The Emerging Church and Contemplative Spirituality

Emerging Church —
A Road to Interspirituality
through mysticism

Database on Emerging Church/Spirituality

Also see our database of special news articles on the emerging church.

Now that emerging church leaders have aligned themselves with the contemplative prayer movement, reading A Time of Departing and Faith Undone is more crucial than ever.

The books that exposes the truth about the
contemplative prayer movement!

The Emerging Church and Catholicism

"While Rick Warren, Dan Kimball and Dr. Robert Webber and others may be excited about the 'Emerging Church' and the direction it is presently headed, I am concerned the 'Emerging Church' may actually be a re-emergence of what has already occurred in church history. If the pattern continues expect to see evangelical Protestants become more and more Roman Catholic."—Roger Oakland, Understand the Times, Read Entire Article

The Practices of the emerging church movement

Missing the Point About the Emerging Church
Scholars who are now critiquing the emerging church may be missing the most important element of all.

Many think that one of the big problems with the Emerging Church is their view on relativism (the belief that there are no absolutes). But they may be wrong, very wrong. Brian McLaren rejected relativism in a Powerpoint presentation we viewed last year. Relativism does not describe the Emerging Church. As McLaren himself said, it has to go beyond that ... and indeed it does. Where do we go from relativism, according to McLaren ... what else .... interspirituality. But remember interspirituality is the outcome of contemplative prayer and is the uniting of all religions and the denial that Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. So many of the scholars who are analyzing the emerging church may be missing something that is right under their noses. Want to find out where the emerging church is really heading ... you are going to have to look beyond the obvious. When you reach that destination, you may be in for the shock of your life.

"Changes in today's church are happening so frequently, so profoundly, that we can't tell for certain where we're going. In fact, if we finally get there, will we even call it 'church'?"—from an emerging church leader at A Prophetic Compass for the Emerging Church, the website of Dr. Thomas Hohstadt and Damah Mediah (Endorsed by Brian McLaren, Leonard Sweet and Sally Morgenthaler)

Brian McLaren and Interspirituality

Emerging church leader Brian McLaren promotes an interspirituality that says, "Christianity is too limiting." Read about Brian McLaren's new kind of spirituality.

Emerging Church and Contemplative Prayer

"'Emergent' folks are Christians who are impatient with rigid megachurch formulas and noisy doctrinal in-fighting.... They're hammering out a theology that's friendly to ancient faith practices (contemplative prayer, labyrinths, hospitality) in a postmodern world of quantum physics, 24/7 media and coffee-house culture."—From Ray Waddle -- 'Emergent' Christians Seek Spirituality

...labyrinths, icons, incense, chanting, candles, centering and
contemplative prayer...

Without contemplative spirituality, the emerging church would be nothing more than couches and candles.

"Congregations blend ancient worship practices, using meditation, candles and incense, with rock music ..." —The New York Times, 2004,
Hip New Churches Sway to a Different Drummer

Thomas Nelson Goes Forward with "The Voice" - A "Bible" Project by Emergents

According to a February 11th article in Christian Today, "New Bible Project for Young Generation Launched", Thomas Nelson's 2006 "Bible" project called The Voice is going full speed ahead. The project, announced by TN last spring, is a "re-telling of the Bible that consists of creative voices from historians to poets, storytellers to songwriters," and is for young people who are "searching for new ways to explore the Bible, or who are seeking to read it for the first time." The project will be a combination of books, music CDs, artwork and an interactive website. With the largest Christian publisher backing the project, there is little doubt that The Voice will reach countless young people and have a significant impact in many lives. Read on...

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." I John 1:5-7