\n<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s see how this goes! Father Richard Rohr is a name I\u2019ve been familiar with for years, and through second-hand insight here and there, I perceived him as some type of progressive or liberal or mystic-leaning Roman Catholic whose influence has spread beyond Roman Catholic circles. I buy a lot of books at thrift shops and used book stores, and when I occasionally came across a Rohr book I might have glanced at it, but did not purchase it for several reasons. I had better things to read, but I also did not necessarily think of Rohr\u2019s teachings as dangerous, only questionable, so I left the book on the shelf.<\/p>\n
But last year I came across a Rohr book entitled The Universal Christ\u00a0<\/em>at one of those \u201clittle free libraries.\u201d The very title of the book gave me pause and created concern in my mind, in comparison to other Rohr titles I\u2019d come across. I took the book, partly to get it out of circulation, but also as an opportunity to assess Rohr for myself. It sat waiting to be read for quite a while, until I was recently invited to something connected to the Center for Action and Contemplation. I\u2019d never heard of it, and the individual told me it was started by Richard Rohr. Oh dear. As politely as possible, I said that anything associated with Richard Rohr would not interest me. However, I had lingering doubt. I\u2019d never actually assessed Rohr for myself! Thus The Universal Christ<\/em> moved to the top of my \u201cto read\u201d pile.<\/p>\n Okay. Let\u2019s cut to the chase. Richard Rohr is a heretic and false teacher. His teachings are wacky, and far outside of orthodoxy. I\u2019ll even say he is dangerous, leading people astray, away from our Lord Jesus Christ. Rohr has created a false Christ of his own making!<\/strong> I was disturbed to see that The Universal Christ\u00a0<\/em>(2019) is a best seller, with close to 5,700 reviews on amazon (that is a lot for any book!) with an average star rating of 4.7 \u2013 Sigh. Bang head. How can this be?<\/p>\n Well, Rohr has written many books over the years and has built a following. I think that The Universal Chris<\/em>t is perhaps his crowning work. Rohr does come across as down-to-earth, and he is \u201ceasy\u201d to read in that his writing flows. However, he is otherwise not easy to read! My husband happened to be in the same room a couple times as I was reading, and he\u2019d hear loud sighs and me muttering things like: You\u2019ve got to be kidding me!!?! WHAT?!?!<\/p>\n I was also surprised that with a quick search of the internet, I did not<\/em> find as much critique of Rohr as I expected. Yes, there is exceptional critique out there, and I will link to both a Protestant and Roman Catholic who do a good job laying out the many problems with Rohr\u2019s teachings in The Universal Christ.<\/em> But there was much less than I expected to find. Why? Well, this is my best guess (other opinions welcome): I think Rohr\u2019s teaching is so overtly and obviously bad that it almost does not need refutation. (Unlike some false teaching that can be subtle or have some truth mixed in, that makes it harder to perceive, and thus it takes discernment and wisdom to sort it out.)<\/p>\n There is so much heretical false teaching \u2013 at total odds with orthodox Christianity \u2013 that it is hard to know where to start! So, I will simply share some bullet points that hit highlights, and then link you to the aforementioned sources.<\/p>\n \u2666\u00a0<\/strong>As I began reading, I quickly realized that Rohr is a pantheist! He quite literally sees God in all things and that all is God! On page 43, Rohr clarifies that he is actually a panentheist. In Rohr\u2019s own words: \u201cI am really a panentheist (God lies within all things, but also transcends them)\u2026\u201d\u00a0 This is at overt odds with orthodox Christianity. God is the Creator, and distinct from his creation. Later in the book, Rohr says that \u201cthe universe is the body of God\u201d<\/strong> (page 134) and \u201cWe are not just humans having a God experience. The Eucharist tells us that, in some mysterious way, we are God having a human experience!\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 (page 137, bold added)<\/p>\n \u2666 It became quickly clear that Rohr falsely separates Jesus and Christ. As the book unfolds, he continued to do so. It is a major theme of the book.<\/strong> Although not exactly the same, it reminded me of early church heresies such as Nestorianism, that denied the hypostatic union. It also reminded me of more recent (late 19th and 20th century) liberal teaching that separated the \u201cJesus of history\u201d from the \u201cChrist of faith.