Barack Obama: Prayin' to Jesus. Signs of the Jesus-only Trend

Barack Obama: following the Jesus-only trend?

If it doesn't really matter whom we worship,
or address our prayers, or thank (as the Source) within the Trinity... then why not just worship Jesus, just pray to Jesus, as Barack Obama professed on national television recently:
"I've been in the same church for 20 years, prayin' to Jesus."

- and just thank Jesus? That was a question on a new game show the other night:

"How many of the audience polled said that if they won an award, they would publicly thank Jesus?"

It was a very high percentage.
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I see a progression in thought which has lead any Christians to a popular belief that Jesus, alone, is their God (a contemporary version of the old heresy of Modalism, where One person fulfills all 3 offices or 'modes' of the Trinity). Followers of this belief perceive that when they pray to the Father, they are in reality praying to Jesus in His capacity as 'Father', and they also see the 'Holy Spirit' as the spirit of Jesus - Therefore Jesus IS the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We do have churches [some would say cults] which openly claim this as their belief system, such as the UPC (United Pentecostal Church), but my concern is that mainstream Christianity has also absorbed this theology to a large extent - without even being cognizant of the change, because it happens in such a subtle way. These churches would never SAY that they believe in anything but the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, but their actions speak otherwise.

Before I share the tangible evidence I've gathered, I'd like to encourage you to ask your colleagues and friends to watch for these things with you - especially if they attend different types of churches.

The non-denominational/charismatic/"community" churches seem to be the most obvious in their prayers to Jesus in Jesus' name, worship songs that acknowledge Jesus as their God, etc., but, as you'll see in the quotes given below, traditional denominations are 'morphing' into Jesus-Only churches as well.

1) There is evidence that contemporary worship music now used in mainline churches has Jesus-only connotations:

Quote: Updated July 12, 2006 (first published May 30, 1997) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns.wayoflife.org;

“It is a strange but true fact that many Bible-believing churches that are strongly opposed to charismatic DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE are being influenced by charismatic MUSIC... THE “JAZZED-UP HYMNS” HAVE GONE MAINSTREAM and have swept throughout much of the Christian world... Many of the most popular “praise songs” today were composed by men and women involved with the Oneness Pentecostal movement, which denies the Trinity and which baptizes only in the name of Jesus. A recent article in Charisma magazine (June 1997) noted that “most popular praise anthems sung in charismatic and evangelical churches today were composed by Oneness believers.”

3) Examples of Jesus-only worship songs, used widely among denominational and non-denominational churches:

“Here I Am to Worship”:

Light of the World

You stepped down into darkness (refers specifically to Jesus)
Open my eyes
Let me see
Beauty that made
This heart adore You
Hope of a life
Spent with You

Chorus:

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that YOU'RE my God (refers again just to Jesus)

You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days Oh, so highly exalted
Glorious in Heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth YOU created (Jesus is our Creator)

All for love's sake became poor.

Another song: "And I surrender to your ways"

“It’s all about you, Jesus.
And all this is for you.
For your glory and your fame.
It’s not about me, as if you should do things my way.

YOU ALONE ARE GOD, and I surrender to your ways. ”

-- PASSION
I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (disc 1)

FURTHER EVIDENCE:

4) Some of the highway billboards, especially in the Bible Belt, provide another compelling visual sign of the Jesus-Only trend. The slanted theology, hidden in their towering slogans, can have a subtle effect on one's thinking, similar to absorbing subliminal messages or slowly being brainwashed. I've asked my son, who is an over-the-road truck driver, to take pictures of them as he travels around the U.S.! The effect is multiplied by bumper stickers, T shirts and other message-bearers that mobilize the movement toward Jesus-only religion. Aside from its unChristlike sentiments, think about the subtle inference contained on this T-shirt logo: "My Jesus can beat up your Allah". My GOD can beat up your God, correct?

