Promise Keepers, Steve Berger, and the Dangerous Implications of Ignoring Necromancy in The Church (Lighthouse Trails)
(Necromancy: Communing and interacting with the dead.)
[O]ur departed loved ones are alive, active, and aware. . . . they are aware of times that we need special encouragement. (1)
[W]e’re surrounded by the saints who have gone before us, and however God chooses to use them to encourage us, you know we ought to be open to it. (2)
The words of a necromancing New Age channeler? No, these are the words of Promise Keepers Executive Board member Pastor Steve Berger, who was just announced to be one of the featured speakers at PK’s highly publicized “Daring Faith” conference to be held at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 19-20, 2024.(3)
In their 2010 book Have Heart: Bridging the Gulf Between Heaven and Earth, Steve and Sarah Berger describe how their deceased son Josiah appeared at a Wednesday night prayer service at their church and spoke with then assistant pastor, Jim Sterling. (4) According to the Bergers, Josiah showed up after guest worship leader, Rita Springer, had prayed before the service and asked the Lord if Josiah could come and worship with them that night. (5) (This is necromancy!) Pastor Sterling, initially convinced, later became convicted through Bible study and prayer that the “Josiah” that appeared before him was demonic and was definitely not the pastor’s son as the Bergers would have everyone believe in their book. (6) In Have Heart, with its front-cover endorsement by James Robison, the Bergers go on to describe further communications (“our meetings”7) with Josiah, not just to themselves but to others as well:
We know [Josiah] can see us, hear us, and even be involved, not only in our lives but also in the lives of his friends. We are continually hearing of Siah coming to friends in dreams. . . . We mean no disrespect to the prophets, but the idea of Siah being able to observe the choices we make here on earth is way more motivating as we seek to live for God moment-by-moment. The cloud of witnesses is personal, and we believe it is part of their work in the spiritual realm to cheer on their loved ones still on earth. (8)
In an online critique of Have Heart, The Berean Call states:
In further attempting to legitimize their experiences (in view of Scriptural prohibitions), they appeal to the “spontaneity” of the “visitations” as the difference between that which is “condemned by God” and that which is “orchestrated by God” This is wishful thinking on their part, not Scripture’s truth. (9)
Nevertheless, some fourteen years after the initial publication of the Berger’s explicit account of “necromancy”—what the Bible describes as an “abomination unto the Lord”— Have Heart still bears the endorsements of pastors Greg Laurie and James Robison, along with Shack author and self-confessed universalist William Paul Young. Yet, instead of being exposed and made accountable over the last fourteen years, Steve Berger has been progressively elevated in today’s wayward church.
Besides sitting on both the Executive and Advisory boards of Promise Keepers, (10) Steve Berger states he is also a Board member of former-Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast (11) and was a speaker at one of their large annual gatherings. (12) He was also one of Jonathan Cahn’s featured speakers at Cahn’s huge Washington DC “Return” revival rally in 2020 that was attended by thousands in person and watched by millions on livestream. (13) And Berger co-hosted a Charlie Kirk TPUSA conference for pastors in Nashville in 2023. (14) Berger (a self-proclaimed “prophet”(15) and his wife also founded ASI (Ambassador Services International), based in Washington, DC. They have claimed their ministry “influences influencers.” The Bergers work closely with politicians through Bible studies and special events.(16) In 2016, Berger prayed before the US Senate and was lauded there by Tennessee Senator Bob Corker as “one of the preeminent spiritual leaders in our nation.” (17)
We have listed these organizations and people to show that Berger is being embraced and sought after for spiritual instruction and wisdom by many of today’s popular and influential church and cultural leaders. These leaders are introducing Berger to tens of millions of people worldwide, which in turn introduces them to his book and his teachings. We realize that many of the public figures who are inviting Berger to speak have organizations or ministries that are deeply concerned about the declining condition of America’s culture, which is a rightful concern. However, it is in vain if Christians address cultural issues of the day but neglect to deal with critical spiritual issues within the church. The Bible is very clear that God does not look lightly on a mixture of good and evil, truth and error; in fact, this separation of what is from God and what is not is a major theme of the Bible. If we want God to help America, we must be willing to turn away from spiritual deception (e.g., occult activities like necromancy) that are entering the church.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18)
Reaching Out to Promise Keepers
In 2023, Lighthouse Trails became aware of a number of concerned people who were contacting Promise Keepers, asking them why a man openly advocating interacting with the dead was sitting on two of their boards and speaking at their conferences. The then CEO Ken Harrison replied to at least one of those contacting him by sending a letter saying he was “stunned” by the accusations and that he had purchased a copy of Berger’s book. He concluded his letter by saying, “We will do all we can to ensure that the issue with Steve is resolved.” (18) That communication from Harrison was almost a year ago, and his only public response that we know of since was to feature Berger as a speaker at their 2024 PK conference in St Petersburg, Florida (where, ironically, Berger spoke about repentance (19) and to now have him speak this coming August at their conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ken Harrison, the present chairman of the PK Board, recently surrendered his CEO reins to evangelist Shane Winnings.
