This morning I was watching a video an old friend recently posted on YouTube, and at one point I had to rewind it a few seconds to see if I had heard him correctly.
You see, he's a pastor. But some of the things he talks about on his videos have generated a whole lot of questions in my mind. For example, he speaks of "Gnosticism" in a positive light. I don't know much about Gnosticism, outside of the fact that the term is usually preceded by three words: "the heresy of" and that the gnostics valued their own mysterious spiritual experiences over Scripture and orthodox doctrines. Otherwise, I am pretty ignorant on the topic.
My friend also speaks of "the magnetic center" and "the fourth way" and, again, I am ignorant. Are these harmless terms to speak of spiritual growth or is this some specific modern day pseudo-Christian teaching?
What I heard my friend clearly say on video this morning confirmed my growing concerns. He was referencing "the armor of God" and casually mentioned, "You know, I am no fan of the Apostle Paul, but he was right about this."
That's a huge red flag in my point of view. When we set ourselves over the writers of Scripture and start making judgment calls on what is inspired and what is not - watch out.
I will continue to listen and to seek to understand my friend's perspective, and when the time is right, I will ask my questions.
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