Gospel Prism

First, the Aberration:

On Tim Challies blog on which he commented on John Eldredge’s book, The Way of the Wild Heart, Tim wrote a blog article entitled, “I Don’t Need a Boyfriend.” It was Tim’s way of arguing against the disturbing and wrenching trend of relating to Jesus as lover in a metaphysical/physical way, an expanding movement in certain circles. For example, the Kansas City-based International House of Prayer (IHOP) has been noted to espouse a growing theology called the “bridal paradigm.”

If you want to read more on the paradigm, you can look at IHOP’s own website. What I am afraid of is IHOP’s overflowing use of allegory to establish a paradigm that might have a biblical image but was always meant to be used as an anthropomorphism. Words cannot express God’s love for His people and so God uses analogy (such as the marital relationship) to describe this love. However, this is not to say that the Father actually presides over the Son’s marriage to His church. Whether IHOP says this remains to be seen, but the reality is that when one pushes the analogy, there is no stopping the oncoming rush of a bullet train. People will interpret things the way they see fit, based on an extended use of an allegory.

Here is a quote from IHOP’s site on what Song of Songs 1:2 says (“Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth�):

3. The theme of the Song is the Bride’s cry for the kiss of God’s Word to touch the deepest place in her heart. This refers to encountering the Word in the deepest and most intimate way. In other words, to receive the Word in a way that reveals the King’s love for His Bride and awakens our heart in the 3-fold love of God (love from God then for God which overflows to others). Jesus is the Living Word. He is the Person who longs to be our “close friend� and who frees us from profound loneliness (Jn. 1:1).

4. The Divine kiss is a metaphor for intimacy with God. There are 3 metaphors of intimacy with God in the Song. The Divine kiss (1:2), the Divine seal (8:6), and the Divine embrace (2:5; 8:4).

5. We are to think of God’s hand touching our heart by the Holy Spirit to expand our capacity to receive His love and to give ourselves back to Him in love. It speaks of God’s invitation to go deep with Jesus. The kisses of His mouth speak of the release of God’s Word that tenderizes our hearts in God’s love. We want the deepest things that God will give the human spirit in this age.

6. We receive the kisses of God’s Word by pray-reading God’s Word or in meditation. In times of temptation, we speak this truth before the Lord. We say, “I will not yield to sin. Father let Him kiss my heart with the power of God’s holy Word.

7. We are not to think of kissing Jesus on the mouth. This is outside the boundaries of God’s Word. We renounce all interpretations of the “kisses of the Word� that come from sensual imagination. The Word of God covers many different subjects such as relationship skills, financial blessing, ministry skills or apostolic strategies for outreach (Book of Acts). The Word as it pertains to growing in these skills and insights is valuable to us. In Song 1:2, the Bride cried out specifically to receive the Word of God in a way that would reveal and impart God’s love to her heart.

Despite number 7’s warning, I fail to see why the reader should only use kisses of the mouth as an allegorical tool to intimacy. Song of Songs, meant to be used as a guide between the love of husband to wife before God’s great blessing of marriage, mentions intercourse, the caressing of breasts, etc. Why stop at the kisses, why not make references to all of the physical imagery and its allegorical usage to spiritual intimacy? This seems to be an arbitrary selection on the part of IHOP.

The sad truth is that IHOP and some who follow its bridal paradigm have not stopped at kisses and have indeed gone down the route of physical-spiritual eroticism. Listen to some of these stories of people who have been influenced by the bridal paradigm:

I ran into this a few weeks ago at our home fellowship. A woman whom I see to be very Spirit filled, was talking to us at the dinner table about being taken into the “upper chambers” where Jesus laid her down on a bed of roses (because He is the Rose of Sharon He can do that, she said), and that He made love to her. She described to me this whole scene as if it were out of a romance novel. The thought of Jesus actually making love to me made me sick… I was actually disheartened, grieved and shocked that she was talking about this. What gets me is that her friends who were with her all agreed as if this was sound biblical doctrine.

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I just went to a ladies retreat two weeks ago and the theme was this same “lover Jesus” as portrayed in a book they used called, “With an Everlasting Love” by Kay Arthur. It was so Godless and selfish and full of “eros”, putting thoughts and feelings in whoever reads it that certainly did not bring glory to God… I now have the opportunity to confront the pastor’s wife about this teaching that literally every woman fell for (except me!) and was “wooed” by their sensuality as women and the need for love, that they sucked it right up.