At the February 2024 Promise Keepers event in St. Petersburg, Florida, Steve Rusk (a local minister) approached Shane Winnings to ask him about Berger’s occult baggage. When Rusk tried to hand him a Lighthouse Trails booklet titled Dead Men Talking: Necromancy in Today’s Church (that addresses Berger’s book), Winnings indicated he was familiar with the booklet and told Rusk to be patient and that changes were being made. (20) Now, four months later, Winnings has announced that he and Ken Harrison will be speaking with Steve Berger in Tulsa along with Charlie Kirk and others. No changes were made. The concerns that had been issued over the last year about PK’s support of Berger were obviously dismissed and disregarded.
Promise Keepers has been given every chance to deal biblically and responsibly with this situation—and they have not. Promise Keepers and all those supporting, defending, and elevating Steve Berger are inadvertently supporting, defending, and elevating his unbiblical beliefs. This is symptomatic of a church that is heading into further apostasy. As The Berean Call’s Q & A stated:
In our day, when biblical discernment is practically nonexistent among most who call themselves Christians, to emphasize the experiential, as the Bergers do throughout their book, is playing right into the hands of the Adversary. Tragically, they call such supernatural experiences with their deceased son “God Nods” and encourage their readers to seek their own: “Be on the lookout for God Nods in your own life.” (21)
Dangerous Implications
In former New Age follower Warren B. Smith’s booklet Dead Men Talking, Smith explains:
New Age author James Redfield followed up his mega best-selling novel The Celestine Prophecy with another popular novel titled The Twelfth Insight: The Hour of Decision. When the book’s New Age seekers are desperately looking for secret knowledge that can save the world, Rachel, one of the main characters, suddenly finds herself having “a real interaction” with her deceased mother. . . . She said:
“All we have to do is use more of our power to tune in and have a conversation. It’s never too late. And there is so much more they want to tell us. In fact, my mother said they desperately need to speak with us, right now, at this crucial point in history. They know the real Plan for the human world, and it’s time for us on this side to understand.” (22)
Smith continues:
In The Light That Was Dark, I describe how I was seduced into the New Age by a ball of light that suddenly manifested over my head in a psychic reading. I was told by the psychic that the ball of light had appeared to let me know I had a lot of help on the “other side.” When I asked what she meant by “the other side,” the first thing she told me was: “Family and loved ones who have passed away.” [emphasis added] She added that “angels and other spirits” were also interested in helping me with my life. All I had to do was ask for their assistance. So I did. And the spirit world was more than willing as they seduced me further and further into spiritual deception. . . . The amazing thing is that the Bible has thoroughly warned us about all this spiritual deception and how it will play out in these latter days. (23)
There is a related element in this situation that may provide some insight into Berger’s propensity to connecting with the deceased. In Have Heart, the Bergers state:
Multiple times over the last fifteen years, we have read a very compelling book entitled My Dream of Heaven by Rebecca Ruter Springer [originally titled Intra Muros in 1898]. In this fascinating little book, Springer relates her vision of what Heaven is like and details the kinds of activities she witnessed there after she was transported to Heaven during an extended life-threatening illness. . . . One of the most emotional impressions the book left on us was Springer’s idea that saints in Heaven go on “invisible missions” to earth. (24)
Springer’s book is a partly fictionalized account of encounters between deceased loved ones and those still alive. Berger has made it very clear that this book had a powerful impact on his life. In his own 2014 book, Between Heaven and Earth, he says of Springer’s book:
I bought it and read it, and her story floored me. It still floors me today. . . . The book challenged me with concepts I’d never known, and provided practical insights that I could share with others who needed help and encouragement. (25)
Worth noting, Rebecca Ruter Springer and her book that Steve Berger was “floored” by is listed in William C. Hartmann’s Who’s Who in Occultism, New Thought, Psychism, and Spiritualism published in 1927 by the Occult Press. (26)
Steve Berger’s book with its false teachings on having “meetings” (27) with the dead have been circulating in the church for over fourteen years, yet church leaders have ignored the warnings issued by discernment ministries like ours and in the books, booklets, and articles that have attempted to bring this situation to biblical light. The dangerous implications of this disregard for something as serious as necromancy within the church cannot be ignored. Have Heart pushes aside the Bible’s admonitions and warnings (28) and in so doing has opened a window to the spirit world that if not closed may bring in alleged “new revelation,” supposedly from deceased loved ones, that will redefine what we have known as biblical Christianity. There seems to be little doubt that Berger and others in the church are redefining and trying to normalize necromancy in order to make allowance for interaction with deceased loved ones. This is occult. This is New Age. This is everything the Bible has warned us to watch out for.
