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3.18.2011

"THE SACRED MEAL", by Nora Gallagher

"The Sacred Meal", by Nora Gallagher, is book 6 of 8 in the Ancient Practices Series.  This book is nothing more than New Age-Buddhism wrapped in a pretty "Christian" cover.  In fact, this book is a fraud if Gallagher intends to teach Christian doctrine about the Eucharist.  Shame on Thomas Nelson for publishing this garbage as Christian.  They, too, will have to give an account for leading people astray by putting their stamp of approval on that which is professed to be Christian.


For starters, never ever anywhere in the book did Gallagher mention Jesus as the sole Sacrifice that would assuage the Father's wrath for sin, or the Cross as His means for accomplishing our salvation!  She wrote, "Jesus did not suddenly make a choice between power and vulnerability.  He put his foot on a path, and years later he looked back and saw where that path had led him" (p.22).  She never spoke of the historical biblical reference for why we celebrate the Eucharist/communion.  She never mentioned God delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt by the "plague of the firstborn".  She never referenced the Passover event as a historical event that foreshadowed Jesus Christ.  Instead, Gallagher's view of the Eucharist is from a largely "social justice, all-inclusive, new age" approach.


As if Jesus, to Gallagher, was simply a man who happened to be enlightened and achieved a purpose that God intended for all of mankind, she wrote, "...what I am coming to understand is that Jesus meant to say these things to himself, as much as to me.  He said these things to himself because he understood that choosing the vulnerable path was the way to keep his soul alive, and protected, from the harsh realities of power.  He sought out the vulnerable because they helped keep him vulnerable.  And he finally came to identify with them" (p.20).  To her, it seems, Jesus was not the Son of God who came to accomplish His Father's will. 


Almost heretically, Gallagher steers readers away from Jesus Christ on the Cross as our Sacrifice, to making us the central focus of communion: "...of course, we're remembering Jesus, but that should not be all we're doing.  I don't think Jesus was interested in everybody just remembering him.  What's the point of that?"  [ummmmm, His sacrifice in our place maybe?]  But I digress.  She continues, "That puts Jesus in the category with the various celebrities who will do anything to get into the media so we'll remember they're still alive.  Instead, I think Jesus wanted his disciples and everyone who came after him to remember what they had together.  What they made together.  What it meant to be together.  How the things he wanted them to do could not be done alone.  How the things he did could not have been done without them" (p.24).  Gallagher's view is very man-centered, not Cross-centered, and the Eucharist is designed for us to remember Him, not us.  Think I'm crazy?  She added, "When we all show up and do our parts, we are the sacrament, the body of Christ" (p.24).


Jesus, to Gallagher, was simply an enlightened person, as I mentioned before.  She wrote, "But he [Jesus], too, was 'healed'.  He was opened.  He was changed.  He was no longer so sure of what his job was, what he was meant to do.  It may be that this is what kept happening to him [Jesus interacting with all sorts of needy people], over and over again.  He met a blind man and was changed by the encounter; he met a woman at a well and Mary Magdalene and a tax collector.  The difference between Jesus and us may not merely be one of degrees of divinity, but also his openness to others and their capacity to bend and awaken his heart" (p.62). 


-This paragraph is bad on so many levels. 
-Was Jesus in need of being enlightened that He required change to get there? 
-Was Jesus ever unsure of his purpose on earth?  Not according to scripture.  Instead, He knew exactly what His purpose was...to seek and save the lost, to give life abundantly, to testify to the truth, etc.  I don't recall Him ever thinking, "Hmmmm, what should I do now?" 
-Were all of these encounters simply chance encounters?  Seems so, according to Gallagher. 
-Finally, THE difference between Jesus and us IS divinity.  That's the point!  Only HE was able to satisfy the righteous requirements of the law of God.  Something we could not do!  By the way, she mentions we are simply separated by "degrees" of divinity...as if we have any divinity in the first place.  It seems that we are on par with Jesus in Gallagher's worldview.


Other problem areas include (I could go on to write a book here about Gallagher's bad theology, but I'll just make a few bullet points instead):


--"I hope, not to become one with God in such a way as to lose my own sense of self and boundaries, but instead to become in God more like myself" (p.93) We ARE the problem...I don't need more of me, but less!  I need God!


--She referred to the feeding of the 5,000 by Jesus as a parable (p.95), rather than a historic miracle.  At first, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that this could have been a typo.  But after considering the whole of her statements, I don't think she believes the reality of the Jesus presented in the Bible.


