Coming From the Lighthouse

                                                         Printer Friendly Version (click here)        May 5, 2008

In This Issue -

FGBC (Fellowship of Grace Brethern Churches) Promotes Contemplative Spirituality and the Emerging Church

BGC World Magazine Article by Contemplative Jan Johnson; Includes Yoga Poses

Understand the Times Update and Urgent Prayer Request

The Great Emergence - A New Reformation Every 500 Years?

Those Who Resist

Christian Colleges That DO NOT Have Spiritual Formation Programs

Time Magazine's 2008 Most Influential People List

Warren Smith, Ray Yungen Speaking at Conferences this Summer

Publishing News

Newsletter in Print - Coming Soon

Book Spotlights

Quick Links

Helpful Resources  & Other Articles

A Special Note

What is Contemplative Spirituality?

definition: 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).

FGBC (Fellowship of Grace Brethern Churches) Promotes Contemplative Spirituality and the Emerging Church

The FGBC (Fellowship of Grace Brethern Churches) is an association of 260 North American churches of the Grace Brethern movement, which has an historical heritage dating back to the 18th century. Currently, there are over 2000 churches and around 750,000 Grace Brethern members. According to the main FGBC website, FGBC churches are autonomous (self-governed), and FGBC believes that the Bible is their authority. Thus, it is most unfortunate to report that FGBC is heading into the contemplative/emerging camp through several various avenues.

The CE National is a ministry arm of FGBC that provides "ministries and resources" to educate and lead FGBC children, youth, and adults. One of the programs, 412 Commission (based on 1 Timothy 4:12), is "designed to nurture young leaders in an effective discipling environment." Last December, the Commission exposed students to emerging church leader and New Age-practice proponent Rob Bell. 1 In view of Bell's resonance with the Sisters of Marywood (recently featured in Reiki News for their "success" with the occultic practice, Reiki) and his emphasis on New Age mystic Ken Wilber, introducing FGBC kids to Bell is alarming. Of the meeting with Bell, an FGBC writer states: "[O]ur view of God was blown out of the box we had it in."

On a FGBC blog by one of CE National's leaders, Bob Hetzler (CE National's YouthNet Commission and director of Fusion, the young adult division of FGBC's Momentum youth conference), Hetzler states that Rob Bell's Nooma videos (a Trojan Horse for Bell's non-biblical spirituality), have been a best-selling resource for youth. 2

Sadly, just about one month ago, Hetzler recommended people read Brian McLaren and other pro-emerging books to get help in understanding the emerging church movement. This will certainly give students the perspective from an emerging point of view, but Hetzler's resources do not alert to the serious and dangerous mystical affinities of the emerging church or of its promotion of the Kingdom now theology or its interspiritual and universalistic beliefs. It is disappointing that Hetzler didn't point to a book like Faith Undone, in which Roger Oakland precisely and accurately shows the true nature of the emerging church.

Incidentally, on Hetzler's blog, he has links to Dallas Willard, Relevant magazine, Leadership Network, and the Ooze, all of which are some of the most influential promoters of the emerging church, and all of which have a propensity toward the mystical. Because Hetzler is instrumental in working with FGBC churches, his promotion of contemplative and emerging resources cannot be underestimated.

The CE National "lending library" is filled with contemplative and emerging related books and authors: Under Youth Ministry, they recommend Mark Oestreicher (from Youth Specialties who calls Christianity "an Eastern religion"), Rick Warren (a major promoter of both contemplative and emerging), Duffy Robbins, Doug Fields (Saddleback), Wayne Rice (Youth Specialties co-founder), Tony Campolo, Mike Yaconelli, and Tony Jones. Other various categories include New Ager Jack Canfield, mystic proponent Richard Foster, Larry Crabb, John Eldredge, Robert Webber, Tony Campolo, and many others with similar spiritual proclivities.

