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The 2005 National Youth Worker's Conference began today and will be promoting New Age and Eastern religion practices. Cathy Mickels, author of Spiritual Junkfood has taken on the task of alerting the public, and Jim Brown, a reporter for American Family Radio (AFA affiliate) has reported on her efforts in an article that came out today in Agape Press.

The conference will include labyrinths and contemplative prayer, a mantric-style prayer that is similar to Transcendental Meditation. Doug Fields, youth pastor of Saddleback Church, is one of a large line up of speakers and artists, some of whom are specially trained in Eastern religion practices.

Worthy of mention, Rick Warren brought to his own Purpose Driven Youth Ministry conference, earlier this year, speakers from Youth Specialties and the related Group Publishing.

Featured Resources

Contemplative Spirituality: A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many others.

Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contemplative spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement.