From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Editor's Note: The 78th Annual Convention of the American Council of Christian Churches met in Carlisle, Pennsylvania from October 22-24, 2019. The convention approved several resolutions on critical issues confronting Christians and the church in our time. We present the second of those resolutions for the edification and encouragement of God's people. - Dr. Paul Elliott [4]

American Council of Christian Churches
78th Annual Convention, October 22-24, 2019
Faith Chapel, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Resolution on Occultism

As the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness toward the Promised Land, God commanded His people to "regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God" (Lev. 19:31). Later He said, "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD" (Deut. 18: 10-12). God promised that "the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people" (Lev. 20:6).

During the United Monarchy, King Saul initially honored God's commands and "put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land" (1 Sam. 28: 3). But during the crisis of a Philistine invasion, he disregarded the law and sought out "a woman that hath a familiar spirit" (1 Sam. 28:7). God fulfilled His promise and cut off Saul from among his people (1 Samuel 31, 1 Chron. 10:13-14).

Sadly, many today have likewise desecrated God's law and engaged in the occult, begging God's judgment. Thousands have partaken of fortune telling, psychic readings, astrology,[1] seances, paranormal tours, haunted houses, zombie festivals, ghoulish Halloween parties, macabre games, horror films, dark fiction, death metal music, and other satanic activities.[2] Self-professed Christians, such as Rev. Joe Thorn, even boast of their love for such things. [Nevertheless, Thorn was invited to address the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals' "Redemption Accomplished and Applied" conference in March 2019 - see footnote below]. [3]

Therefore, the American Council of Christian Churches at its 78th annual convention, October 22-24, 2019, at Faith Chapel, Carlisle, PA, resolves to stand against the sin of occultism in all its forms. We exhort everyone to heed the solemn words of lsa. 8:19-20: "And when they shall say unto you, [']Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter[']: should not a people seek unto their God? .. . To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to [the Word of God], it is because there is no light in them" (cf. Gal. 5: 19-21, Rev. 21:8). In 2 Corinthians 6, the Apostle Paul also said: "What communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? ... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (w. 14-15, 17). Consequently, we call on all who participate in the occult to repent and, like the Ephesian believers in Acts 19, to show forth deeds in keeping with repentance.

References:

1. Jessica Roy, "Must Reads: How millennials replaced religion with astrology and crystals," The Los Angeles Times (July 10, 2019):  https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-millennials-religion-zodiac-tarot-crystals-astrology-20190710-story.html

2. See also the 1998 ACCC "Resolution on Violence in Our Society," https://accc4truth.org/2017/11/06/violence-in-our-society.

3. Heather Clark, "Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Invites Pastor Who 'Loves the Darkness' to Speak at Reformed Conference,"
Christian News Network (March 14, 2019): https://christiannews.net/2019/03/14/alliance-of-confessing-evangelicals-invites-pastor-who-loves-the-darkness-to-speak-at-reformed-conference/

4. Dr Elliott is a member of the ACCC's Executive Committee.

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