BMH Books is a publishing arm of FGBC. A new release of theirs titled Spiritual Friends is written by Robert Kellemen. The book was originally published by RPM Books. In that 2004 edition, Kellemen quotes atonement denier Alan Jones from his book Exploring Spiritual Direction. This makes sense that Kellemen would turn to Jones because Kellemen's book is about spiritual direction, which is a philosophy that Jones believes in also. Some may be thinking, "What is wrong with spiritual direction?" But the kind of spiritual direction that is being promoted here is contemplative spiritual direction. In other words, spiritual direction (through trained spiritual directors) is needed to help people develop their spiritual formation through contemplative prayer practices. For those who may doubt that this is what Kellemen is referring to, all one needs to do is look to the Acknowlegments in his book, where he thanks Larry Crabb who "contributed" to his own theories on spiritual direction. Crabb is a psychologist who turned to spiritual direction (i.e., contemplative spirituality). This is documented in a Christianity Today article, "Got Your Spiritual Director Yet?." In that article it states: [N]ow he [Crabb] believes that in today's church, therapy should be replaced by another, more ancient practice--"spiritual direction." Today, Crabb promotes mystical practices, as can be seen in his various writings (such as The Papa Prayer, where he encourages the use of centering prayer.

In Kellemen's book, he also looks to other mystical-type prayer proponents for guidance: Henri Nouwen, Eugene Peterson, Thomas Aquinas, Dallas Willard, John Eldredge, Dan Allender, Ignatius Loyola, Tilden Edwards (who said in his book, Spiritual Friend, that contemplative is the bridge between Eastern religion and Christianity - see A Time of Departing), Richard Foster, David Benner, and Marjorie Thompson (from her book Soul Feast ).

Marjorie Thompson does not hide her draw to eastern-style mysticism. She states, "The practice of contemplative prayer might give a Christian ground for constructive dialogue with a meditating Buddhist" (from Preface). In essence, Thompson resonates with New Age philosophy as she indicates in her book by often favorably referencing and/or promoting people like Matthew Fox, Thomas Keating, and others with panentheistic views (God is in all). Of Keating and eastern mysticism, she states:

A way of prayer closely related to this ancient form [the Jesus prayer] is now enjoying a revival among Christians of several traditions. It is called "centering prayer," and is a good way to introduce the person in the pew to contemplation. Centering prayer is based on a fourteenth-century treatise titled The Cloud of Unknowing. In this way of prayer, you select a single word that sums up for you the nature and being of God. Single-minded focus on this prayer word in silent concentration becomes a vehicle into the mystery of divine presence and grace. The method bears a striking resemblance to Eastern meditation with mantras but has developed independently out of the mystical strands of Western Christianity.

If FGBC incorporates Kellemen's spiritual orientation into their denomination, some day many of their churches may resemble the vision of Matthew Fox's christ-consciousness or of Thomas Keating through mantric prayer.

Grace College/Seminary (FGBC representative college) is also allowing the contemplative influence into student's lives. Last April (2007), at their chapel, they had Richard Twiss, and this April they had Shaine Claiborne (who was recently cancelled at Cedarville because of his emerging church spirituality). Also Kay Warren spoke in February. Warren promotes contemplative through her recommendation of Henri Nouwen's book, In the Name of Jesus, which states we need to move from the "moral to the mystical."

The last avenue our report will point out is that FGBC is allowing contemplative/emerging influences through their youth events. Momentum, taking place this June, recommends several ministries such as Youth Specialties and CPYU. 3 At the 2008 Driven Conference, one of the speakers is Kary Oberbrunner, author of Called: Becoming Who You Were Born to be (also published by FGBC's BMH Books). Oberbrunner, a graduate of Grace College and pastor of an FGBC church, quotes New Age leader Marianne Williamson on the first page of his book (and again on p. 143), calling her words "inspiring" and offering no warning about her but rather says they have inspired his own soul. Perhaps Oberbrunner does not know who Marianne Williamson is, but if that is the case, we hope he will now take the time to learn and remove her reference from his book. Pointing to Williamson is the same as pointing to Oprah, A Course in Miracles, and Eckhart Tolle, all of whom are strong opponents of biblical Christianity and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Kary Oberbrunner has announced that he is now in contract with Zondervan publishers. Given the fact that Zondervan is one of the main influencers for contemplative/emerging spirituality in evangelical Christianity, this probably isn't a good sign that they resonate with him. In his book, Oberbrunner expounds on the kingdom teachings of emerging leaders Doug Pagitt and Robert Webber, and even references panentheist Basil Pennington. Pennington stated the following in a book he co-authored with Thomas Keating:

We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and capture it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible ... Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices (see chapter 2, ATOD)

It is our prayer and hope that FGBC and its leaders will stop going in the contemplative direction and make a renewed commitment to biblical truth. Lighthouse Trails would like to offer a complimentary copy of A Time of Departing and Faith Undone to any of FGBC's 12-member Fellowship Council Board of Directors. These 12 men help to lead FGBC and make decisions that affect the entire movement. We think if they would take the time to study these issues, they will find that contemplative spirituality and emerging philosophy are not biblical and not the direction in which FGBC founders, who were often persecuted for their defense of the faith, would have taken believers.

BGC World Magazine Article by Contemplative Jan Johnson; Includes Yoga Poses

BGC World magazine is a publication of the Illinois-based Baptist General Conference. BGC has a long history dating back to the 1800s when Swedish Baptists came to America to escape religious persecution. With a heritage like that, it is with dismay that we must report that the May 2008 BGC World magazine is carrying an article about fitness written by contemplative proponent Jan Johnson. The article, titled Bent Every Which Way shows photos of a young woman in various yoga positions.

Jan Johnson is the author of Enjoying the Presence of God and When the Soul Listens. In the latter book, she states:

Contemplative prayer, in its simplest form, is a prayer in which you still your thoughts and emotions and focus on God Himself. This puts you in a better state to be aware of God's presence, and it makes you better able to hear God's voice, correcting, guiding, and directing you. (p. 16)

Johnson's explanation of the initial stages of contemplative prayer leaves no doubt that "stilling" your thoughts means only one thing; she explains:

In the beginning, it is usual to feel nothing but a cloud of unknowing.... If you're a person who has relied on yourself a great deal to know what's going on, this unknowing will be unnerving. (p. 120)

Johnson points to several mystics in the book, including Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Madame Guyon, Brother Lawrence, John of the Cross, and others. Brother Lawrence would resonate with Johnson's message of "unnerving" prayer. In his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, it says he "danced violently like a madman" when he went into the "presence."(1) Thomas Merton likened contemplative prayer to an LSD trip(2) while Henri Nouwen denounced Jesus Christ as being the only way to salvation.3 He did this after years of practicing mysticism and encouraged Christians to move from the "moral to the mystical."4

In Johnson's book, she references the book, The Cloud of Unknowing Ray Yungen discusses this book:

To my dismay, I discovered this 'mystical silence' is accomplished by the same methods used by New Agers to achieve their silence--the mantra and the breath! Contemplative prayer is the repetition of what is referred to as a prayer word or sacred word until one reaches a state where the soul, rather than the mind, contemplates God. Contemplative prayer teacher and Zen master Willigis Jager brought this out when he postulated:

Do not reflect on the meaning of the word; thinking and reflecting must cease, as all mystical writers insist. Simply "sound" the word silently, letting go of all feelings and thoughts.

Those with some theological training may recognize this teaching as the historical stream going back centuries to such figures as Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Julian of Norwich. One of the most well-known writings on the subject is the classic 14th century treatise, The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an anonymous author. It is essentially a manual on contemplative prayer inviting a beginner to:

Take just a little word, of one syllable rather than of two ... With this word you are to strike down every kind of thought under the cloud of forgetting.

The premise here is that in order to really know God, mysticism must be practiced--the mind has to be shut down or turned off so that the cloud of unknowing where the presence of God awaits can be experienced. Practitioners of this method believe that if the sacred words are Christian, you will get Christ--it is simply a matter of intent even though the method is identical to occult and Eastern practices. (A Time of Departing, 2nd ed., p. 33)

Many Christians do not understand that yoga is the heartbeat of Hinduism and it does not belong in biblical Christianity. Pastor Larry DeBruyn explains:

Christianity cannot be integrated with yoga and remain Christian. To think otherwise imperils the Christian truth and faith. As the managing editor of Hinduism Today, Sannyasin Arumugaswami, remarks, "Hinduism is the soul of yoga" based as it is on Hindu Scripture and developed by Hindu sages. Yoga opens up new and more refined states of mind, and to understand them one needs to believe in and understand the Hindu way of looking at God. . . . A Christian trying to adapt these practices will likely disrupt their own Christian beliefs". East is east, and west is west, and if Christianity is to remain Christian, "the twain" should never be married.5

Jan Johnson is in like-minded company with Merton, Lawrence, Nouwen, and The Cloud of Unknowing, but given the Baptist General Conference's heritage, incorporating the spirituality of Johnson into BGC seems like a paradox of major proportions. What's more, the yoga photos are what we would call truly "unnerving."

