by Just the Book
Benedictines, Cistercians, Trappists
The men I talk about in this post, along with others in the monastic and Roman tradition, have had a great influence on the emergent church. You will notice they are strongly influenced by Eastern beliefs.
Note: The “lectio divina,” “centering prayer,” “contemplative prayer” and other “spiritual disciplines” are not found in the Bible. Do a word search. I did find one verse with discipline in it. The word “spiritual” is used with man, gifts, law, blessings, songs, wickedness, understanding, house, sacrifices, but not disciplines.
Benedictine, Cistercian or Trappist Monks who have influenced the emergent church
Thomas Merton (1915-1968), a Trappist monk of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, in Kentucky, was one of the most influential Catholic authors of the 20th century. Thomas Merton was strongly influenced by Buddhist meditation, particularly as found in Zen and was a lifetime friend of Buddhist meditation master and Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. Merton was also a proponent of inter-religious dialogue, engaging in spiritual dialogues with the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and D.T. Suzuki. His theology attempted to unify existentialism with the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith. He was also an advocate of the non-rational meditation of contemplative prayer. Click here to read this entire report.