5) Ironically, much of the programming on TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network) has a Jesus-only slant, which again provides a subtle influence, as do a number of the TBN-produced movies, such as "The Apostle Paul", which is based on the book of Acts but identifies Jesus as "our Lord and our God" and shows a young woman fervently praying to Jesus in His own name. Please note the TBN "prayer of salvation" quoted in the excerpt from my book that follows - definitely Jesus-only!

6) A movie produced by a BAPTIST (mainline) church focuses on "Jesus only" Christianity, as noted by the MPAA:

Facing the Giants

Rated PG for some thematic elements.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon

"It’s almost unbelievable. A Baptist church in Georgia makes a feature-length Christian movie for the tiny amount of $100,000 and that film ends up getting released in nearly 500 theaters around the country... You might have heard about some of the controversy over the film’s PG rating. Apparently, the MPAA originally suggested that the rating had to do with the film’s focus on “Jesus only” Christianity."

7) EVIDENCE that LINES ARE BEING BLURRED and the CHRISTIAN CULTURE AT LARGE may be unable to discern that a new theology is taking root:

America’s ‘Most Influential Black Spiritual Leaders’:

Published February 15th, 2007 by Editor in General News, Christian Research Net : *Oneness Pentecostal*and Word Faith teacher T.D. Jakes tops the list according to this report from the Christian Post. The report also notes that “Jakes was also named last year’s most influential Christian by The Church Report.”

Of the TOP 50 most influential Christians in 2006, 17 of them are regulars on TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network):

Coffee Talk #77
November 21, 2002
By Rick Walston, Ph.D. CES.ColumbiaSeminary.edu

TV Pentecostals: "Next, what are those TV Pentecostals? We've all seen them. In my humble estimation, so-called Christian television is one of the biggest culprits of "Pentecostal homogenization" in the minds of people. On TBN, all of the camps mentioned above are often represented. They even have Oneness Pentecostals on their programing! More than a few people have mentioned the irony of a TV program called "Trinity Broadcasting Network" having modalistic, Oneness Pentecostals on their programs."

8) RELEVENT EXCERPT from PIVOT POINT, a creative nonfiction by Fern Holm

"Possibly paving the way for a movement toward Jesus-only, Jesus-is-our-God religion, the evangelistic church at large has preached a gospel that has at least the potential to lead people to Christ alone. Some samples of the gospel message and the recommended prayer of salvation, publicly displayed on the website of each of these organizations, are quoted below.

AFLC: Association of Free Lutheran Congregations: To receive Christ as Lord and Savior right now, you might pray a prayer like this:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You a lost and lonely sinner. I confess that only You can take away the burden of my sins. I believe You died on the cross for all my sins. Come into my life right now. Forgive all my sins. I surrender my life to You and want to receive You as Lord of my life. Please give me the assurance of the Holy Spirit that I belong to You. Amen.”

SBC: Southern Baptist Convention: “Salvation”

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.

Salvation Army:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

BGEA: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name. Amen.”

TBN: Trinity Broadcast Network:

Prayer of Salvation: "Dear Jesus, I believe in You. I believe You are the Son of God, that You died for my sins, and that You were buried and rose again as written in the Bible. I'm sorry for the things I've done that hurt You. Forgive me for all my sins. Come into my heart, take charge of my life and make me the way You want me to be. With Your ever present help, I renounce all my sinful practices of the past. Cleanse my heart with Your precious blood. Write my name in Your Book of Life. I confess You now as my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Jesus! In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Although it is certainly true that faith in Jesus is the only way we can be reconciled to God ("No one comes to the Father but by Me"), shouldn't there at least be some mention here of the One to whom we are reconciled? Can you see the total focus on Jesus in each one, even praying to Jesus in Jesus’ name? Something is definitely missing in this circular prayer that seems to fold in upon itself. Jesus is “the Way”—not the Destination. An arrow, not a circle. There’s a mystery here, one that’s begging to be solved. Something is missing, but what is it?"
-- Excerpt from PIVOT POINT

*** In conclusion, when people make a conscious choice about their beliefs it's one thing, but the evidence presented here exposes a subtle external influence that appears to be ever-so-slowly turning Christianity ... in a direction it never planned to take.