DON MACGREGOR - PAYING LIP-SERVICE TO THE NICENE CREED WHILE HIS BISHOP AND ARCHDEACON SIMPLY STAND IDLY BY!

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: 
for whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap."
(Galatians 6:7)

Subsequent to my last posting on 4 May 2016 concerning Pembrokeshire's "New Age" priest, Rev'd. Don MacGregor, I wrote again the next day to both the Bishop and the Archdeacon of St. David's, as follows:

Dear Sir,

I hope and pray that you will spare a few moments of your time to read and reflect upon this article, and to seek God's face on these most serious issues.

http://watchman4wales.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/the-new-age-priest-don-macgregor-bishop.html

I would be very pleased to receive any observations you might have.

Sincerely, in Jesus our Lord and Saviour,

Rob Thomas

Unfortunately, Bishop Wyn Evans seems to have been quite unable to spare a few moments; he has not seen fit to grace me with so much as an acknowledgement. The Archdeacon, however, did dash off a quick reply within a few hours, but it seems that he too had no time to consider the issues:

Dear Mr. Thomas
I acknowledge receipt of your note. I shall.not be sending observations to you. I receive many emails of this type and other urgent priorities. I have also replied in relation to the matter in your subject.
Blessings on you brother
dennis

Sadly, it seems that Dennis Wight's "urgent priorities" do not include contending for the Faith. One wonders why, if he's getting so many similar emails, he's not sitting up and taking some notice of such an occurrence...

So much then for the Diocesan leadership. But what of the man himself? Does he personally have anything to say about the matter? Indeed he does! And here is his comment, as posted on the article of 4 May 2016:

Don MacGregor to myself, 1 June 2016:

Dear Mr. Thomas, such a shame that after 4 weeks your article has received no comments, so I thought I might add one. You seem to be under the impression that everyone who is a Christian is a literalist and fundamentalist, which seems to be your position. I am deeply offended by many of your comments, as I am an active Christan  priest, yes with some challenging new interpretations of the tradition, but there is nothing I am saying that has not already been said many times in the past, often by famous and even sainted Christians of former days. I find the tone of your comments, and your pursuit of all sorts of other issues on your blog to be very un-Christian, judgemental and downright insulting. So I do not want to get into a dialogue with you, as I do not think it would change your mind one iota. And, to correct one thing, I can say the Nicene Creed quite happily in full belief of the tradition we inherit, in its context and culture.

My response:

Dear Mr. MacGregor,

Thank you for your comment. The sad irony is that you accuse my writings of being very unChristian, when the whole issue here is that your own writings run so completely contradictory to "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" - the faith that we are exhorted to earnestly contend for! (Jude v3).  Mr. MacGregor, I would respectfully point out that unless a person is indeed "a literalist and fundamentalist" then they are not truly a Christian, but only someone who deceives both themselves and others by claiming to be one. You declare that you can say the Nicene Creed quite happily; saying it is one thing, but believing it is quite another. And your own writings give ample testimony to the fact that you do not believe it, sir. As it is written concerning such a thing:

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 15:8)

Mr. MacGregor, you say that things I've said offend and insult you. Might I observe that things that you've said on your own blog and elsewhere undoubtedly offend and insult the Most High? You are playing fast and loose with the things of our Almighty God, preaching "another gospel" that is no gospel at all, and I most sincerely hope that you come to realize the abject folly of this while there is yet time to repent. Eternity is a long time for regrets.

In Him, 

Rob Thomas

BELOW IS REPRODUCED THE NICENE CREED, WHICH IS MANDATORY FOR ALL ANGLICAN PRIESTS TO UPHOLD.  REFERENCE TO DON MACGREGOR'S OWN WRITINGS CLEARLY SHOWS THAT WHILST HE CAN SAY THE CREED "QUITE HAPPILY" HE NEITHER BELIEVES IT NOR UPHOLDS IT, AND ALL THE WHILE HIS DIOCESAN SUPERIORS PLUG THEIR EARS AND TURN A BLIND EYE TO HIS HERETICAL "NEW INTERPRETATIONS" OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE FAITH! PLEASE SEE:

http://watchman4wales.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-new-age-in-church-in-wales-case.html

THE NICENE CREED

WE BELIEVE in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

(Source: http://anglicansonline.org/basics/nicene.html )

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools."