Notes:
1. Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God (New York: NY: Doubleday, Image Book edition, 1977, translated by John Delaney), p. 34.
2. Thomas Merton said this to Matthew Fox, as Fox stated in an online interview.
3. Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition
4. Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, 1989.

For more information on Yoga and its dangers, please read Yoga and the Body of Christ by Dave Hunt and watch Yoga Uncoiled by Caryl Productions.

Also see our database of Yoga articles.

Understand the Times Update and Urgent Prayer Request

As many of you may know, the Understand the Times website was recently compromised by unknown hackers and had to be shut down. We are happy to announce the website is back up and running and is now on a dedicated and highly secure server. Thank you for your prayers during this difficult situation.

The Great Emergence - A New Reformation Every 500 Years?

 By Roger Oakland

Phyllis Tickle is a best-selling author and the founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly. She is also a friend of the emerging church. Doug Pagitt says of her:

Phyllis Tickle is the best friend the emergent movement could ever have.1

In the fall of 2008, Baker Books (through their partnership with Emergent Village-Emersion Books) will release Tickle's book called The Great Emergence. The following description of the book confirms Tickle's allegiance to emerging spirituality:

[I]ntended to provide a practical, positive vision of the church as it steps into the future. Tickle says the book will discuss the development of the emerging church, what she calls the "Great Emergence," placing it among the other great phenomena in the history of Christianity, including the Great Schism and the Great Reformation. "Every 500 years," Tickle said, "the empowered structures of institutionalized Christianity, whatever they may be, become an intolerable carapace that must be shattered so that renewal and growth may occur. Now is such a time."2

In a PBS interview, Tickle referred to this "[e]very 500 years" theory and said, "the church has a giant rummage sale." She said, "Christianity is in the midst of a new reformation that will radically remake the faith."3 At the Joint Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) where Tickle and McLaren shared a platform, one participant noted that, "[Tickle said] Brian McLaren is to this new reformation what Martin Luther was to the Protestant Reformation."4

If indeed Brian McLaren, or any of the emergent leaders or upstarts, lead and direct this new reformation, it will do as Tickle says--"radically remake the faith." Emergent proponent Troy Bronsink reveals that this remaking will include all of humanity and all of creation. In An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, Bronsink, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), states:

Emergent ... is a gift given to all the church that is placing us in tension with things as they are.... we will discover courage to let go of the old orientations, see creation expanding.5

He continues:

If the emergent conversation is to have a "next chapter," it will need to learn from other sketches outside of Western Christendom as well as from within the depths of other traditions (denominations and communions) once dismissed on rational-political grounds, and it must continue, all the more, to seek ways of sketching that benefit the rest of creation.6

Bronsink says that emergent is "a guild of prophets" that will lead the way for "existing practitioners of Christianity."7 He says they will create an "environment" that will equip "any and all for the process of emergence."8 He adds that "practices of meditation" are necessary to "sustain" the emergent hope(9) but gives a word of caution to emerging seekers:

[M]erely seeing ourselves as a creative agent within the domain of the Christian church will domesticate Emergent into what one critic has already claimed is an "asterisk on the landscape of American church growth." On the other hand, seeing the integrated whole of the church (emerging and otherwise) as a creative agent within creation, Emergent can be a place where practitioners embody the church's creative agency for all of emerging society. (emphasis added)10

Bronsink says the emerging church must not become confined within the structure of Christianity, and this is perhaps where we can understand the theological limits of the emerging church. Those limits? There are none! The sky is the limit for the all-encompassing emerging church that includes all faiths, and all creation. Atonement is not part of this new reformation because all creation is already being saved and unified with God. It's no wonder emerging prophets over the past several decades from [Henry] Fosdick to Alan Jones to Brian McLaren reject penal substitution--in their grand emergence, it just isn't needed.