Christian leaders have a unique responsibility and an obligation to lead with biblical integrity along with willingness to repent when they have gone astray; otherwise, they are not really Christian leaders at all but rather those who sorely misrepresent truth and the Lord they claim to follow. Promise Keepers (including each and every board member) and any church leader who has ignored this open window to necromancy has a biblical obligation to stop ignoring what is so obvious to many and close that window once and for all by publicly renouncing Have Heart and Berger’s false teachings. Let us not forget the sober warning Scripture gives us:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. (1 Timothy 4:1)
Note: This article is the collaborative effort of a wide cross-section of ministries and individuals who are concerned about the spiritual deception that has entered the church and is not being confronted and exposed by church leaders.
It is worth noting that numerous Adventist individuals have dabbled in progressive spirituality and entry-level occult exercises. Operation Iceberg has exposed these individuals in the past, and Fulcrum7 will continue to research and publish material on this serious problem.
Endnotes:
1. Steve and Sarah Berger, Have Heart: Bridging the Gulf Between Heaven and Earth (Grace Chapel, August 2010), pp. 98, 100.
2. Video by Steve Berger titled “Heaven: What’s Going on up There?” (August 16, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4HN18vYiNY), mm. 2:19-3:24.
3. https://www.daringfaith.org/
4. Steve and Sarah Berger, Have Heart, op. cit., pp. 98-100.
5. Ibid. pp. 99-100.
6. Phone call between Jim Sterling and Warren B. Smith.
7. Have Heart, op. cit., p. 100.
8. Ibid., pp. 104, 107.
9. The Berean Call, Questions and Answers (January 1, 2012, https://www.thebereancall.org/content/january-2012-q-and-a-1) citing page 102 of Have Heart.
10. https://promisekeepers.org/about-us/our-leaders.
11. Michelle Bachmann is a co-chair of Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast. On Berger’s website, he states he is a board member: https://steveberger.org/book-steve.
12. https://www.facebook.com/reel/219670397537032.
13. https://thereturn.org/thereturn-washingtondc.
15. Stated by Steve Berger on November 2020 at the Council for National Policy (the Policy Counsel Speeches) in Washington, DC. (https://cfnp.org/policy-counsel/november-2020). Scroll about halfway down the page to see Berger’s comments (or use your keyboard, click Ctrl and the letter F; then type in Berger in the search box that pops up).
16. From Steve Berger’s website in 2023: https://web.archive.org/web/20230327144948/https://steveberger.org.
17. “Corker Welcomes Tennessee Pastor Steve Berger as Guest Chaplain to U.S. Senate”: June 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYmAvE_QXSs.
18. This letter is on file.
19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRVHLFqFO3Q.
20. Steve Rusk conveyed this scenario to Spiritual Research Network and gave his permission to reprint it.
21. The Berean Call, op. cit.
22. Warren B. Smith, Dead Men Talking: Necromancy in the Church (Roseburg, OR: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2021, https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/new-booklet-dead-men-talking-necromancy-in-todays-church). This booklet is an extract from Smith’s 2020 book, The Titanic and Today’s Church. The quote is from James Redfield, The Twelfth Insight: The Hour of Decision (New York, NY: Grand Central publishing, 2011), p. 179.
23. Warren B. Smith, The Light That Was Dark: From the New Age to Amazing Grace (Magalia, CA: Mountain Stream Press, 1992, 2005), pp. 16-17.
24. Steve and Sarah Berger, Have Heart, op. cit., pp. 88-89.
25. Steve Berger, Between Heaven and Earth: Finding Hope, Courage, and Passion Through a Fresh Vision of Heaven (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2014), p. 21.
26. Compiled and edited by William C. Hartmann (founder of The Occult Brotherhood), Who’s Who in Occultism, New Thought, Psychism, and Spiritualism (Jamaica, NY: Occult Press, 2nd edition, 1927), pp. 193, 238. Chris Lawson of Spiritual Research Network (https://www.spiritualresearchnetwork.org) discovered Rebecca Ruter Springer’s name in Hartmann’s directory. His website has extensive research and information on spiritually deceptive practices and beliefs.
27. Steve and Sarah Berger, Have Heart, op. cit., p. 100.
28. As a reminder of what Scripture has to say about necromancy consider the following two points:
The Old Testament in more than one occasion exposes the error of consulting with the dead and provides an unquestionable warning against it, identifying it as an abomination to God, where it says, “There shall not be found among you any one [i.e., without exception] that . . . [is] a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Also see Leviticus 19:31, Deuteronomy 13:1-3, Ecclesiastes 9:5, Leviticus 20:27 (uses word “wizard,” which in Hebrew means necromancer).
In the New Testament, Jesus clearly negates the practice of speaking/consulting with the dead in His account of Lazarus and the rich man (see Luke 16:19-31). In this account, the rich man (now deceased) speaks to Abraham pleading that God would send someone from the dead to communicate with his family to warn of his torments in Hell: [I]f one went unto them from the dead, they will repent” (v. 30). Jesus declares this as an impossibility with the words, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead,” (v. 31). Jesus placed a bit of irony into this account because those who “hear not Moses” are the very same who practice necromancy forbidden in the above quote from Deuteronomy.