(Romans 1:21-22)

"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness."

(1 Corinthians 3:19)

THE "NEW AGE" PRIEST DON MACGREGOR, THE BISHOP & THE ARCHDEACON OF ST. DAVID'S, AND A CERTAIN NUISANCE FLY!

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

(Galatians 1:8-9)

On 8 January 2016, I published an article entitled 'The New Age in the Church in Wales - a Case Study' which can be found here:

http://watchman4wales.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-new-age-in-church-in-wales-case.html

So serious were the concerns highlighted in this article about the openly "New Age" spirituality of Rev'd. Don MacGregor, the Priest-in-Charge of the five parishes that form the North Dewisland Benefice in Pembrokeshire, that after careful consideration I thought it right and proper to bring them to the personal attention of his ecclesiastical overseer. An email was accordingly sent to the Right Rev'd. Wyn Evans, the Bishop of St. David's, on 14 January 2016, as follows:

FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE RT. REV. WYN EVANS

Dear Sir,

I write to you as a Bible-believing Christian having grave concerns about the extremely unorthodox beliefs held and openly expressed by Rev. Don MacGregor, the Priest-in-Charge of the North Dewisland Benefice. It is evident, by reference to his own writings, that he holds to a theological position which is very far removed from Biblical Christianity and in blatant contradiction of the Nicene Creed which is mandatory for him as a priest to adhere to. I regret to observe that his beliefs clearly violate his Declaration of Assent as an Anglican priest to uphold the historical Faith revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

I respectfully bring these concerns to your attention as his overseeing Bishop. I quite appreciate that you are a busy man, and I would not take this step and intrude upon your time if it was not for the fact that these are very serious issues indeed. May I ask if you would please read the following carefully researched article, in which the issues should become all too apparent to you?

http://watchman4wales.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-new-age-in-church-in-wales-case.html


I would be most grateful, sir, if you would advise me if you consider Rev. Don MacGregor's views to be acceptable within your Diocese, the Anglican communion at large, or indeed the wider professing Church of Jesus Christ who uphold the whole of Scripture as being the authoritative and utterly unalterable Word of God?

I look forward to hearing from you, at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely, in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour,

Rob Thomas


Quite remarkably, only five days after sending this email to the Bishop, he was to be found officiating at a special service in St. Peter's Church in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire, to inaugurate a new Diocesan partnership and swear in its ministry team. And who is the leader of this team? None other than Rev'd. Don MacGregor! In one fell swoop, with the Bishop's blessing, the "New Age" priest's sphere of influence in Pembrokeshire's Anglican communities increased by a whopping 300% - from five to FIFTEEN parishes! 

Pencaer Partnership inauguration service, 19 January 2016.

The event was reported in the local newspaper as follows:

"FIFTEEN parishes in north Pembrokeshire have pledged their mutual allegiance in the new Pencaer Mission and Ministry partnership.

This ninth local ministry area to be created in the St Davids Diocese was inaugurated in a special service in St. Peter's Church, Goodwick, on 19 January before the Bishop, Rt Rev Wyn Evans.

The new ministry team, led by Rev Don MacGregor, priest-in-charge of the Llanrhian group of parishes, was also sworn in."

(Source: County Echo and St Davids City Chronicle)

A fortnight on from dispatching my email, and with confirmation from the Bishop's Secretary of its receipt but nothing forthcoming from the Bishop himself, a second email was sent on 28 January 2016, expressing an increased sense of urgency and disquiet due to the events of 19 January as recorded above, whereby Don MacGregor's profile and influence in Pembrokeshire's Anglican communities had been greatly increased. That email concluded with this plea:

May I respectfully ask if you would give your most careful consideration to the concerns about Rev. Don MacGregor, for the sake of the integrity of the Christian witness in Pembrokeshire?