A poem from An Emergent Manifesto of Hope illustrates what the emerging church calls expanded redemption. I think you will see how such a theology has no room for atonement through Jesus Christ. The poem reads:

Not only soul, whole body!
Not only whole body, all of the faithful community!
Not only all of the faithful community, all of humanity!
Not only all of humanity, all of God's creation!11

This is very contradictory to what Jesus said:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23)

It's a noble and comforting notion that all humanity and creation are redeemed, but it doesn't square with biblical spiritual reality.

Emergent leader Karen Ward asks the question, "Is there an 'emerging' theology of the atonement?"12 She answers, "I think not." Calling it "the mystery we're in," she refers to the atonement as at-one-ment,13 a term occultist and New Age prophet Alice Bailey uses to refer to our (all humanity's) oneness and equality with God.14 Ward explains her views:

We are being moved, as a community, beyond theories about atonement, to enter into atonement itself, or at-one-ment-the new reality and new relationship of oneness with God which Christ incarnated (in life, cross, and resurrection) and into which we are all invited "for all time."15

The emergent reformation, when it comes to fruition, will stand on the side of the line drawn in the sand that says all humanity is One--regardless of religion, beliefs--we are all One. That Oneness will mean one with all creation too, and inevitably with God. This is what the New Age movement is striving for--a time when all of mankind will realize both their unity and divinity--and the Gospel as we know it, according to Scripture, will be no more.

Notes:
1. Steve Knight citing Doug Pagitt, "Phyllis Tickle to Write Book for Baker Books/Emersion"(Emergent Village, May 30, 2007, http://www.emergentvillage.com/weblog/phyllis-tickle-to-write-book-for-baker-booksemersion).
2. Ibid.
3. Fred Plumer, "What is Progressive Christianity Anyway?" (The Center for Progressive Christianity, http://www.tcpc.org/library/article.cfm?library_id=377).
4. Citing from Emergent Village Weblog, http://www.emergent village.com/weblog/emergent-and-the-new-reformation).
5. Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones, An Emergent Manifesto of Hope (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2007), Troy Bronsink section: "The Art of Emergence," p. 68.
6. Ibid., pp. 68-69.
7. Ibid., p. 69.
8. Ibid., p. 70.
9. Ibid., p. 71.
10. Ibid., pp. 72-73.
11. Ibid., p. 83.
12. Robert Webber (editor), Listening to the Beliefs of the Emerging Churches (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), Karen Ward chapter: “The Emerging Church and Communal Theology,†p. 163.
13. Ibid., pp. 163-164.
14. Throughout Alice Bailey’s writings is the concept of humanity’s at-one-ment (oneness) with God.
15. Robert Webber (editor), Listening to the Beliefs of the Emerging Churches, Karen Ward, op. cit., p. 164.

This has been an excerpt from Faith Undone by Roger Oakland, from chapter 12, "A New Reformation?"

Christian Colleges That DO NOT Have Spiritual Formation Programs

Disclaimer: These colleges are listed, not necessarily as an endorsement or recommendation, but rather to show schools that do not have Spiritual Formation programs, nor do we know of any promotion of contemplative prayer or the emerging church within each of these schools. They also do not promote Purpose Driven materials, which are a catalyst for contemplative spirituality. Before sending your student to any of the schools listed below, please check out other criteria at the school that will influence your student.

Time Magazine's 2008 Most Influential People List

According to Time magazine, the following people are among the 2008 100 most influential people in the world. The ones we have listed all have some connection to promoting the New Age movement:

Warren Smith, Ray Yungen Speaking at Calvary Chapel Conferences this Summer

#1 Warren Smith, author of Deceived on Purpose and The Light That Was Dark, will be a featured speaker at the 2008 Senior Pastors Conference in Murietta, California this coming June. This conference is the annual pastors conference for Calvary Chapel Senior pastors.

Publishing News

Newsletter in Print - Coming Soon

If you would like to receive the Coming from the Lighthouse newsletter in print form by mail, please send an email to newsletters@lighthousetrails.com. Be sure and include your mailing address in the email. We will be issuing a printed newsletter several times a year for those who prefer that over the email edition or for some reason need both.

 Both email and printed editions will be free.

Book Spotlights