Chuck Missler's Public Statement on Facebook Regarding his Personal Endorsement of 'Have Heart'
By Chris Lawson
January 12, 2012
January 12, 2012
This article was updated on January 12, 2012 after speaking with Dr. Gordon McDonald, who responded to me by telephone on behalf of Dr. Chuck Missler, from the Koinonia House ministry.
The following is presented here after personally calling the ministry of Koinonia House (K-House) in order to clarify how Chuck Missler's endorsement landed in the front pages of Have Heart:
Our endorsement of Steve Berger’s book, "Have Heart: Bridging the Gap between Heaven and Earth", which chronicles some the ordeals that Steve and Sarah Berger endured subsequent to the loss of their son Josiah appears to be at the center of considerable confusion. Nan and I were very sympathetic to Steve and Sarah’s grievances, since we, too, had lost our own firstborn son in recent years.
We did not read the entire book before writing our endorsement, which is a breach of our normal protocol. But anyone familiar with our own materials would know that we do not endorse nor condone any form of necromancy, divination, or sorcery. Some of the allusions in Steve’s book seem to border on these topics and understandably are the source of some doctrinal confusion in these areas. Anyone who is still concerned about our own posture on these issues might first check to see if Matthew 18:15-16 is still in their Bible and then feel free to contact us directly at anytime. Steve has also addressed many questions and clarified some misconceptions at the book's website: www.haveheart.net. Please read through the Frequently Asked Questions there.
In the meantime, realize that Steve and Sarah Berger remain our dear friends, and comprehensive congruency on doctrine is not a prerequisite to our friendship.
In His Grip,
Chuck Missler
Source: Koinonia House, Facebook page, Monday, January 9, 2012 2:57pm
https://www.facebook.com/KoinoniaHouse/posts/360210257326751
For the record, it is clear that Chuck and Nancy Missler "do not endorse nor condone any form of necromancy, divination, or sorcery."
On a different note, the fact that Chuck Missler did not read Have Heart in its entirety before endorsing the book has caused great confusion among believers. Why would a man do such a thing? This no doubt is a learning lesson for all.
It should be noted that even though a public statement has been made from Chuck Missler, for which many are grateful for, it does not change the fact that some of the content of what the Berger's have written in Have Heart is far to close too, if not outright condoning, clairaudience and clairsentience - hearing/listening to and sensing/touching the presence of discarnate human beings.
Steve and Sarah Berger's Have Heart book (pp. 94-96) and their Have Heart FAQ website page (www.haveheart.net/answers/faq - link broken as of 4-22-2016) both state that they do not endorse necromancy, divination, or sorcery through séances or spirit mediums (channelers). However, there are other terms that are not used in the book, that clearly define what the Berger's appear to be advocating by saying we can communicate with, and sense, our deceased loved ones. Those terms are known as clairaudience and clairsentience.
Clairaudience is a practice in which oneself clearly receives communications (auditory, sensory, or mental messages) from the realm of the spirit world (alleged deceased loved ones, etc.). Clairaudience is similar to clairsentience and clairvoyance, but clairaudience specifically deals with receiving messages, impressions from the spirit world.
But what about Christians? Christians that have previously been psychic, or have family members that are involved in Spiritism, cults, or any form of energy channeling, energy work, and the like, are much more prone to be clairaudient than those with no family history of such. Christians should reject any and all attempts from spirits if they are hunted and contacted by them. The Christian should communicate with God only, never the spirits, "For [even] Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14)." To not reject these spirit realm initiated communications, one simply opens themselves up to spirit mediumship as well as a world of deception and confusion.
Please continue to read the following to confirm that this is not just our opinion.
On a different note, the fact that Chuck Missler did not read Have Heart in its entirety before endorsing the book has caused great confusion among believers. Why would a man do such a thing? This no doubt is a learning lesson for all.
It should be noted that even though a public statement has been made from Chuck Missler, for which many are grateful for, it does not change the fact that some of the content of what the Berger's have written in Have Heart is far to close too, if not outright condoning, clairaudience and clairsentience - hearing/listening to and sensing/touching the presence of discarnate human beings.
Steve and Sarah Berger's Have Heart book (pp. 94-96) and their Have Heart FAQ website page (www.haveheart.net/answers/faq - link broken as of 4-22-2016) both state that they do not endorse necromancy, divination, or sorcery through séances or spirit mediums (channelers). However, there are other terms that are not used in the book, that clearly define what the Berger's appear to be advocating by saying we can communicate with, and sense, our deceased loved ones. Those terms are known as clairaudience and clairsentience.
Clairaudience is a practice in which oneself clearly receives communications (auditory, sensory, or mental messages) from the realm of the spirit world (alleged deceased loved ones, etc.). Clairaudience is similar to clairsentience and clairvoyance, but clairaudience specifically deals with receiving messages, impressions from the spirit world.
But what about Christians? Christians that have previously been psychic, or have family members that are involved in Spiritism, cults, or any form of energy channeling, energy work, and the like, are much more prone to be clairaudient than those with no family history of such. Christians should reject any and all attempts from spirits if they are hunted and contacted by them. The Christian should communicate with God only, never the spirits, "For [even] Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14)." To not reject these spirit realm initiated communications, one simply opens themselves up to spirit mediumship as well as a world of deception and confusion.
