“There is a generation
rising that is hungry to see the power of God evidenced
with signs and wonders. The Bible says, according to
Hebrews 11:1, that faith is to be accompanied with
substance and evidence. This rising generation is not
satisfied with the preaching of mere words alone, but
is, however, after the Biblical preaching of the gospel
evidenced by the power of miracles, healings, signs, and
wonders fully manifesting the Kingdom.”
-- The
Elijah List advertisement for the “Fire Glory &
Harvest Conference, Feb.28-March 3, 2007.
Replacing the Holy
Spirit with a dopamine high: this is the agenda of the New
Apostolic Reformation. If people can be trained to be ruled by
their senses, they are more malleable, easily manipulated, and
ready to be driven from one new lustful fad to another.
What is dopamine and how does it work? For a thorough scholarly
analysis see the full article by Dean Gotcher, entitled “The
Dialectical Drug Culture.” Below is a descriptive excerpt:
"Dopamine is a chemical which
the body naturally synthesizes to transmit messages of
pleasure from the nerve endings to the midbrain. The
midbrain then synthesizes the neurotransmitter dopamine to
activate other parts of the brain in an effort to find what
caused the pleasure, to record it, and if necessary to
figure out how to continue, restore, or create the
environment which caused the pleasure. Our body naturally
loves the effect of dopamine. It seeks after the conditions
which trigger its release in the body. Most drugs of habit
are related in some way to affecting dopamine production,
replacement, or inhibition . . . .
"Any time we touch, taste, smell, see, hear, and then think
about something which activates the neurons of pleasure,
dopamine is used to convey this message to the brain which
then seeks to continue the state of pleasure. The body in
essence has a mind of its own to seek pleasure. . . .
“After studying this system of the body it has become
apparent the effect this chemical (the neurotransmitter
dopamine) has had on the history of man. Eve's desire to
touch the tree (dopamine), Adam's desire to listen to Eve
(dopamine), Esau giving up his birthright for food
(dopamine), the ten spies, David and Bathsheba, etc. are
only a few examples we find in the Bible the effect this
chemical (the love of it's effect upon the brain) has had
upon our lives. Self loves pleasure. Instead of hearing self
control, self discipline, humble yourself, deny yourself,
today we hear of 'self esteem.'
Self-esteem (love of dopamine) always comes from
group-esteem (group respect--love of the respect of men).
God is not a respecter of persons. Consensus is group
dopamine―orgy, love fest, worship of man, social Eros, etc.
All that is of the world is dopamine-producing, flesh, eyes,
and pride―Maslow's Hierarchy of 'felt' needs. . . .
“There is nothing wrong with dopamine; it serves its God
created purpose, but when we seek it above the lords
command, we let the body control us (id, impulse, natural
desires, etc.) and we fall into and become slaves to sin.
The dialectical process is discourse (which we all do with
ourselves or others) in an effort to create a
dopamine-producing world. Call it by groupthink, lovefest,
love of love, consensus, globalism, world peace, Emerging
church, Church Growth or any other name, it is simply the
love of pleasure. It can even be disguised as the love of
God―experiencing God―'love that feeling.'"
How does dopamine work in
everyday life? Your feelings! One key area of vulnerability to
its effects can be found by examining how the advertising
industry preys upon these feelings. Below is a recent, poignant
example of how good feelings in the brain can circumvent
rational thought. It comes from a NPR transcript of "All Things
Considered" that ran last Friday, April 13th:
“Drug
Ads Play Up Benefits, Downsize Risks by Allison Aubrey
Taking medicine used to be only for the sick. But in the age
of direct-to-consumer advertising, drugmakers have persuaded
a lot of people that taking medicine can be a casual affair,
something healthy people should do to stay well.
With more than $4 billion a year spent on pharmaceutical
ads, studies show it's increasingly common for people to ask
their doctors for drugs they've heard about on TV.