This missive did prompt the following brief response from Wyn Evans the next day:

Dear Mr Thomas

Thank you both for your email and your reminder. I am looking into the matter and am consulting colleagues. I take it that you are a parishioner of his?

Bendith

+Wyn St Davids

Having clarified to the Bishop that I am not one of Don MacGregor's parishioners, but a Bible-believing Christian whose concern is for the upholding of the Faith as revealed in the immutable Word of God, another month passed silently by. On 6 April 2016, I emailed the Bishop again, to politely ask whether he could update me on progress, receiving this reply the following day not from Wyn Evans but from the Archdeacon of St. David's, the Venerable Canon Dennis Wight:

Dear Mr. Thomas
The Bishop has replied to you regarding Mr Macgregor by stating that we were looking into the matter. You gave us information about him for which we thank you. However, this is now a matter between us and him. It is being addressed and it would not be right for us to enter into discussion about it. We treat these matters as confidential.

Again, thank you for your original note and we are sorry that we have been unable to get back to you sooner.

With all good wishes

Dennis

I wrote back to the Archdeacon on April 11, with the following observation:

When you say that this is now a matter between the Diocesan leadership and Rev. MacGregor, may I respectfully observe that as he is a practicing priest with not a private but a very public ministry and profile, then his personal radical reinterpretation of the historic Faith - resulting in undeniable failure to adhere to both the Creed and his Declaration of Assent - cannot realistically be seen as a confidential matter? Rev. MacGregor certainly does not keep his position private, so why exactly is it deemed by yourselves to be wrong to enter into a discussion about that position? There are certainly matters in which I would be in full agreement that confidentiality is correct and proper, but this is not such a matter. When a practicing priest responsible for properly shepherding the flock believes in and teaches "another Jesus... another spirit... another gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:4) this is an issue of very public concern indeed!

This, my final missive to the Diocesan leadership, concluded as follows:

Are Pembrokeshire people to be kept in the dark about all this? With all due respect, I believe they, and indeed the Body at large, have the right to know what - if anything - is to be specifically done to address these very real and very grave concerns.

A few hours later, I received the Archdeacon's (dare I say curt) response:

Mr. Thomas
I acknowledge receipt of your note.
Yours in Christ
Dennis

So there we have it. Stonewalled, I think, is the operative word... and all the while Rev'd. Don MacGregor continues to preach "another gospel," unchecked and indifferent to Paul's dire declaration about such a thing in his Epistle to the Galatians which headed this article.

THIS WOULD SEEM TO BE THE BISHOPRIC'S FINAL WORD ON THE MATTER. I'M SORRY, GENTLEMEN, BUT IT'S REALLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH! YOU CAN SWAT ME LIKE A NUISANCE FLY IF YOU WANT, BUT ONE DAY WE WILL ALL HAVE TO ANSWER TO GOD FOR WHAT WE HAVE DONE - AND ALSO WHAT WE HAVE NOT. THE BALL REMAINS FIRMLY IN YOUR COURT. PLEASE PLAY IT WISELY!


EPILOGUE

While we might well note that Rev'd. Don MacGregor remains, among other things, Area Dean for Dewisland and Fishguard in the Archdeaconry of St. David's under Dennis Wight, there is unfortunately more to this whole sad saga of compromise and complicity with an utterly false spirit in the St. David's Diocese that needs to be recorded. 

On 15 March 2016, the Cathedral hosted the 'Sri Chinmoy Oneness - Home Peace Run' during its tour of the UK and Ireland. These runners are the disciples of the Indian Hindu guru who initiated this Peace Run. "What's the problem?" many might say. "Anything that promotes peace in the world has to be good, right?" Absolutely wrong! While any truly Bible-believing Christian should know full well that there is no peace outside of the Prince of Peace, these purveyors of pantheism were warmly welcomed by the Dean, the Very Rev'd. Jonathan Lean, and the Rev'd. Canon Dorrien Davies, in blithe and blatant disregard of the Scriptural warnings about such a travesty. (See 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

The Sri Chinmoy runners carry a flaming torch as a symbol of harmony, passing it from hand to hand. Both the Dean and the Canon took and ran with the torch. Is this such a big deal? Yes, it most certainly is, for in so doing they expressed their "oneness" with the pagan runners. 

