Nuggets from Occult Invasion—A Serious Delusion

Jackson has been able to convince himself that he hasn’t really rejected Christianity; he has simply broadened his horizons to realize that the Bible is only one of many religious books, all of which he treats with equal respect. Thus he can rationalize that he has actually become more spiritual through embracing all spirituality, including native American spirituality and Zen Buddhism and Hindu concepts, together with anything else that seems to work. He writes with no sense of irony:

“The day I took over the Bulls, I vowed to create an environment based on the principles of selflessness and compassion I’d learned as a Christian in my parents’ home; sitting on a cushion practicing Zen; and studying the teachings of the Lakota Sioux…. Even for those who don’t consider themselves ‘spiritual’ in a conventional sense, creating a successful team—whether it’s an NBA champion or a record-setting sales force—is essentially a spiritual act.”

The greatest example of “selflessness and compassion” he could have learned from his parents was Christ’s giving of Himself on the cross to die for our sins—but Jackson has rejected Christ for Zen and native American spirituality. Phil Jackson’s new spirituality is completely at odds with the Christianity he once espoused, as are the native American spirituality, Zen Buddhism, Eastern meditation, and other religions to which he is now “open.”

Jackson is not alone in his trashing of Christianity. He is joined not only by other NBA coaches such as Orlando’s Pat Riley, but by many pastors and seminary professors. A London, England, newspaper recently noted, “Liberal Anglican and Catholic clergy will today address a meeting of pagans and witches in an attempt to establish ‘common ground.’” The Salem, Massachusetts Religious Leaders Association “officially welcomed a high priest witch to its ranks. An Episcopal priest said nobody in the interfaith clergy group could think of any compelling reason to exclude the witch.”