TV ads for the sleeping pill Lunesta air during many popular
network shows. One ad begins with a pitch-black screen.
"This is you," a narrator's voice says. "You've awakened in
the dark because your sleep aid didn't give you a full
night's sleep."
On screen, viewers see a woman with lying in her bed. She's
tossing and turning, clearly frustrated.
But during the 60-second advertisement, her sleep problems
are put to rest.
"Tomorrow, ask your doctor about Lunesta," says the narrator
as gentle music plays and a glowing moth appears.
The woman appears to fall into a deep sleep.
Selling a Feeling
She looks so restful, says former TV producer Al Tompkins.
"And when she wakes up, she's just gorgeous," Tompkins says.
"She sits right up and stretches and looks great. Who
doesn't want that?"
Tompkins, now a consultant with the Poynter Institute, says
TV ads like these are persuasive because they sell you a
feeling. "I believe you remember what you feel, longer than
what you know," he says. "And this spot is long on feeling
and clearly the things you could know — the facts, the
numbers — are things you'll never remember."
A litany of warnings and side effects is spoken clearly
during the Lunesta ad.
The narrator's voice tells viewers, "Until you know how
you'll react to Lunesta, you should not drive or operate
machinery. Do not take Lunesta with alcohol. Most sleep
medicines include some risk of dependency. Side effects may
include unpleasant taste, headaches, drowsiness or
dizziness."
Reading these warnings, it's easier to remember the details.
But when people watch the ad, they're much more likely to be
distracted by the moving pictures and music. The images of
the gliding luna moth almost feel like an IMAX movie.
"When the eye and the ear compete," says Tompkins, "the eye
wins.". . .
It is an interesting
exercise to read the complete text to this "All Things
Considered" radio show. The advertising industry has learned
that by appealing to people’s “felt needs” they can sell a new
product. Likewise, the church growth movement has borrowed the
same tools and strategies to market new doctrines and practices
to modern Christianity – a group already saturated with, and
desensitized by, the media dopamine-driven culture in which we
live.
Bear in mind that the original neoevangelicals, as described by
H.J. Ockenga, repudiated separation. Old-time fundamentalist
separation, particularly well-described by J.C. Wenger in the
classic work Separated Unto God (Herald Press, 1951, reprinted
by Sword and Trumpet), once taught that true believers should
separate from the popular culture in order to truly preserve
their ability to function as “salt and light” within that
culture. Therefore, a neoevangelical church immersed in the
constant barrage modern media, particularly dopamine-inducing
ads, becomes trained to salivate upon stimulation. People fall
for anything "new, better or more," as Jeremy Rifkin noted
(quoted in the 4/12 post).
There is a certain symbolism with running an advertising excerpt
about a sleep-inducing product in the context of discussing
dopamine's effect on the Church. Obviously, those who are
spiritually lulled to sleep by the antics of the
dopamine-enhanced New Apostolic Reformation aren't going to want
to be bothered to wake up and read discernment materials! Side
effects? Apathy to Scripture. Warnings? Forget facts, this
"feels" so right! God is doing a new thing? Rush off to the
latest signs and wonders “revival”! God is making people
laugh
like hyenas, bark like dogs and contort their bodies into
birthing positions? Disregard the fine print warning labels!
Slick new packaging helps to sell products. Likewise,
sugar-coating dopamine-inducing events with a spiritual patina
works to sell new theologies. So if you can be induced to attend
the latest rally, revival, prayer event, then the organizers
know you can more easily be persuaded, seduced, manipulated,
marketed to. Why was Promise Keepers such a raging success?
Because men were lured into
mass rallies
complete with hype, hoopla, and an extreme focus on "felt needs"
-- breaking down the walls emotionally and spiritually. Small
groups modeled on the encounter group format of humanistic
psychology work the same way.
Addiction to the latest dopamine high. If it feels good, do it.
Whatever it takes.
Part 2 will continue this topic.
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