Photos of this most regrettable event can be found at:
www.peacerun.org/gb/news/2016/0315/1549/

Video footage (St. David's segment from 4:53):
https://youtu.be/FrGIEUMlt0k

Disturbing photos of the runners teaching Eastern meditation to impressionable young children in Carmarthen the previous day can be found at:
www.peacerun.org/gb/news/2016/0314/1552/

Christianity and pantheism in accord? They are diametrically opposed to each other! The "peace" promoted by the Sri Chinmoy devotees is quite simply the false peace of Antichrist...

"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; 

and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by PEACE shall destroy many."

(Daniel 8:25 - my emphasis)

"THERE IS NO PEACE, SAITH MY GOD, TO THE WICKED."

(Isaiah 57:21 - my capitalization)

* * * * * * *

FOOTNOTE: The 15 parishes forming the Pencaer Mission and Ministry Partnership, under Rev'd. Don MacGregor's leadership are:

Fishguard (St. Mary's)
Goodwick (St. Peter's)
Granston (St. Catherine's)
Jordanston (St. Cawrda's)
Letterston (St. Giles')
Little Newcastle (St. Peter's)
Llanfair Nant-y-Gof (St. Mary's)
Llanrhian (St. Rhian's)
Llanwnda (St. Gwyndaf's)
Llanychaer (St. David's)
Manorowen (St. Mary's)
Mathry (Holy Martyrs)
Pontfaen (St. Brynach's)
Puncheston (St. Mary's)
St. Nicholas (St. Nicholas')

* * * * * * *

THE "NEW AGE" IN THE CHURCH IN WALES - A CASE STUDY.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, 

so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, 

or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, 

which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

(2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

St. Rhian's Church, Llanrhian, Pembs. (Photo: Keith Salvesen)

INTRODUCTION

When Paul declared in the Scripture above, "Ye might well bear with him," in modern parlance he might have put it something like, "You're perfectly OK with this!" There are many professing Christians today, including a great many ordained ministers, who are perfectly OK with the preaching of "another Jesus" and who have readily received "another spirit" and accepted "another gospel!"  

Revd. Don MacGregor is one such "man of the cloth." He is the Priest-in-Charge of the five Pembrokeshire churches in the villages of Llanrhian, Mathry, St. Nicholas, Granston and Jordanston, this quintet of rural parishes being joined together in 2013 to form the North Dewisland Benefice within the St. David's Diocese of the Church in Wales.

But Revd. Don MacGregor is no tip-toeing traditionalist country clergyman, happily sitting on the sleepy straw-hatted sidelines of spiritual affairs. No sirree! He is a man on a mission, and an integral part of that mission is evidenced in his being a member of the core group of an organization called CANA, which stands for 'Christians Awakening to New Awareness.' And what does that mean exactly? Well, once you know that CANA originally stood for 'Christians Awakening to a NEW AGE' you should much better understand just what it is that this cohort of "Christians" are actually awakening to!

CANA AND THE RADICAL RE-DEFINING OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

"The first of two well attended conferences entitled 'Christians Awakening to a New Age' was held in 1991. Exposure to teaching from other faiths and learning to meditate had caused people to re-examine their Christian beliefs. Many experienced a great relief in finding others who were similarly expanding their understanding of Christianity and CANA was formed. Later, the name was changed to 'Christians Awakening to New Awareness'."

(Source: http://www.christiansawakening.org/about/ )

Don MacGregor is the author of 'Blue Sky God: The Evolution of Science and Christianity,' in which he states that "Christianity has to evolve to be credible for every new generation as the worldview evolves." A central tenet of the book, he informs us, is that "God is the consciousness, the Ground of Being, that sustains the material reality in which we live, stemming from the concept of consciousness in quantum physics." Its Amazon description concludes by telling us that "it outlines a spiritual path that includes elements from all of the world's great religions, is not exclusive, and yet has a place of centrality for Jesus the Christ as a Wisdom teacher of the path of transformative love."

MacGregor's illusory "inter-faith" and theoretical science fusion does not allow for the Biblical Jesus as Lord and Saviour, only a "Jesus" who is just  an enlightened guru. His "Christianity" is not the only Way, and rather than being the once-and-for-all-time-delivered Faith that it is, his faith (which is actually unbelief!) is ever changing. His "God" is not the One as revealed in His Word, but simply a universal "consciousness." He was one of that core group of CANA leaders who met on 6th. December, 2013, whose discussion focused upon their priorities, when the concept of an all-embracing "Christ Consciousness" came to the fore, defined as doing "the contemplative practices that affect consciousness, but not to rest there." Their shocking ultimate conclusion:

"Jesus called his disciples to do greater things than he did. We understand this to mean he calls each one of us to be a Christ."

Just let the implications of that assertion sink in for a moment. These people actually believe and teach that we are called not to be followers of Christ, but to be a Christ ourselves! And so that there's no possibility of misunderstanding where they're coming from - or where they're going! - and just how outrageously aberrant their theology really is, just consider the following. This is taken from a joint article by Gillian Paschkes-Bell and the Revd. Don MacGregor, on their perceptions of how Christianity has developed since "the Jesus event" as they call it, entitled 'A CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY - WHAT TO DITCH?' dated 27 November, 2015.
(See: http://www.christiansawakening.org/category/features/)

(Note: To clarify, words highlighted in red are from the text of the Paschkes-Bell/MacGregor article, while words in blue are my own observations on the meaning and implications of that text.)

What accretions have gathered during this process that are not helpful and life-affirming? Can we ditch them? Here are some examples that we feel need to be revisited:

Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God.

- In other words, we are as much an Incarnation as was Jesus Himself.

The inheritance of the idea from temple worship that God demands a sacrifice.

- In other words, Calvary was unnecessary and Jesus read everything wrong!

The wrath of God.

- In other words, there's no Tribulation, Judgment or Lake of Fire.

Salvation as a promise for the future afterlife rather than a path of wholeness for now.

- In other words, Heaven is not the reward for repentance from sin. "Heaven" is now.

Male patriarchy and language derived from it.

- In other words, feminism is fine, and God can be seen and addressed as a He, She or It.

The virgin birth and the nativity story as literal, not metaphorical.

- In other words, Jesus was not the Son of the Most High but had a human not a Heavenly Father. (And so would not have been sinless, and could not have redeemed us as a Lamb without spot or blemish).

And after this incredible exercise in extreme heresy, what - we may well ask - do they want to replace these fundamental truths with? The article continues:

What omissions are there? What has been squashed or eradicated in the process? For example:

Jesus as a wisdom teacher of the path of transformation. This path has a long lineage in other indigenous and Mystery traditions.
- In other words, Jesus was not the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, but merely another guru equal to the teachers of pagan and esoteric schools of spirituality.

The lost Christianities that were gradually quashed in the early centuries.
- In other words, heretical departures from "the Faith once delivered" are to be re-embraced.

The other scriptures that were left out of the canon of the New Testament, such as the recently rediscovered Gospels of Thomas, Philip and Mary Magdelene.
- In other words, the Gnostic false gospels are to be added to the Bible.

The lost doctrine of reincarnation or rebirth.
- In other words, being "born again" is a cyclical journey towards "nirvana."

And with a final flourish of falsifying the Faith:

What needs to be added from our current understanding? For example:

New insights from areas of physics, biology, sociology, psychology and systems theory.
- In other words, man's wisdom (which is foolishness to God) is all to be fully taken on board.

Insights from other faiths.
- In other words, syncretism is to be enshrined in defiance of the Living God; Jesus is NOT the only Way!