\u201d Which leads to a related point\u2026But before moving on, Rohr is clear \u2013 which is a good thing! For example, he refers to \u201cmy distinction between Jesus and Christ\u201d<\/strong> and how most people up until now \u201chave used the two words interchangeably.\u201d (page 85, bold added)<\/p>\n \u2666 Beware of novelty! \u201cNovelty\u201d is not usually novelty, but an ancient error<\/strong> once again rearing its head \u2013 updated for a new time! When you come across anyone stating that they have new teaching, new enlightenment that the church or Christians have missed for the last 2,000 years\u2026This should at the least make you cautious, but I say it should set off loud warning bells<\/strong> in your mind. The subtitle of The Universal Christ <\/em>speaks for itself: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe. <\/em>Note: forgotten reality.<\/strong> We all missed it until Rohr brought it to our attention! What would we do without him? It repeats throughout the book, with various wording, that we\u2019ve missed a great eternal reality or truth, and must rediscover it, as Rohr directs us.<\/p>\n \u2666 As I read Rohr, it reminded me of both New Age and New Thought teachings. New Age and New Thought are different but overlap, and I like how Melissa Dougherty <\/a>describes them as close cousins. I\u2019ve not quoted Rohr much, but here you can see what I am talking about, also related to his panentheism. Since God is in all things through what he calls the universal christ<\/em>: Rohr speaks of \u201cdivine electricity\u201d \u2013 learning to trust our \u201cown inner christ\u201d \u2013 and we may need a person or experience \u201cwho evokes that electric conductivity.\u201d\u00a0 Rohr states: \u201cYou might say that the eternal Christ is the symbolic \u2018superconductor\u2019 of the Divine Energies into this world.<\/strong> Jesus ramps down the ohms so we can handle divine love and receive it through ordinary human mediums.\u201d (all on page 76, bold added)<\/p>\n Also similar to certain New Age type teachings, Rohr sees an \u201cevolutionary\u201d aspect to the human consciousness and that our Christian minds have just been too small up until recently to connect with the universal christ that pervades everything. We have finally arrived, thanks to Rohr enlightening us! (Note I have not capitalized christ when referring to Rohr\u2019s use of the word because it is not the Christ of Scripture. Rohr\u2019s christ is a false christ.)<\/p>\n \u2666 To see how far Rohr takes these things: \u201cWhen you look your dog in the face, for example, as I often looked at my black Labrador, Venus, I truly believe you are seeing another incarnation of the Divine Presence, the Christ.\u201d<\/strong> (page 52, bold added) \u2013 READ that again!<\/p>\n I AM GETTING TIRED. There is so much \u201cbadness\u201d in this book, it is overwhelming! But a couple more points\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2666 Related the the dog quote, Rohr says we have \u201climited the Divine Presence to the single body of Jesus\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cChrist is a name for the transcendent within<\/em> of every \u2018thing\u2019 in the universe.\u201d (pages 4 and 5, bold added)\u00a0 Eventually he goes into more detail: \u201cMost Catholics and Protestants still think of the incarnation as a one-time and one-person event having to do only with the person of Jesus of Nazareth, instead of a cosmic event that has soaked all of history in the Divine Presence from the very beginning.\u201d (page 28)<\/p>\n SINCE this false teaching that Jesus did not become \u201cparticular flesh\u201d was taught by certain liberal bishops in the UMC, I previously addressed it here: Did Jesus become \u201cparticular flesh\u201d ?? (In part, about the United Methodist Church)<\/a>\u00a0 \u2013 That Jesus became particular flesh is essential Christian teaching!<\/p>\n \u2666 Rohr downplays sin, does not believe in \u201coriginal sin,\u201d and is very opposed to the substitutionary atonement. He even views the substitutionary atonement as a dangerous idea. (page 144)\u00a0 Not just in this chapter, but throughout the book, Rohr distorts Christian history and grossly misinterprets the apostle Paul.<\/p>\n \u2666 A final point, is that Rohr says that God doesn\u2019t really care what we call him! \u201cThe Divine has never seemed very worried about us getting his or her exact name right.\u201d (page 17) And \u201cGod is clearly not tied to a name,<\/strong> nor does he seem to want us to tie the Divinity to any one name.\u201d (page 35, bold added)\u00a0 \u2013 WHAT?!?!<\/p>\n Okay, those two resources:<\/p>\n Here is Professor Douglas Groothuis\u2019s review of this book: A Heretic\u2019s Christ, a False Salvation:<\/strong> A Review of The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe <\/em> by Richard Rohr. Link HERE.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n