Or am I trying to please man? Further evidence of CRs false gospel can be found near the end of the video. There is NO man made program that can free a sinner from his/her bondage to sin, theres only ONE who can set us free from the grasp of sin, for sin overpowers all sinners. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life. I was a consistent attendee of Celebrate Recovery 18 years ago, and then in later years at different churches. Now lets take a look at some of the unbiblical 8 Principles and 12 Steps of the Celebrate Recovery program: Its a little confusing as to why CR has both 12 Steps and 8 Principles of recovery, but if Im understanding it correctly, CRs 12 Steps are designed to be sort of a bridge to assimilate people already familiar with the 12 steps of secular recovery groups (such as AA) into CR. Life Luke 12:43-45. Hi Ashley, 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. Specifically, Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matt. Each person has their own unique relationship with Jesus based on how the Holy Spirit translates the scripture to the individual, each person is free to seek outside sources for guidance on how to translate scripture and when they listen to a sermon or read a study it is that individuals responsibility to test the message against scripture and since we are all unique we dont have a right to determine that the other persons belief is wrong simply because it doesnt perfectly match our own. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Angels, Demons, Spiritual Warfare Matthew 7 Some of the best known can be found in the blue menu bar at the top of this page at myPopular False Teacherstab. A male teacher or pastor cannot allow women to carry out this violation of Scripture in his ministry. by Chad Prigmore. May 2020 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. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. One such effort is a packaged addictions program called Celebrate Recovery (CR). Obeying the commands of scripture is not legalism - it's a major aspect of the Christian faith. New Age Righteousness 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. Faults are not equivalent to sins. Human Nature The step programs are not about earning any kind of grace or favor (works) in Gods eyes. August 2017 Scripture Alone Emergent Church 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 . It guides us toward new healthy truths and life-giving habits as we repair our broken relationships. From the History of Celebrate Recovery page on the CR website: Celebrate Recovery is the number one outreach ministry at Saddleback Church, with over 70 percent of its members now coming from outside the church.Celebrate Recovery is not just growing in churches, but in recovery houses, rescue missions, universities, and prisons around the world. Commentary, stories, and side notes have been added. That was enough for both of us!! I have had totally different results from Celebrate Recovery and would recommend it to any one. Needless to say, CR has had a major influence on the church. Purpose Driven The program, created by John Baker and Rick Warren, is supposedly based on biblical principles. ! The worship music was embarrassing, to say the very least. August 2015 Thursday. CELEBRATE RECOVERY'S EIGHT RECOVERY PRINCIPLES. Peace Sunday. This leaves room for lost people to infer, These are their beliefs, but they dont have to be mine.. 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. Predestination Humility Other Alcoholics Anonymous Writings and Publications. Eric Davis of The Cripplegate analyzes the popular packaged addiction program, Celebrate Recovery (CR) that many churches have adopted. Rick Warren writes, " [D]uring the ten-week series that I preached to kick . they will send out emails to all the members to not have anything to do with you because you are not attending cr. This is not the same thing as adding to Gods word. 2022 by Berean Research. try to leave it and see what happens. 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. 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. Get help and get the past out of the dark and let Gods light shine. Alcoholics Anonymous has served its purpose, says Lanagan. In the U.S. and abroad, over 35,000 churches and many secular organizations and businesses now offer Celebrate Recovery programs, and over 5 million people have completed CRs Step Study program. There simply is no way to justify the need for anything else - especially something as far from the Christian gospel message as the Twelve Steps. Encouragement The question is not, Does Celebrate Recovery work?. October 2015 Sinful Desire The organization was founded in 1991 by John Baker, a former alcoholic staff member of Saddleback Church with the support of Pastor Rick Warren. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36, Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Romans 6:16. Truth A ministry or trend cannot allow or encourage any of these things. Print. Sermon On The Mount John Baker and Rick Warren of Saddleback Church created the program in 1991 to help people with various addictions. The Good News of Celebrate Recovery? In 2020, the organization was present in 10 countries around the world. November 2016 If you have never attended a Celebrate Recovery group before, you might be wondering, How do I know Celebrate Recovery even works? Why even invest time and commitment into something that might not be effective? I now vow to never go back. 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. When Christ preached the Beatitudes, he did not intend for them to be a protocol for recovery. John Baker and Rick Warren of Saddleback Church created the program in 1991 to help people with various addictions. Hello. The gospel is the gospel. Sorry to see you caught up in this unbiblical nonsense. The only capital G, capital N Good News is the Good News of the biblical gospel, which CR has repeatedly failed to present and instead has substituted its own false gospel which is devoid of sin, faith, and repentance. Many AA or CR members dont realize this!) John 15:18-19, Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. To exclude this is only done if we take it out of scripture and then live without being perfected as seen by God. Dec 27 2016. Absolutely not says researcher John Lanagan. If you read through the articles on our site you will see that numerous external sources are referenced which expose the demonic origins of Alcoholics Anonymous - many of those sources are AA's own literature. Oh yes, they mentioned God but even Mormons and Jehova witness mention God. Learn how your comment data is processed. Judging and Examining Ourselves [podcast] February 1, 2023. False Teaching Death [1] John Baker served as the primary author of The Celebrate Recovery curriculum and materials. Get rid of it completely. This medical model of sin is completely unbiblical because it removes personal culpability and responsibility for sin, i.e. Declan Pierce, a DJ who hosts Block Rockin' Beats on Dublin-based station Today FM, thanked staff who helped him after a brain haemorrhage. If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. 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. Scary, how many people we know that are full on CRs. January 2017 Living Water [9][10] They may not use resources outside of the Bible and authorized Celebrate Recovery curriculum materials. Sufficiency Of Scripture Trials Grace 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. Atonement CR is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that may be controlling your life. So now to part 1 of Eric Davis2 part series. August 2020 Todd-April 2, 2018. December 2014 Celebrate Recovery. These actions will fuel the isolation and cause the lost to runaway from religion. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Corinthians 2:14 (emphasis, mine) tells us. Actions I basically drank everyday for 40 years. (If you absolutely cant find a doctrinally sound church in your area, you could seek out an ACBC certified biblical counselor.). Temptation I recommend against any teacher, ministry, or evangelical trend that violates one or more of these biblical tenets. Repentance is grieving from the heart that you have sinned against a holy God, wishing you had never done it, and striving never to do it again. How do you reconcile using the heretical Twelve Steps of AA instead of the gospel with this command? This was two years ago and weve never been back. House, 1998. The Holy Spirit said it through PaulRom. As far as I know, we never completely abandoned the message of repentance and faith, but I think all the psychology muddied the waters the executive director is now in a same sex marriage. For those who have never experienced a hang up or addiction should not even be speaking!!! The man has sinned. Go preach the gospel - not go introduce the addicted to a Twelve Step program and then if all goes well try to get the gospel message in somewhere. Hi Emily, Instead, Jesus teaches that one certain evidence of the true believer is a poverty of spirit. As a defender of AA and CR who claims to be Christian, you have to ask yourself - how could you ever claim the authority and sufficiency of scripture as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches without being a hypocrite? WALLACE, N.C. , Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Focused Addiction Recovery (FAR), a behavioral health treatment center in Wallace, North Carolina, has officially opened its doors and is now . Besides that, the pick and choose usage of Bible verses made the whole thing pretty disingenuous and cheesy. 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. Satan Baker, John, and Richard Warren. Your comment will be posted after it is approved. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The concept of God as a Higher Power of our own understanding put forward by Bill Wilson in the Twelve Steps is blasphemy. Service You mention Rick Warren added some scripture so it could be sold and marketed as celebrate recovery. The terms they use to identify themselves are secular and psychologized (addiction co-dependency adult child of family dysfunction) rather than biblical (the sin of drunkenness, fear/idolatry of man, and sinful family relationships, bitterness, unforgiveness, or whatever adult child of family dysfunction actually means. The ministry below is one Ive been asked about recently, so Ive done a quick check (this is brief research, not exhaustive) on it. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Its obvious why the 12 steps are included, because the world is familiar with them. What program should be recommended? A local Celebrate Recovery ministry should follow the policies of their local church and continue to be grateful for their continued support. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. [14] Celebrate Recovery has not been significantly studied, so there is no empirical evidence regarding the impacts or efficacy of the Celebrate Recovery program. Proverbs 30:5,6 says, "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Anyway, thank you for helping me reach greater clarity about what we did. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012. John Baker is the one who organized celebrate recovery with the overseer being Rick Warren. Don't judge a book by it's cover. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling our life. Heaven It is common knowledge that the Alcoholics Anonymous program and the Twelve Steps that Celebrate Recovery adopted were demonically inspired and directly contradict the gospel of Jesus Christ - they are obviously the works of darkness. Access our library of updated, exclusive material that will strengthen both individuals and local ministries. Both sons remained his sons no matter what. Also, look who comes first here in this line of confession not God, but self. Thanks for stopping by! If bible verses were added to Hitler's, Is adding to God's word by blending the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous with the scriptures as the. Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. Spiritual Formation ; The ability to have face-to-face conversations and . Words, "Any teaching that detracts in the slightest from the glory of God is not a biblical teaching.". Follow what hes saying: All have sinned >> sin = mistakes/hurting others/others hurting us >> weve all made mistakes/hurt others/others have hurt us >> that means all of us qualify for Celebrate Recovery, All have sinned >> sin = rebellion against God >> we all qualify for the gospel. November 2014 March 2017 Or what changes would need to be made for you to be a supporter of celebrate recovery? I have noticed that almost all CR attendees who have quit one addiction just turned to another. Matthew 7:13 says, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." Is His gospel in His Word not enough? And the gospel is what we all need. Scripture 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! Its a place knowing your not alone and cannot be done on your own. The twelve steps referred to in the above excerpt are the demonically inspired twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous which directly contradict the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since our fall at the dawn of time, we have been naturally enslavement to every destructive behavior possible. Celebrate Recovery (CR) was created by John Baker, a member of false teacher Rick Warren's Saddleback "Church". And, although it should go without saying, the Beatitudes arent about hurts, addictions, or recovery. Print. I am involved in CR and I am not relying on the 12 steps. 11. Idolatry Meditation Commentators agree that the Beatitudes describe the common characteristics of true believers (e.g. The eight principles upon which CR is derived are as follows (the principle is stated, followed by the corresponding Beatitude): Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. 7,416,908 journeys have been made to this site. June 2020 One such effort is a packaged addictions program called Celebrate Recovery (CR). Celebrate Recovery: Getting Right with God, Yourself, and Others: Participant Guide, 3. Generally speaking, in order for me to recommend a teacher, speaker, author, or ministry, he/she/it has to meet three criteria: a)A female teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly preach to or teach men in violation of 1 Timothy 2:12. We are told in Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." 