WE MIGHT SIMPLY DESCRIBE THIS DOCUMENT AS A CHARTER FOR THE DECIMATION OF SOUND DOCTRINE. AS IT IS WRITTEN IN GOD'S WORD CONCERNING SUCH A THING:

"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."

(1 Timothy 4:1)

DON MACGREGOR: HERALD OF 'THE AGE OF AQUARIUS'

"There are other forces at work in this universe, whether we call them Mother nature, divine love, the Source, God, the Universe, Spirit or whatever language we choose. But the direction of these energies is to move us, that is the whole human race and the whole planet, to move us on to a better place, a higher level. This has both societal and ecological consequences for how we live together.

As we enter the age of Aquarius, this is the transition we are going through."

- Don MacGregor, in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

Here we see that his "God" is not the One as revealed in His Word, but an "energy," an impersonal pantheistic "force" which may be referred to by many names, moving us to a "higher level." This is classic New Age thought, and surely no-one can doubt that he is a dyed-in-the-wool New Ager when he dizzily declares that we are entering the Age of Aquarius?

Very revealingly, on his own website http://www.donmacgregor.co.uk/ MacGregor informs us that "his spiritual path has included New Age, Theosophy and Christianity from evangelical/charismatic to liberal, mystical and holistic." Quite a cocktail! A mind-blowing mix indeed, and it is quite obvious that his concept of what constitutes "Christianity" is New Age to its very core. As he admits in the preface to his book:

"Although a recognizable Christian, I always knew, somewhere in my being, that my previous experience in and understanding of the New Age sphere was not wasted, and would need to be integrated at some stage... 

I have been drawn to the silence of contemplative prayer and meditation, the wisdom of the mystics, and a more liberal and radical theology."

- from 'Blue Sky God' published by Circle Books, 2012.

New Age spirituality, in a nutshell, is simply a Hinduism/Buddhism amalgam re-packaged for the Western mindset. At its heart is the belief that God is in all, that we are all God, so we have no need to look for Him externally, but rather should delve within our own selves and recognize and unlock through meditation that "Christ Consciousness" which is common to all humanity, and which all paths ultimately lead to. That MacGregor holds to such a view can clearly be seen here:

"We have largely put God 'out there', not 'in here'. Yet the good news of the New Testament is that God is in us, that the Holy Spirit dwells in us, that Christ is in us, the hope of glory. If we can find that God within, and begin to see the aspect of  God within every human being, then we begin to recognize the real potential of humanity to live in peace and abundance, and in harmony with the natural world. That ability has been largely locked up within us, because we think it rests with God 'out there', not God 'in here'. The potential for humanity to live in peace rests within each one of us."

- Don MacGregor, in 'Divine Reality is Within' published Sept. 15, 2010 and re-published as 'The Divine Reality Within' by CANA April 23, 2015.

In New Age thought, evil and Satan simply do not exist; they just represent interior conflicts not yet resolved. It's all about the inner struggle to transcend from one's lower to one's higher Self, which is essentially the acknowledgement and acceptance of our own - and everyone else's - godhood. As MacGregor puts it:

"We are to let go of our lower egoic desire nature, to awaken into our higher, compassionate, godly self, a movement from a poorer place to a better place, which is our salvation."
- Don McGregor, in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

"We see this 'letting go of self' in Jesus in the temptation narratives at the beginning of his ministry, where he is constantly tempted by what the bible calls 'the devil', but which I think we could see now as the egoic, selfish desires that arise within ourselves."
- Don MacGregor, in 'New Humanity' published July 26, 2015.

"The kingdom of heaven is not a place, it is a way of being. It is what you can become when you have entered the mind of God."
- Don MacGregor in 'What Makes a Person a Christian?' published Dec. 29, 2012.

Having totally re-defined salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven, and dismissed the Devil as being but a metaphor for self-interest, he relegates the Son of God Himself to the status of an enlightened guru, a human being exactly like us, with an equally egocentric "false or lower self" which He had to divest Himself of in order to achieve union with God (who is actually the "higher self" who we can all become!) 

