type of man that truly has been regenerated by God, empowered by the Spirit, trembles at His word, and will stand up and proclaim the whole counsel of God as well as speak out biblically against nonsense like celebrate recovery! It produces diligence to be sure no sin is left still covered by a fig leaf of denial; clearing of yourselves is round two of being sure nothing remains of any known sin; indignation toward yourself for having sinned against God; fear that you may return to your favorite sin out of rebellion; vehement desire to please God in all things and lay down your sins and the pleasure of them before your Savior; zeal so as to always keep yourself in check, away from sin and its pleasures; and vindication not of yourself, but on Gods behalf because He is once again proven to be right and righteous in all that He does. These kind of statements turn away so many non believers. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from issues that control us. Rick Warren writes that CR was born when I began an intense study of the Scriptures to discover what God had to say about recovery. To my amazement, I found the principles of recoveryin their logical ordergiven by Christ in His most famous message, the Sermon on the Mount (12). [4] Celebrate Recovery is one of the seven largest addiction recovery support group programs. Rather than finding their identity in Christ who has graciously saved them. Also, look who comes first here in this line of confession not God, but self. CELEBRATE RECOVERY 12 STEPS AND BIBLICAL COMPARISONS. James 4:4, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. I am involved in CR and I am not relying on the 12 steps. 5:3) is not a recovery principle, teaching that Im not Godpowerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable (9). Because He freed me of my sins, including drunkenness. The indwelling Holy Spirit is a sign, seal, and guarantee of our salvation, and salvation does not take place without the repentance of sin and placing ones faith in Christ. Chad, Did God forget something in His Word so that we humans had to come up with a program to help people instead? The biblical means for helping a lost person deal with addiction is to call him to repent and believe the gospel, and, if he gets saved, disciple him in obedience to Gods Word. Celebrate Recovery Shoreline Church Beginning August 21, we will be offering THREE Sunday gatherings at 8:15, 9:30, & 11 AM. Rick Warren writes, [D]uring the ten-week series that I preached to kick off this program, our attendance grew by over 1500! (John Baker, Celebrate Recovery Leaders Guide, 12). To attach 12 Bible verses taken out of context to a secular program is simply erroneous hermeneutics. Further, Warren claims that CR is more effective in helping people change than anything else Ive seen or heard of (12). Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. August 2015 Oh yes, they mentioned God but even Mormons and Jehova witness mention God. But not so great if youre in the majority of CR participants who are lost. The concept of God as a Higher Power of our own understanding put forward by Bill Wilson in the Twelve Steps is blasphemy. And the answer to that question is a resounding no. Celebrate Recovery is a ministry of the local church. If someone is involved in Celebrate Recovery they cannot proclaim the authority and sufficiency of scripture without be hypocritical. RW does speak of repentance, and the Jesus is the only higher power. Home. May 2016 [9] Celebrate Recovery groups are held under the management of local church organizations. Baker, John, and Richard Warren. I dont agree with Rick Warren on a lot of things but this program works and the HolybSpirit uses those scriptures to deal with people. celebrate recovery is a cult, and slavery. Dominionism (NAR) 1 Corinthians 10:12. A mistake is accidentally calling your son by your daughters name, or taking the wrong exit off the interstate, or forgetting to carry the one. In my journey of recovery both in traditional 12 steps and at Celebrate Recovery I have witnessed participants struggle with religion and/or There god they were taught and I can respect traditional recoverys rule against focusing on any particular religion. Most do not read their Bibles, and so these two programs become their false gospel. During the past 25 years, some 20,000 churches in the United States have reportedly used CR, with some 2.5 million people having completed the program. Testimonies In this particular segment, Johnny skips directly from Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sin, rose again, and lives now, to He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. That is a false gospel. The step programs are not about earning any kind of grace or favor (works) in Gods eyes. I go to Cr and agree some scripture is not spot on. If you are considering commenting or sending me an e-mail objecting to the fact that I warn against certain teachers or ministries, please click here and read this article first. Its a place knowing your not alone and cannot be done on your own. Satan The man needs to be brought to justice and repent. The sinner simply asked Jesus to save him and Jesus said your faith has made you whole. Alison Jones: Dear precious Christian.