--She tells a story of how she joined an inter-faith group consisting of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in an evening of "breaking bread" together.  After all, she states, we all descended from the same Abraham.  Anyway, she went on to tell how she not only observed the Muslims' prayer service, but participated to the point that she was doing exactly what the Muslim woman next to her was doing.  Sadly, Gallagher's theology allows her to be easily influenced by false teachings, and she leads readers to think that's ok.


--Gallagher wrote, "We have known for some time that the Gospels were written long after the death of Jesus and were compiled by men who lived long after him" (p.110).  Actually, 40 or 50 years is not that long to recall events and teachings that left indelible marks on one's life.  It's like asking a World War 2 veteran to write a book today about the horrors he faced in battle.  Not at all an inconceivable notion!


--Death, to Gallagher, is New Age-ish, almost like reincarnation:  "There is another way to think of dying and where we go.  Instead, we die in...that is, we re-enter earth, to be part of the earth that gave us our beginning (so, the earth gave me life?  Not God?), to become part of all that lives, and moves, and has its being (then she wrongfully cites Acts 17:28 as if to provide support to her statement).  What if the risen Christ does not die out, as in being lifted into the heavens, but rather dies in, that is, dies into the whole of the world?" (p.131) 


I doubt Christ, to Gallagher, truly died on the Cross, and I doubt He truly rose from the dead!  If not, why celebrate remembrance of His sacrifice?  That's exactly why I think Gallagher has the liberal view she has: Jesus was simply a fairy tale!  She supported this crazy notion by telling a story of her brother's death, and how he re-entered the world..."similar to what the writers of the resurrection stories in the gospels were trying to convey" (p.135).  Gallagher herself applies what she said about dying and rising directly to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.


Do I have to give this book a star?  If so, I guess I'll just give it 1 star out of 5 for bad theology and mis-application of scripture.  At least the pages are soft, it would work well as TP!




I receive books from Booksneeze free of charge in exchange for my honest feedback.  I am not obligated to provide a positive review of any book reviewed.  All opinions are mine.

4 comments:

  1. Dear Mike,

    PASSOVER MEAL

    Do you understand the 4th Cup?

    After the supper He took the third cup saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This IS my blood of the NEW and everlasting covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

    A hymn was sung, which is a combination of several psalms called The Great Hillel, and they went out to the Mount of Olives.

    What happened? The Passover ceremony and ritual was not complete. There was no fourth cup. There was no announcement that it was finished. Could it be that Jesus was so upset with what He knew was about to happen that He forgot? Doubtful!

    Not only Jesus, but also the 11 others had participated in the Passover Seder every year of their lives. No, this was done on purpose. The last supper of Jesus was not over.

    On the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples slept while Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done."

    He prayed that three times. Then Jesus was arrested, illegally put on trial by the Sanhedrin, then by Pontius Pilate, sentenced and crucified.

    While on the cross He wept. Jesus, who was in excruciating agony, was so merciful that He prayed for the forgiveness of His executioners. He was offered some wine with a pain killer, myrrh, in it. He refused it.

    "Later, knowing that all was now complete, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled and the kingdom established, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'" A man dipped a sponge into sour wine; he placed it on a hyssop branch and lifted it up to Jesus lips.

    He drank. (We recall that it was the hyssop branch which was used to paint lambs blood around the Hebrew's door for the Passover of the angel of death.)

    It was then that Jesus said, "It is finished." He then bowed His head and gave up the spirit to His Father.

    The fourth cup now represented the lamb’s blood of the first Passover, a saving signal to the angel of death.

    The Lamb of God was now sacrificed. The last Passover supper of Jesus Christ was now complete with the fourth cup. It was finished.

    The tie in with the Passover is unmistakable.

    The Lamb of God was sacrifice and death was about to be passed over come Easter day.

    The promise of eternal life for many was about to be fulfilled.

    Christ’s Passover was finished, but His mission was not until he rose from the dead.

    For more information on Jesus New Covenant and how everything ties together -- Passover Meal -> Manna -> Prophecy of the New Covenant -> Bread of Life Meaning -- go to The 4th Cup.com and watch the video! You can also read along while the video is playing.

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  2. ummmmmmm, Ok. Thanks, I guess. It seems that this is simply a "form" comment. Did you actually read my review? Or simply do a "drive by"?

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  3. Doesn't that just drive you nuts some times? I wonder too how Nelson, and other publishers can publish what they do. Thanks for an honest evaluation. False publishing needs to be made known also.

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  4. Color me unsuprised.

    The current template that many are using seems to be "It's all relative. Christianity is nothing special. All belief sytems are more or less equal".

    Right, and there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.

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