A while back someone pointed me to an article about “World Race and Adventures in Missions.” This outfit was new to me but the particular article led me to linking to their site on one of my “RAAH” posts as a warning to others unaware. The site exposing this group really piqued my interest so I have been following it ever since, and have linked to one of their articles in my last “RAAH” post.
One of the site owners recently emailed me and asked if I could write an article just about this group so as to be another way of getting the information spread. Well, I think I had a better idea. I asked the site owner to consider writing a guest post, since I had absolutely no knowledge about this group other than what I read on their site. My suggestion was accepted! The site owner has a family member still involved in this group and works with another family member putting their blog together, and so asked for their names to be withheld if I publish their article.
Below is the guest article from the authors of the blog, “Concerns About the World Race and Adventures In Missions.” My heartfelt thanks goes out to them for publishing information about this cultic group and its leadership as a warning against vicious wolves.
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Adventures in Missions: Short term Christian Missions trips
Considering the 11-month World Race mission trip? Please do your research before committing.
This is written by members of a family whose loved one joined a World Race team a few years ago. As a result of the teachings of Adventures in Missions and this organization’s leader Seth Barnes we have experienced increasing distance from that loved one.
We understand that the message of Christ can bring division between believing and non-believing family members (Luke 12:51-53), however, a family of all believers should not experience this division. Rather, they should remain united by the Spirit of God that lives in them, dialoging about differences and pressing one another on toward Biblical truth.
We know from firsthand experience that on the surface AIM seems to be a Christian mission organization. It is the erroneous and deceptive teaching that lies beneath the surface that has so negatively affected our family. We had no reason for concern, therefore we did not take the time to investigate Adventures in Missions prior to our family member leaving for the World Race. We hope that our efforts now will prevent others from blindly supporting loved ones seeking to join AIM and will bring to light the darkness that is hiding in this organization that calls itself Christian.
This forum will provide general information about AIM. Please refer to our website for further details to help you make wise decisions if your loved one is considering going on the World Race.
Adventures in Missions, is based out of Gainesville, GA and The World Race , (a $15,000, 11 month, 11 country mission trip) is the main attraction. AIM has far reaching influence (100,000 missionaries and counting), the "what we believe" statement doesn't immediately cause obvious concern.
Seth Barnes is the Executive Director and founded Adventures in Missions in 1989 . "He worked out of his garage to lead nearly 1,000 youth to the mission field over the next three years." "Since we (AIM) were established in 1989, we have taken over 100,000 people into the mission field." In 2005 "The World Race began..."
Listed here are a few of our main concerns understood from the writings of Seth Barnes, those that he esteems as mentors, and those who have influenced his teaching. Please visit our site for more details on each of these concerns. We do our best to let Seth and AIM speak for themselves, choosing to let error become evident as we compare their words to Scripture.
*The words Gospel, Jesus, God, evangelism, disciple, etc. are used frequently, however, they are not defined and/or incorrectly defined. The Gospel they speak of is missing main components that would cause it to be a saving Gospel message.
*Christ is not glorified, nor are His suffering and atonement for sin the main focus of AIM.
*The Father is spoken of as Papa or Daddy. Christ is spoken of most frequently as a model discipler and good guy to learn from. The Holy Spirit seems to be a magic genie and one leader speaks of Him as his “best friend”. There is no Holy fear or reverence.
*Catholic Mystic teachers and their practices are prevalent, influential, and recommended reading for young Racers.
*There are many similarities to the Emergent church and the New Apostolic Reformation Movement, neither of which are Biblical.
*Parents are disrespected and the value of the faith in which young people were raised is minimized. AIM then seeks to re-teach racers a higher form of spirituality. They encourage them to “experience” and be awakened to a new way of communing with God. They insinuate that those who question AIM’s teaching (such as parents and pastors) are likely inexperienced believers that they should pray “Jesus’ name” over them until they too “experience” the Holy Spirit.
*The young people comment often on Seth’s blogs, praising him for his wisdom, calling him Papa or Daddy, and telling him how much they love him.
*AIM minimizes and mishandles God’s written Word and overemphasizes the miraculous spiritual gifts. Prophetic words and healings are commonplace and expected, there is even frequent talk about “raising the dead” although there is no documentation that we have found.
*They hold to a form of Dominion Theology believing that the world is getting better and by their efforts the young people will bring Christ’s kingdom to earth, as opposed to Christ Himself.
The deeper we look, the more concerns surface. We write this with the intention of protecting young people from an experience that will draw them away from Biblical truth, replacing it with an experience-driven hype that may cause a division as our family has experienced.
“They must be silenced,
since they are upsetting whole families
by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.” (Titus 1:11)
The subtlety of the enemy to distort truth is worthy of our caution and discernment.
However, we give Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ that nothing will prevent His Church from being built upon the preaching of His Glorious Gospel, it is the power of God to salvation. (Rom 1:16)
“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt 16:18)
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24, 25)
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Read this testimony from a man who participated in the World Race, emailed to me after reading this article.
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