Please continue to read the following to confirm that this is not just our opinion.
What About the Have Heart Website
FAQ Page—Questions and Answers?
FAQ Page—Questions and Answers?
Have Heart FAQ Page
http://www.haveheart.net/answers/faq
Have Heart FAQ Page
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/
The words presented on Have Heart FAQ website pages (Question/Answers 2, 3, 4, and 5) like the book, display hardcore double-speak in no uncertain terms. The message is loud and clear - don't utilize seances, mediums and channelers...but you can communicate with your deceased loved ones yourself!
As shown below, from the Berger's www.haveheart.net Frequently Asked Questions page, Q & A answer number four states clearly, "Just remember, God forbids us to try to contact our departed loved ones through mediums or séances (Deuteronomy 18:10–12)."
However, in the same breath they say that you can talk to your loved ones all you want.
http://www.haveheart.net/answers/faq
- This older, original page link results in "Sorry! That page doesn't seem to exist." The original page content at this link was removed some time between August 20, 2015 and January 16, 2016.
Have Heart FAQ Page
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/
- The above older original page link is accessible on the Internet Archive WayBackMachine.
The words presented on Have Heart FAQ website pages (Question/Answers 2, 3, 4, and 5) like the book, display hardcore double-speak in no uncertain terms. The message is loud and clear - don't utilize seances, mediums and channelers...but you can communicate with your deceased loved ones yourself!
As shown below, from the Berger's www.haveheart.net Frequently Asked Questions page, Q & A answer number four states clearly, "Just remember, God forbids us to try to contact our departed loved ones through mediums or séances (Deuteronomy 18:10–12)."
However, in the same breath they say that you can talk to your loved ones all you want.
4. Can I talk to my loved one who has passed?
Answer:
You can talk to your loved one all you want. It won't satisfy the depth of communication you long for, but it will bring some comfort. Just remember, God forbids us to try to contact our departed loved ones through mediums or séances (Deuteronomy 18:10–12).
In Matthew 17 we see Jesus walking up a high mountain with Peter, James, and John. Jesus is transfigured (changed) right before their eyes, and then Moses and Elijah (who had been in Heaven for fifteen hundred and six hundred years, respectively) show up. Scripture says, “Moses and Elijah appeared to them [Jesus, Peter, James, and John], talking with Him” (v. 3). While we can’t see our loved ones face-to-face, we believe it’s perfectly fine to talk to them.
Original source: http://www.haveheart.net/answers/faq/
Internet Archive copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq
Original source/Answer 4 page: https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq?p=2&id=4
They also answer that departed love ones "can see us, hear us, and even be involved, not only in our lives but also in the lives of his friends. We have too many accounts and stories of Josiah’s involvement from many different people to doubt this reality."
3. Can my loved one hear me when I talk to him or her?
Answer:
Saints in Heaven have the ability to hear and see you whenever God allows them to be involved. We know that our son Josiah cannot read our minds; only the Lord can do that. However, we know he can see us, hear us, and even be involved, not only in our lives but also in the lives of his friends. We have too many accounts and stories of Josiah’s involvement from many different people to doubt this reality.
Original source: http://www.haveheart.net/answers/faq/
Internet Archive copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq
Original source/Answer 3 page: https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq?p=2&id=3
The Berger's also clearly state on their FAQ page regarding departed loved ones that "We may get 'signs' of their presence. They are alive, they are well, and they are with God, doing what He wills for them to do both in Heaven and on earth."
5. Is it possible for my loved one to visit, or do you believe in the possibility of getting signs?
Answer:
We do believe in signs. In our book, Have Heart, we refer to them as “God Nods.” God, in His mercy, allows them to help comfort us and give us hope. They are spontaneous, unexpected, and used by God to say, “Hey, pay attention to this.”
Ultimately, however, we need to find our comfort in God's truth about eternal life in Heaven and in God's love for us and our loved ones who are with Him in Heaven right now.
In an earlier question we discussed Jesus’ Transfiguration in Matthew 17 and the conversations with Moses and Elijah. The event is repeated in Luke’s Gospel (9:28–36). Here we see more details of their visit and conversation. Luke records that they talked about Jesus’ departure (the Greek work is our word for “exodus”). So these saints, who were on a mission from Heaven, understood not only current events but the future as well. We may get “signs” of their presence. They are alive, they are well, and they are with God, doing what He wills for them to do both in Heaven and on earth.
Original source: http://www.haveheart.net/answers/faq/
Internet Archive copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq
Original source/Answer 5 page: https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq?p=2&id=5
The conclusion in all this to the reader should be quite clear. While Steve and Sarah Berger state outright "Just remember, God forbids us to try to contact our departed loved ones through mediums or séances (Deuteronomy 18:10–12)," they at the same time say that our loves ones are around us, can hear us, are involved in our lives and our friends' lives, and that we can talk to departed loved ones all we want.