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I moved here to KC 2 years ago to attend [the Prayer Center]…
I have been so confused by the whole up-sweep of the “Bridal Paradigm” and ravished heart of Jesus and Song of Solomon.
I cannot relate to Jesus as romantic lover, nor do I want to!! I am trying to have clean thoughts and a pure heart. I want a Godly husband to be that for me, to model Christ’s love and headship.

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All my friends tell me, “Jesus is your husband - let Him be your first love and your provider”. As if I should shun men and give up on the idea of marriage.
There is a strange message behind this Bridal Paradigm - It was shown at the CALL in Kansas City. I was there. I witnessed this.

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There was a call to all those young people who were in attendance at this KC gathering and a few older - to pledge a marriage covenant right then that night to be MARRIED to Christ.

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And then there is this Christianity Today article which tells this story:

These teachings have spread into churches. My friend’s mother took part in a “tea with the Lord,” during which she and the other women wore their wedding gowns—those, at least, who managed to squeeze into them—and fancied themselves as brides of Christ. An influential Kansas City church teaches thousands of people the so-called Bridal Paradigm, which encourages a quasi-romantic relationship with Christ. And who among us hasn’t detected an eerie resemblance between a contemporary Christian song and a pop diva’s breathy rendition of a sensual love ballad?

There is a real danger when Scripture is used allegorically because in the end, the Bible can mean whatever the reader wants the Bible to mean. And there is nothing more dangerous in all the world than a Bible that has lost its meaning.

Second, the Apology:

This apology is to songwriter and worship leader David Ruis. On Tim Challies blog in that very article, I posted a comment which said:

Thanks Tim for a topic that is definitely worth exploring. I too have my problems with John Eldredge (I had a huge blog discussion with a person on this subject). And I also feel as though the concept of “God as lover” is one that is often taken overboard. I can understand that Scripture does give us some pictures of this relationship, but it is when this picture tries to taken on a physical image, that I think people push this way further than the Lord intended it to be.

Take for instance David Ruis, a Vineyard songwriter. I actually heard him at a Worship Together Conference (along with Tim Hughes and Chris Tomlin). Well, he wrote this very disturbing song called “True Love,”

Jesus I need to know true love
Deeper than the love found on earth
Take me into the King’s chambers
Cause my love to mature

Let me know the kisses of Your mouth
Let me feel Your embrace
Let me smell the fragrance of Your touch
Let me see Your lovely face
Take me away with You
Even so, Lord, come
I love You Lord
I love You more than life
My heart, my flesh yearn for You, Lord
To love You is all I can do
You have become my sole passion
Cause my love to be true

I think this just typifies why this whole thing is out of control.

And then David Ruis posted this comment on my blog here:

Sam S,

Hey mate … just checking in. In some random way I just ran across your comments in someone else’s sight about one of my songs “True Love� …

It may interest you to know that I now have the same concerns about the song that you obviously expressed (although it would’ve been cool if you would’ve tracked me down first, instead of slamming me on someone else’s site). I wrote that song very early on in my worship writing days, and really regret it’s publishing. I was sitting under some teaching then which took a very allegorical approach to biblical interpretation, particularly the Song of Solomon and I was not very careful.

I actually am in process of trying to find a way to recant the song …

One of the great challenges of being “published� is that it is very difficult to “get back� some of the things that get recorded and spread around.
Anyway - this is my awkward way of saying “hey� … you’re right, and I am sorry. Please don’t judge the inside of this cup by a misstep in song writing some time ago.

Any thoughts you have I would love to hear.

Thanks for “listening� …
David Ruis

To David, I am sorry that I did not ask you first about that song. And you are right, I should have sought you out to ask you about it. I was wrong. Thanks for letting me know that you are personally trying to recant that song. That speaks much to me about your own journey of understanding our gracious God.

In Him,
Sam

Finally, an Affirmation:

I am so thankful David Ruis has rejected even a song he wrote. The song itself is very much in line with the Bridal Paradigm and its inherent dangers. And for David Ruis to have recanted that song is good to hear.