This is the "Jesus" who MacGregor believes in:

"Jesus was able to transcend his egoic-desire nature, his false or lower self, and awaken fully into God's consciousness, his true or higher self. And yet he was fully human, the same as us, so he had an egoic nature.

The story of his years of ministry show him repeatedly going beyond that ego, that self-centredness, and becoming one with God, fully divine, or as fully divine as a fully human being can be. He repeatedly emptied himself and surrendered his lower desire nature."

- Don MacGregor, in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

His "Jesus" is plainly another Jesus as warned about in the Scripture which headed this article, as unlike the perfect Biblical Jesus - the Word made flesh, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (Ref. John 1:14) - this other SELF-CENTRED "Jesus" had a FALSE NATURE which he had to rid himself of in order TO BECOME AS FULLY DIVINE AS A FULLY HUMAN BEING CAN BE! Just as we can become too! Consider carefully the following, which in rejecting what the Bible explicitly teaches about peace coming to the world only when Jesus the Messiah returns to rule from Jerusalem in His millennial Kingdom, presents MacGregor's own entirely New Age take on such things:

"So when will the world be at peace? When we all become universal humans, when we harness the energies of love, when we change ourselves - in other words, when we enter the kingdom of divine-human consciousness."
- Don MacGregor, in 'New Humanity' published July 26, 2015.

Divine-human consciousness, no less! Ye shall be as gods! It's just Eve's temptation re-visited! Of a truth, as the Scriptures declare:

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."

(Ecclesiastes 1:9)

There's no such thing as a "new Christianity" as MacGregor trumpets. There is but one unfailing Faith which was once and for all time delivered to the saints. Unchanging. Unchangable. There's only an old, old lie from the Pit of Hell, endlessly regurgitated to lead each successive generation away from immutable Truth!

There is so much more in his writings that could be quoted to demonstrate that this man is as full as an egg of all things New Age. There is so much more that could be said about such persons as have much influenced him, like New Age futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard, the Sufi (mystical Islam) poet Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, the Jesuit evolutionist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, or New Age founding father Sir GeorgeTrevelyan. 

MacGregor's and CANA's articles are shot through with New Age buzz-words and phrases, like Oneness, interconnectedness, spiritual transformation, transition, being awakened, a new story, paradigm shifts, universal spirituality, etc., etc., etc. But I will conclude this case study with an examination of MacGregor's belief in the first of the concepts mentioned in this particular paragraph, namely Oneness.



DON MACGREGOR: ADVOCATE OF "ONENESS"

"I believe there is a universal path of wisdom that underlies all true spiritual paths, and it is to do with the dawning realization of our interconnectedness at the energetic level. We are One in the divine matrix of consciousness that holds us all in being - and that Jesus knew it... His teaching was to love, and that is the way to develop higher wisdom and interconnectedness - love is about compassionate relationships, which is what is needed in the world at all levels. This is the spiritual journey - into Oneness."
- Don MacGregor in 'Daring to Dream' published Sept. 21, 2014.

You'll note that he asserts that we are One (rendered with an upper case O), and our spiritual journey is into Oneness (again with a capital O). So let's have a look at what Oneness means to those who use this term, as to do so will be very revealing and disturbing indeed! It is never used randomly, but is of deep meaning and great significance to anyone who has been or is currently involved in the New Age movement. Let's go to a major primary source for a definition of what Oneness is:

"What is Oneness?

