The New Dark Ages Part Two-Ginghamsburg,Kim Miller and the origins of Multi Sensory Worship

2:Thess 2:3
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first,

I have been to many different churches in my life.
Some good, some bad.
Word of Faith, Independent Fundamental Baptist, TBN churches been to many different kind of churches with different expressions of the Christian faith.
Some false some true to the faith.

Ginghamsburg is the only place where I have actually walked out of the church in the middle of the service because it was so bad.

Ginghamsburg is right down I75 from the place I live here in Ohio.
I guess the closest thing you could compare it to is the circus at Saddleback in California.

Ginghamsburg is run by businessman Mike Slaughter.
Mike is very good at what he does and is popular around these parts he puts on a heck of a show.
When I walked into the service (I walked out of) I was greeted by a honky tonk piano player in the building lobby and a cookie set up comparable to something you would see on a cruise ship.
This was during Christmas time several years ago.
Mike was speaking on how Jesus was surrounded by poop (thats the word he used) at his birth.
There was really no point to Mikes speech which segued into some clips of National Lampoons Christmas vacation movie attempting to make some sort of point.
That was enough for me.
So I stood up (I was in the front row-gulp) and removed my family from this place.
Two things still remain ingrained in my mind-
As I stood up I saw the look of the crowd.
Mesmerised by Mike it was almost like looking out a crowd during a Amway rally.
Then I noticed the two Secret Service looking guys with in ear pieces who followed me and my family at a distance all the way to the parking lot.
Like Lot escaping Sodom and Gomorrah I never looked back.
A couple of observations here.
Ginghamsburg has a great state of the art sound system and a very talented band.
Very nicely done entertainment disguised as worship.
Sorry folks you just cant take secular songs and Christanize them.
That does not honor God and is a very lazy cheap trick, even though it does get the audience into their flesh and on their feet..

Now on to Kim Miller creative director for Ginghamsburg.
As much as I can tell the term multi sensory worship comes from Kim.
I could be wrong but regardless where this originated at the term is driven by the entertainment staff at Ginghamsburg.

A couple weeks ago I purchased Kims book "Designing Worship".
The book speaks for itself and I'll just let you judge the quotes and elborate on some point's just briefly.
As the deception and the great falling increases Ive found that new agers no longer even try to mask what they are doing, these quotes will tell their own story.

Under the title of the book is this "creating and intergrating powerful God experiences."

On the copyright page it states under Group (the publishers)
Group resources actually work- (I bet they do)
Under there acroymn for REAL one is Experiential-"What learners experience through discussion and action sticks with them up to 9 times longer than what they simply read or hear.

My question to you is does the Bible teach that?
Does the Bible teach experience over reading and hearing Gods Word?
You need to go check your Bible on that one.
Most Christians have had a big God experience, some however have not.
And the big experience is never the norm and you can see in Gods Word that these experiences are never initiated are created by something man does.
But always 100% of the time are initiated by God Himself.

Now you have places that manufacture God experiences. I can assure you probably 98% of the time they are false.
What do I base this on?
They are being created by man not God.

Here are some book quotes-judge for yourselves.

Page 67 under a media servant profile for Steve Crichton-"Steve dons a headset. With graphic cue script in hand, Steve sets out to do his "Jesus job." As a weekend media director, he's calling out cameras, cues and shots while an unsuspecting congregation worships and remains "in the God moments."

Chapter 9 is titled "Four Mantras for the Mission"
Page 90-
"All four of these mantras have guided me as I've worked with people, projects, and God possibilities. Remembering them has been so very freeing as I make daily decisions that will have eternal impact." Now whether I'm casting roles for a children's musical or designing a special altar for a 9/11 anniversary, I hear God say, "Kim, just work inside of who you are; tell the truth! Do the right thing, not the expected thing. I have given you all authority-for heavens sake...go! when we ignore these four mantras, we find that we have music without passion, media without power, and messages without purpose. I dont know anyone who wants to be part of a mediocre movement. " end quote

For those of you who do not know what a mantra is here is the definition taken from a Hindu American website.
(The term mantra is not a Christian term and cannot be molded into one)

"Mantra- A sound, syllable, word or phrase endowed with spiritual power, usually drawn from scripture. A mantra focuses the mind toward spiritual progress. "
Definition taken from the Hindu American website.

Again using a mantra is not a Christian practice it is a Hindu one. The scripture spoken of above is not Biblical scripture but Hindu writings. You cannot take a practice from Hinduism and use it and expects results from our God.
Our God does not honor pagan practices like those Kim Miller uses and the fruit will not be that of true Christianity.

Pagan practices such as the use of mantras is not a true practice.
In John 4:23-24 Jesus said that
"the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (verses 23, 24).

In conclusion when Rick Warren decided to start a new business he calls church he went out and polled the unsaved on what they wanted to see in a church.
This worked great, Rick feed their flesh, and benefited greatly both in fame and finance.
Businessman Mike Slaughter has done the same here in the Midwest.
Do we need to feed the flesh of the unsaved?

You will need to decide if you want to be part of false, manufactured signs and wonders or not.

Here is what Gods Word states.
.
Gal 5:16-21
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 7:14
"And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

Luke 11:35
"Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness"

PS Kim Millers book is endorsed by New Ager/ Gnostic Leonard Sweet
From back cover
" Finally, a resource that hits the Trifecta of Worship-Message, Music, Media-for all sized churches. Each 'God Experience' bought me across faith's finish line with new energy and power and passion."
-Leonard Sweet

You will one day need to decide whether you will continue to be part of this ever growing deception or not.
I pray the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth.
Tim

Next article will be on those who promote occult practices such as Dan Kimball.