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. November 2015 If you are in danger of hurting yourself or someone else, please call: 911 - Emergency or 988 - Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or 1-800-273-8255. At Landmark Recovery, we are happy to help you find a support system that meshes with your belief system. Jesus commands us to repent. Instead, the Beatitudes are descriptions of kingdom citizens; of individuals having been saved by Gods grace. It cannot be done without repentance, faith, and regeneration in response to the biblical gospel. Discernment They tell sinners Jesus loves them, invite Him into your heart, make your decision, choose Jesus, get baptized, etc. Stepping out of Denial into God's Grace: Participant's Guide, 1. Psalm19 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. They'll say, "I don't know anybody that doesn't need recovery" where I often chimed in, "I don't know anyone who doesn't need Jesus." If I want to hear horrid music, Ill search out Captain Beefheart on YouTube. There is an enormous difference between a man getting drunk and beating his wife half to death and a wife who has been beaten half to death by her drunkard husband. The clearest instance of this occurs inthe principles upon which CR is founded. "Substitute anything for Christ, and the Gospel is totally spoiled! Only a omnipotent, omniscient God has the power to free the sinner. If someone is involved in Celebrate Recovery they cannot proclaim the authority and sufficiency of scripture without be hypocritical. The global headquarters is in Lake Forest, California, United States . Since CR claims to be Christian in nature, biblical (13), grounded in Gods word (12), and[b]ased on the actual words of Jesus rather than on psychological theory (12), it deserves to be evaluated as such. I have a question for you. Sober Recovery Expert Author. Being perfected is maturity in Progress sanctified through Christ. Occult Sorcery A final point to consider, and not a minor one, is the fact that Celebrate Recovery is embraced by the world. The purpose is to focus on God's healing power through fellowship and community with others who are struggling with life's hurts, habits and hangups. www .michaelenglishmusic .com. 1 Corinthians 15 All rights reserved. People really need to get back to believing in the transforming power of Christ through true repentance and faith. The bottom line / Get help from other Christians / Jesus told us to help others find the narrow way. The most dangerous thing Ive read on this subject is some people claiming they know who is saved for eternity and who isnt. Have you actually read all the material? [13] A study of Celebrate Recovery participants published in 2011 by the Journal of Religion and Health, found that levels of spirituality were associated with greater confidence to resist substance use. The sinner simply asked Jesus to save him and Jesus said your faith has made you whole. June 2015 Another dangerous and unbiblical component of this concept of sin is hurting others is that the CR gospel conflates sinning against others with being sinned against under the banner of hurts. Sin is always immoral and frequently intentional. Gods Sovereignty And a lost person cannot gain the power to follow His will without the indwelling Holy Spirit. 1 John 3:13, They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. Progressive (Social Justice) Christianity So similar, in fact that each Principle is followed by a notation as to which of the 12 steps it corresponds to. Read the articles on this site entitled "Was Alcoholics Anonymous Started by Christians?" The Egyptians at the Red Sea believed in Gods existence and power. Michael English (born April 12, 1962) is an American Christian singer and record producer. September 2015 Sobriety They are all about getting help from the sins that are destroying us. I would never recommend CR to a fellow believer, no matter how popular it is. Pastor Chad Prigmore, September 2020 Forgiveness Mormonism They may experience sobriety, but they will remain in bondage if they do not learn their identity in Christ and experience the power of Grace to overcome habitual sins. 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. January 2015 And while confession is a good thing, its not the same thing as repentance. That is out and out heresy. Because Celebrate Recovery is based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and practiced in thousands of Christian churches without ever being questioned or held up to the light of scripture it is one of the most damaging forms of apostasy in the modern Christian church. People who are lost and involved in an AA program can step over to CR and meet Jesus. Hold the phone, Henrietta. 5:48). Celebrate Recovery 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. Neither are they ways to be happy (12). The Bible puts those two people in two different categories and addresses them discretely and justly. 6:6 and Col. 1:13). I also do think the 12 Steps are an attempt to Christianize the worlds system, and is law teaching. Also, we are told in 1 Corinthians 10:14,"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." Many saved people have been forgiven by Jesus but never learned to free themselves of their past. Adapting worldly means and methods for use in the church (though characteristic of Saddleback) is not biblical. God bless. Alison Jones: Dear precious Christian. Actually, we judge Celebrate Recovery by what it is based on and what it teaches - the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps which directly contradict the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We made far too many compromises with the world, and very few people experienced true freedom from homosexuality. February 2015 We are to go and preach the gospel not try to figure out what the world is comfortable with and then use that. Notice the number of times he says We believe instead of the Bible says or simply stating the terms of the gospel as irrefutable fact. 