SUMMARY OF JOHN BRADSHAW'S TEACHINGS

COMPARISON WITH BIBLICAL TRUTH

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."  Proverbs l4:l2 and l6:25

ETERNAL LAWS

Bradshaw denies that there are eternal laws, saying that "such a worldview has been refuted many times over."  He teaches that we should not have "shoulds," recommending instead that you formulate "your own Ten Commandments."

Bible:  "Your word, O Lord, is eternal.  It stands firm in the heavens.  All Your words are true; all Your righteous laws are eternal."  Psalm ll9:89, l60

MAN'S NATURE - ORIGINAL SIN

Bradshaw flatly denies the teaching of original sin, claiming it is "mythical."  He sees young children, as well as "shame-based" adults as being "premoral," lacking moral capacity.  He denies the Bible's teaching that man is born with evil and selfish inclinations because of the sin of Adam and Eve.

Bible:  "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."  Psalm 5l:5

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. . ."  Romans 5:l2

MAN'S BASIC PROBLEM

Bradshaw defines man's fundamental problem as "toxic shame," meaning a "rupture of the self with the self" or the "rejection of the self by the self," or the "loss of selfhood."  Bradshaw's "false belief system" is to say:  "I am flawed and defective as a human being.  I am a mistake.  No one could love me as I am.  I need something outside to be whole and OK."

Bible:  Man's fundamental problem is separation from God (not self)  due to his sin.  He does need "something outside," Jesus Christ, to be "OK," and reconciled to God.

"But your iniquites have separated you from God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."  Isaiah 59:2

(see also Ephesians 4:l8)

"What a wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  Romans 7:24, 25

TRUE SELF. . .OR NEW SELF?

Bradshaw uses the term, "I AMness" and says that "my I AMness is like God's I AMness.  When I truly AM, I am most like God."  He urges you to discover this "I AMness," or "true self," "authentic self," "core godlikeness," "true meaning of perfection."

Bible:  Man is created in God's image (Genesis l:27) but has fallen due to his sinful rebellion.  God alone is the great "I AM" (Exodus 3:l4, l5); that name is His and His alone.  The Christian has a new self in Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:l7).

RECLAIMING SELF. . .OR BOUGHT AT A PRICE?

Bradshaw's book, Homecoming, is based on the concept of "reclaiming" self, one developmental stage at a time.  "Championing your wounded child leads to recovering his spiritual power.  With his newfound spiritual power, your self-creation begins."  (emphasis added)

Bible:  "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."  l Peter l:l8, l9 (see l Corinthians 6:l9, 20 also)  The Christian is "bought at a price" with the blood of Christ and is a "new creation in Christ."

TRUST

Bradshaw:  "When push comes to shove, I'll probably save my own ass first.  But you can trust yourself."  Bradshaw says to tell your "inner child" that "you are the only person he will never lose, and that you will never leave him."

Bible:  "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe."  Proverbs 28:26 (see also Jeremiah l7:5-8)

God says that He will "never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua l:5, Deuteronomy 3l:l6, Hebrews l3:5).

FORGIVENESS

Bradshaw's view of forgiveness is selfishly motivated and seen as an exercise where one "re-forms" the past and breaks ties with abusive parents.

Bible:  God says to repent of past sins, not "re-form" the past. He promises to remember our sins no more, not counting them against us, and He commands us to "be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."  Ephesians 4:32

DESIRES

Bradshaw counsels us to "reconnect" with our desires.  He says that "the most damaged part of our wounded inner child is his will.  The will is desire raised to the level of action.  Desire flows from a connection with our needs."

Bible:  God calls the Christian to "put off" the desires of the flesh (Ephesians 4:22-24), which are responsible for temptation to sin (James l:l4, l5).  "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."  Galatians 5:24  However, those who trust in Him are promised the "desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

SEXUAL STANDARDS

Bradshaw condones homosexuality and other sexual sin, having forsaken the standards of God's Word:  "I will determine with whom I will be sexual.  I have the right to determine how, when, and where I will be sexual with another person.  My only guideline is respect for my own and my partner's dignity.

Bible:  God gives no such right!  "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people."  Ephesians 5:3

WORSHIP

Bradshaw encourages an outright worship of self, in place of God:  "Anytime we make someone into a guru, we diminish ourselves.  Tell your inner child that you will be their guru."

Bible:  "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised."  Romans l:25 

MEDITATION

Bradshaw asks us to "meditate on nothingness," on "just being."  His meditations are New age and reveal a pantheism that is characteristic of Hinduism rather than Christianity.

Bible:  The Christian is to meditate on the Word of God:  "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night."  Psalm l:l, 2

JESUS CHRIST

Bradshaw says that he likes to ask Jesus for favors, and he sees Him as "Godlike," but not once does he mention our Lord's death and resurrection, which is the central message of the gospel.  In his latest book, Creating Love, he flatly denies the deity of Christ:  "I don't even believe that Jesus never sinned.  I think that is inhuman mystification."

Bible:  Jesus Christ is God, and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (l John 2:2).  "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.  After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."  Hebrews l:3 

BEING VERSUS DOING

Bradshaw places heavy stress on "being" over "doing."  He says:  "Most of our wounded inner kids were taught that it was not OK to just BE--that we could matter and have significance only if we were DOING something."  He admits that "homecoming" is a "secularized" version of the Christian concept of justification by faith.

Bible:  Salvation is the gift of God, not something that is earned by our own works (Ephesians 2:8, 9).  However, note how this is followed by works:  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Ephesians 2:8-l0 

CONCLUSION

Bradshaw laments that "you may go to your death never knowing who you are."

Bible:  In one sense, yes:  You may go to your death never knowing that you are a sinner in need of redemption.  You may also go to your death never knowing who Jesus Christ is.  Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."  John l4:6  To those who go to their death not knowing and believing who He is, He says:  "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."  John 8:24

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