For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
"A book called “The Circle Maker” has started making the rounds through churches as the latest “new method” to access untold blessings from God. Written by Pastor Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington D.C., The Circle Maker teaches a new method of prayer by 
Batterson started National Community Church in 1996 with 3 people and today it is one of the fastest growing churches in Washington D.C. with 7 campuses where the church meets (consisting of coffee shops, movie theaters and concert spaces). The Washington Post has dubbed Batterson: “one of the most promising leaders for the next generation.”
... the entire premise of the book is based on “the legend of Honi The Circle Maker.” This should be
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| What does this have to do with Christendom? - NOTHING |
This “legend” is a story from the Talmud and Midrash, which is a compilation of Jewish oral tradition and commentaries on the Mosaic law. The point here is that the Talmud is not the Bible. Honi is referred to as “a prophet of God” and yet he is not mentioned in the Bible.... Honi did not wait to hear God’s instructions as all the prophets of the Old Testament did. He has his own plan and ideas and took them to God for The Lord to execute. It was Honi’s idea to make the circle, not The Lord’s. This is the exact opposite of God’s prophets who the word of The Lord came to and they acted upon it as willing servants.
Why would a Pastor base an entire book and teaching on prayer, one of the most important aspects of Christian life, on a non-Biblical source?
Batterson is teaching “fables” to the church. Batterson reinforces this by saying he is in fact teaching “how to pray in a new way” and states “you can’t just read the Bible, you need to start circling the promises..” All of this is with this goal of achieving “big dreams” and having God deliver your desires to you. This “me-centered” approach to the Bible is a hallmark of the Prosperity Gospel heresy. It is a false teaching that misuses Scripture to teach that whatever a Christian desires on Earth, can be theirs, either through faith, giving money to a pastor or some other New Age technique.
WMCA you will note most of these were read on air):
- Batterson discussing the legend of Honi:
“With the authority of the prophet Elijah, who called down fire from Heaven, Honi called down rain..” p 10.Once again, the fable of Honi The Circle Maker is not in the Bible. Yet here is Batterson, equating Honi, who was not a prophet of God, and never mentioned in Scripture, with Elijah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, who we know for certain was operating under divine authority. Batterson is clearly taking legend and equating it with Scripture.
- Batterson again emphasizing the use of circles:
“The bigger the circle we draw, the better, because God gets more glory.” p 11.
- In explaining that God’s promise to Moses and Joshua to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land, had now literally passed to him, Batterson writes:
“I had Honi-like confidence that just as this promise had been transferred from Moses to Joshua, God would transfer the promise to me if I had enough faith to circle it.” p. 15.The errors here are numerous. .... And notice Batterson emphasizes Honi once again and the use of the circle as the key to obtaining this blessing. The Honi-Circle story is the foundation of this entire book." Beginning&End