Oneness is the open secret. Like a fish that doesn't notice water, many human beings overlook our essential Oneness. When we fully discover our inextricable unity with the Divine and all life it radically transforms our lives. We fulfill our deepest yearning for love, freedom, and Divine truth. We also gain an entirely new orientation to how we live our lives. We naturally serve the greatest good for all beings. Oneness is a timeless truth. Mystics and philosophers have proclaimed it for thousands of years. For over a century, science has proven the connection of consciousness and matter, our genetic connection with all life, and our biological and psychological interdependence. We are One. At this time an unprecedented number of human beings are awakening to Oneness. In terms of our evolution as a species and of all life on Earth the timing could not be more perfect. Our awakening addresses the root cause of all our problems: the illusion of separation. In Oneness we can find the solutions needed to avoid global calamity and create a world of health, well-being and abundance that works for all."
(Source: http://www.globalonenesssummit.org/)

The reason Oneness sports an upper case O is that it is believed that to achieve Oneness is to achieve Godhood! There is a spirit behind this, and it is the spirit of antichrist which avers that we are One, One again given that capital O to proclaim our supposed Divinity. 

Oneness is emphatically not a timeless truth, but a Genesis-old lie from the father of lies; this whole assumed "open secret" of Oneness is absolutely diabolical in its utter falsehood and Pit-deep deception! Separation is not an illusion but the basic grim reality of our fallen condition, which has caused the complete alienation of us all from our Creator and our desperate need of a Saviour, who is not to be found within ourselves, but sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven making intercession for those who are truly His.

Man has no unity with the Divine whatsoever, and rather than naturally serving the greatest good for all beings we naturally serve ourselves in our wretched sinfulness. We are not an evolving species of Darwinian delusion, but a carnal creature that has not changed one iota since Eden, Hell-bent on our own and everyone else's destruction. We are not awakening in any sense, but continuing to sleep-walk our relentless way to Armageddon, Judgment and Hell! Oneness is but "philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men" (Colossians 2:8), "profane and vain babblings, and... science falsely so called." (1 Timothy 6:20).

The New Age doctrine that "we are One" is as wrong as it is possible to be. It's not we, but He - the triune, Sovereign Lord God of all creation - who is One. When the truth and authority of His Word has been rejected, there's nothing to test anything by, and we're in spiritual free-fall. Rather than being like a fish that doesn't notice water, overlooking our mythical Oneness, we don't - or won't - perceive that we have bitten the bait, swallowed the hook, and are being reeled in on Satan's line. "Hath God said?" the serpent hisses seductively. "Ye shall not surely die... ye shall be as gods!" (Genesis 3:1-5). Same old line. Same old itchy-eared suckers falling for the pitch. There's only one Answer, and it's most certainly not Oneness. It's found in the Person of Jesus Christ, the real Biblical Jesus who is indeed the only begotten Son of the Living God. And we have to come to the foot of His Cross to ask His forgiveness with a genuinely penitent heart and find our redemption in the only Way that has been made available to us, that by His grace and His grace alone, we can find true peace and Rock-solid salvation.

CONCLUSION

The late Dave Hunt of The Berean Call summed up the whole tragic New Age delusion so succinctly, in the 'Gods of the New Age' documentary, when he remarked: "We're not separated from our Higher Self - we're separated from God by sin!"

TAKE HEED, ALL WHO LIKE DON MACGREGOR WOULD VENTURE DOWN THIS PATH, A PATH THAT LEADS NOT TO INNER ENLIGHTENMENT... BUT TO OUTER DARKNESS! NOT TO PEACE... BUT TO UTTER DESTRUCTION!

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

(Matthew 7:13-14)

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

(John 14:6)

"But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD."

(Ezekiel 11:21)

* * * * * * *

FURTHER READING/VIEWING:
I would particularly recommend the writings and videos of Warren B. Smith, Caryl Matrisciana and Johanna Michaelsen, who were all heavily involved in the New Age movement before accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. They have great insight into just how deeply New Age thought and practice has penetrated into the professing Church today.

IN PREPARATION:
Central to Don MacGregor's quest for "spiritual transformation" is the practice of meditation. Contemplative practices are taking off big time in "Christian" circles today, and many are completely ignorant of their origins and the deep dangers they are exposing themselves to by indulging in such disciplines. A 2-part article on contemplative prayer is in preparation and should be available shortly, dealing firstly with "centering prayer" and secondly with "Christian meditation." 

* * * * * * *