I came across this
LINK today and I wanted to run for the alarm bell. Mark Batterson has a new book titled
The Circle Maker that is a marketed as prayer-focused, but seemingly built on a Talmudic story of Honi. Obviously, the first thought that should jump out is...I don't remember Honi from the bible. He is reported as a 1BCE scholar/mystic/prayer man, depending where you source the info from.
What I can tell you is this. If you click on the trailer, you first see Batterson drawing a circle, standing in it and praying. I cringed and thought, "Uh, Jesus didn't circle himself in Gethsemane." In fact, apart of the walls of Jericho, I can't think of anything circle-related with God or prayer. Anyway, I do recall that praying in circles is a pagan practice that witch-types use even to this day. So, the next video clip on the link tells the story of Honi. The third clip shows the
Book of Legends, where Batterson got the Honi story from. And by the end of this I've started to view a few reviews, like a USA today that makes me double cringe.
One from USA today and another from a site run by a GeorgePWood (proclaimed contrarian pastor)
The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson: Book Review - USATODAY.com
Review of “The Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson GeorgePWood.com
So, I've prayed for guidance here because I could easily be casting judgement I have no right to make, but something about it makes me shake. I trust God in all things and hope He will instruct me if I have misread, or misled myself.
If you do have a few minutes, I would greatly appreciate other faithfuls who would ask for discernment and view. Am I seeing this wrong?