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. The common argument from proponents of Celebrate Recovery when presented with the truth of the twelve steps heretical origins is that because bible verses are used along with the Twelve Steps in Celebrate Recovery it is a Christian program - this defense is ridiculous. 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). Yet, CR adds the Twelve Steps to God's Word - even going so far as creating their own Bible with the Twelve Steps included! Celebrate Recovery Summit 2023 For the first time in years, we will be hosting the Celebrate Recovery 2023 Summit at Saddleback Church, CA. We are to stay on the narrow way which we cannot do without obeying God's Word. How very sad I feel for them (RW and co-authors). Celebrate Recovery is a beautiful community of strugglers that courageously enter this safe and beautiful space to get honest about our pain, and the negative ways we may see ourselves, God and others. They present a works-based gospel, which is no gospel at all. CR Training Conferences. Did God forget something in His Word so that we humans had to come up with a program to help people instead? The scriptures have not been changed. Further, Warren claims that CR is more effective in helping people change than anything else Ive seen or heard of (12). Finally, Johnny (probably not even realizing hes doing so) substitutes CR for the biblical gospel. God taught us this way back in Psalm 51 where David, repenting of his sin with Bathsheba said, Against You [God], You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight. God is the first, last, and ultimate object of our sin. Dispensationalism Exposed as an Antichrist Cult [podcast] February 10, 2023. Contemplative Prayer CR is open to professing Christians as well as the lost (in the CR program at Saddleback, non-Christians make up over 70% of CR participants see below), and is modeled after secular 12 step programs (ex: Alcoholics Anonymous). Where in scripture is Jesus referred to as a generic "Higher Power"? Baker, John, and Richard Warren. Celebrate Recovery is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling . Eric Davis of The Cripplegate analyzes the popular packaged addiction program, Celebrate Recovery (CR) that many churches have adopted. Contrary to what the powers that be at CR think, that is not a good thing. Page 11 of the Celebrate Recovery Bible states, "The Celebrate Recovery Bible is based on the eight principles and the underlying twelve Christ-centered recovery steps of the proven Celebrate Recovery program." Spiritualism Popularity does not equal correct doctrine. And that is what makes RW and all his co-hearts the consummate Pharisees of our day, hypocrites, pretenders, and frauds. It is my opinion that no believer will ever experience their freedom in Christ from a program. I am a sinner like everyone else walking this rock we live on. I do not endorse anything on these sites that deviates from Scripture or conflicts with my beliefs as outlined in the Welcome or Statement of Faith tabs in the blue menu bar at the top of this page. As such, CR imposes a meaning other than the authorial intent upon the text. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. It was born out of the heart of Saddleback Church with Ricks approval and under his oversight, and, as you might expect, is fraught with unbiblical issues at nearly every turn. There has never been an inward change that manifests itself by good fruit. God does not bless heresy and worldliness. John 3 Free Will Alcoholics Anonymous promotes idolatry through urging its adherents to believe in a God of their own understanding - which can be pretty much anything or anyone. If youd like to check out some pastors and teachers I heartily recommend, click theRecommended Bible Teachers tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page. Youll probably also notice that even though Johnny uses the word sin a few times, he never speaks in biblical terms about everyones need to repent of their sin. The one thing that Rick Warren, CR, and even Mr. Davis have left out is genuine repentance and an explanation of the effects it has on the one who was given the repentance as a gift from God in the first place. Hi Susan, Christians should have faith in the power of the gospel through God's word in scripture and should never rely on anything other than the gospel to reach those lost in the sin of addiction (which by the way you label as disease which is contrary to scripture - Galatians 5:19-21 clearly defines alcoholism and addiction as sin, not disease). In this process we come to accept that some of the habits we may have developed to escape our pain has caused destruction in our life and those close to us. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Because Celebrate Recovery is mix of heretical worldly teachings with scripture it is on the broad worldly way.