If you at this point are confused on this issue as to what the Steve and Sarah Berger are saying, read through their own statements again, or buy the book and compare what the Berger's are saying with over 150 biblical warnings about the occult, spiritism, necromancy, sorcery, etc.
Any form of contact with deceased humans, with the exception of what is found in Scripture (Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and Samuel pronouncing judgment on mediumship) is an abomination. Why? Because doing so involves another mediator other than Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5).
According to the Word of God, any and all communication with deceased loved ones and the spirit world is condemned outright. Samuel was allowed to be brought back from the dead, only to pronounce God's everlasting judgment on such a practice as necromancy—initiating another mediator in an effort to contact the deceased (1 Samuel 28). Furthermore, God killed King Saul for his disobedience of trying to contact the dead.
If you at this point are confused on this issue as to what the Steve and Sarah Berger are saying, read through their own statements again, or buy the book and compare what the Berger's are saying with over 150 biblical warnings about the occult, spiritism, necromancy, sorcery, etc.
Any form of contact with deceased humans, with the exception of what is found in Scripture (Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and Samuel pronouncing judgment on mediumship) is an abomination. Why? Because doing so involves another mediator other than Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5).
According to the Word of God, any and all communication with deceased loved ones and the spirit world is condemned outright. Samuel was allowed to be brought back from the dead, only to pronounce God's everlasting judgment on such a practice as necromancy—initiating another mediator in an effort to contact the deceased (1 Samuel 28). Furthermore, God killed King Saul for his disobedience of trying to contact the dead.
"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. "(1 Chron. 10:13-14)
The only difference between going to a spirit medium (spiritist, spiritualist, necromancer, channeler, psychic) or praying to and contacting the dead oneself, is that when one utilizes a spirit medium the spirit medium contacts the dead (demons impersonating deceased loves ones) for someone else, hence them being called a medium (a mediator, a go between). If you attempt to pray to and/or contact the deceased on your own, you yourself become the medium, the go between, the necromancer, the conjurer, between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. As previously mentioned, this arena of spirituality and communication is trafficking in the dimension of the devil and is one-hundred percent forbidden and condemned by God.
Be it known unto you that if you delve into this arena you are playing with fire and you shall surely get burned. Trafficking in the arena of spirit contact and communication is walking right into the dimension of the devil. Doing so can very quickly lead to spirit contact, possession states, Christian demonization (influence, affluence) and all forms of evil and mayhem. There is a dimension that God has warned that we should not enter, and that dimension is the world of the occult and contacting the dead.
Be it known unto you that if you delve into this arena you are playing with fire and you shall surely get burned. Trafficking in the arena of spirit contact and communication is walking right into the dimension of the devil. Doing so can very quickly lead to spirit contact, possession states, Christian demonization (influence, affluence) and all forms of evil and mayhem. There is a dimension that God has warned that we should not enter, and that dimension is the world of the occult and contacting the dead.
Internet Archive Links for the individual Have Heart FAQ Page - "Answers" pages
Screenshot date June 21, 2010.
Screenshot date June 21, 2010.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where is my Christian loved one?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=1
2. How far away is my loved one?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=2
3. Can my loved one hear me when I talk to him or her?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=3
4. Can I talk to my loved one who has passed?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=4
5. Is it possible for my loved one to visit, or do you believe in the possibility of getting signs?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=5
6. Is it right for me to feel so much anger and pain?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=6
7. I can't help but continue to ask, "Why?"
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=7
8. How can I keep going?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=8
9. How can I make sure my family and I are going to Heaven?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=9
10. How do you refer to someone who has passed away if you are unsure of them being in Heaven?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=10
1. Where is my Christian loved one?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=1
2. How far away is my loved one?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=2
3. Can my loved one hear me when I talk to him or her?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=3
4. Can I talk to my loved one who has passed?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=4
5. Is it possible for my loved one to visit, or do you believe in the possibility of getting signs?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=5
6. Is it right for me to feel so much anger and pain?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=6
7. I can't help but continue to ask, "Why?"
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=7
8. How can I keep going?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=8
9. How can I make sure my family and I are going to Heaven?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=9
10. How do you refer to someone who has passed away if you are unsure of them being in Heaven?
https://web.archive.org/web/20100621043852/http://haveheart.net/answers/faq/?p=2&id=10
ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES
- A Closer Look at Have Heart - bridging the gulf between heaven and earth (Steve and Sarah Berger, 2010)—Exposing the Deception of 'Christian' Clairaudience and Clairsentience
- Calvary Chapel Pastors Perspective Refutes Praying to the Dead—Yet Calvary Chapel Affiliate Pastor Steve Berger Encourages Praying (talking) to the Dead (Have Heart book and Have Heart website FAQ page)
- Have Heart: bridging the gulf between heaven and earth—Endorsements and Contacting the Endorsers
- Chuck Missler's Public Statement on Facebook Regarding His Personal Endorsement of Have Heart (Current page)
- More Concerns About the Lack of Discernment Pertaining to Grace Chapel Leipers Fork and Steve Berger's Ministry