The Circle Maker Fable: Introducing Witchcraft to the
Church
By: DeAnne
Loper
“Not giving heed to Jewish
fables, and commandments of men that turn from the truth.”
Titus 1:14
“…that thou might charge
some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables…For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…And they shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
1 Timothy 1:3 4, 2
Timothy 4:3-4
“For we have not
followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the
power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
2
Peter 1:16
The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church
I first discovered Batterson’s book
while searching the internet for a quote from The Book of Legends. When The Circle Maker came up next to The
Book of Legends I was immediately alarmed by its blatant target toward
Christians to incorporate the use of the circle – an ancient pagan practice –
into their prayers. The Book of
Legends is a compilation of stories from the Talmud and Midrash and on page
21 of The Circle Maker Batterson tells readers that it is one of his
favorite books. What Batterson and so
many other pastors of late who are referencing these extra biblical sources
with more and more frequency (including the Zohar or Kabbalah) are not telling Christians
about is the occult origin and antichrist writings contained in these
"sacred" Jewish texts. For example, the
Talmud states that Jesus suffered four methods of execution and is now in hell
boiling in hot excrement (Sanhedrin 90a, Gitim 56b). It also says of Mary, the mother of our Lord,
“She who was the descendant of princes and governors, played the harlot with
carpenters (Sanhedrin 106b).”
In
addition, the Babylonian Talmud is the legal basis for the Noahide Laws, a
universal moral code of ethics for “righteous” Gentiles. “While Jews are
commanded to observe hundreds of laws, non-Jews are expected to follow seven that
are presumed to date from the time of Noah. Judaism regards any non-Jew who
keeps these laws a righteous person who is guaranteed a place in the world to
come.” 3
Included in these seven laws is the prohibition of idolatry
(worship of Jesus Christ) and the penalty for breaking any one of the Noahide
Laws is death by decapitation. Sanhedrin
57a of the Talmud states, “One additional element of greater severity is that
violation of any one of the seven laws subjects the Noahide to capital
punishment by decapitation.” In 1991 the
U.S. Congress, under the presidency of George H.W. Bush, established the Seven
Noahide Laws as Public Law 102-14. 4
THE
USE OF THE CIRCLE IN WITCHCRAFT
There
is nowhere in the Bible that teaches the ritual use of a circle – or any other
symbol – to gain power, protection or possessions from God; even so, Batterson tells his readers on page 13 that the circle Honi "drew in the sand became a sacred symbol." Contrast this with the fact that it is widely
known in the occult and New Age movement that the circle has been used for
centuries in magic and witchcraft to cast spells and to control and ward off
evil spirits:
The Circle –
“The circle has many different meanings.
One relates to eternity. More
often the circle is used for protection from evil without and to contain power
within.”
Circle within a Circle – “used for protection from unruly forces.”
Magic Circle – “The
Medieval Grimoires (demons) showed how to draw a magic circle, a necessary step
in evoking demons, summoning up the dead, and other magical practices...used
primarily in black magic ceremonies.”(Exposing & Confronting Satan &
Assoc., Wendell Amstutz, Lifespan Publ., 1992)
“In modern
Paganism, one of the facets common to many traditions is the use of a circle as
a sacred space. While other religions
rely on the use of a building such as a church or temple to hold worship,
Wiccans and Pagans can cast a circle pretty much any place they choose…A
ceremonial circle is a place in which positive energy and power are kept in,
and negative energy kept out. The size of your circle will depend on how many
people need to be inside it, and what the circle’s purpose is.”
"A magic circle is a circle or sphere of space marked out by practitioners of many branches of ritual magic, either to contain energy and form a sacred space, or as a form of magical protection, or both. It may be marked physically, drawn in salt or chalk, for example, or merely visualized. Its spiritual significance is similar to that of mandala and yantra in some Eastern religions." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_circle)
Considering the seriousness of Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees
in Mark chapter 7 why would a Christian pastor who claims to know and love the
Talmud introduce such fables to their congregations? Regardless of how many happy anecdotes or feel-good stories there are in The Circle Maker, there is enough spiritual error and occultism in Batterson's book for discerning Christians to avoid it at all costs. In addition to being
a Christian bestseller, The Circle Maker also holds the prestigious title of “New York Times Bestseller”
and, despite the warnings in Scripture, is gaining a foothold in many churches
with its new method to answered prayer; an evident fulfillment of Paul’s
warning in 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 of a great end-time falling
away and departure from the faith. More
than ever the Church, by the “fervent and effectual” prayer of faith in Jesus’
name, must seek God for discernment according to the unchanging Word of God in
these times of great apostasy.
FOOTNOTES
2) Israel
