Contemplative Practices

Letter to the Editor From Dallas Theological Seminary Student—DTS Does Advocate for Contemplative Spirituality

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To Lighthouse Trails: The relationship Dallas Theological Seminary has with contemplative spirituality has been debated on Lighthouse Trails, and defended by DTS. As a current student, I can confirm some departments and professors do advocate explicitly for the contemplative brand of spirituality.  The school requires four semesters of spiritual formation. Students must engage with the … [Read more…]

Beyond a Doubt: Contemplative Prayer EQUALS New Age Meditation

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By Ray Yungen Before writing my book, A Time of Departing, I made sure I could prove, beyond a doubt, that contemplative prayer had not only slipped into the Christian faith, but also prove it is an integral part of the New Age movement. In fact, New Agers see contemplative prayer as one of their … [Read more…]

New Booklet: The Enneagram—An Enlightening Tool or an Enticing Deception?

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NEW BOOKLET: The Enneagram—An Enlightening Tool or an Enticing Deception? by Lois Putnam and the Editors at Lighthouse Trails is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 18 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are available. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or for your own … [Read more…]

Remembering Ray Yungen and Richard Foster’s “School” of Contemplative Prayer

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Three years ago today author and researcher Ray Yungen passed away at the age of 64. As regular Lighthouse Trails readers know, it was through Ray’s work that Lighthouse Trails began nearly 18 years ago. Interestingly, on the eve of this 3rd anniversary of Ray’s departure, we read an e-mail notice we received this week … [Read more…]

Unlocking “the Secrets”—How Silly!

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By Lynn Lusby Pratt I talk a lot about the trendy but biblically erroneous teachings on new spiritual technologies. The suggestion that we can finally unlock the “secrets” to a full life of faith capitalizes on our culture’s desperate search for purpose and prevalent “fear of missing out.” But not only is it dangerous for … [Read more…]

Video: Mike Oppenheimer and Ray Yungen on Mysticism and God’s Word

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Mike Oppenheimer and Ray Yungen discuss mysticism and the emgerging church movement in comparison to God’s Word.

Cutting-Edge Christianity or Shamanism?

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By David DombrowskiChief Editor, Lighthouse Trails Publishing I find it rather interesting how God has orchestrated things in life, which demonstrate His great love and ongoing mercy to ordinary people like myself. But, more specifically, I am thinking right now about how years ago I happened to come across a copy of a nearly forgotten … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: The Catholic Catechism and Contemplative Prayer

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Contemplative prayer is hearing the word of God … Contemplative prayer is silence.—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994 edition, p. 652 LTRP Note: Since 2002, Lighthouse Trails has continued to issue warnings about contemplative prayer. We began our warnings after meeting Ray Yungen in the year 2000 and examining his extensive research. One of the … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: Interest in Contemplative Catholic Monasteries Increasing

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The contemplative response is not a luxury or an added extra [for the Carmelite]; it is at the very core of how we see life and cope with the challenges and pressures of what we call our postmodern world. Perhaps this is what Karl Rahner meant when he said, a generation ago: “The Christian of … [Read more…]

The Desert Fathers—Borrowing From the East

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By Ray Yungen Catholic priest William Shannon in his book, Seeds of Peace, explained the human dilemma as being the following: This forgetfulness, of our oneness with God, is not just a personal experience, it is the corporate experience of humanity. Indeed, this is one way to understanding original sin. We are in God, but … [Read more…]

BOOK REVIEW: “Subversive Sabbath, the Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World” by A.J. Swoboda

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LTRP Note: The following is a book review by Gary Gilley on A.J. Swoboda’s book Subversive Sabbath, the Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World. BOOK REVIEW: Subversive Sabbath, the Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World by A.J. Swoboda By Pastor Gary GilleyThink on These ThingsUsed with permission. Subversive Sabbath won Christianity … [Read more…]

NEW BOOKLET: HEARD FROM GOD LATELY?

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NEW BOOKLET: Heard From God Lately? by T.A. is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 10 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are available. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use. Below is the content of the booklet. To order … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: LT Wrong to Warn About Walk to Emmaus

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LTRP Note: The following letter to the editor is in regard to our article: Walk to Emmaus and Tres Dias – A Walk to Deception. To Lighthouse Trails: There are NO MANTRAS in the Walk to Emmaus or any other cursillo movement. We follow a strict Bible centered curriculum covered with prayer and praise. I … [Read more…]

Navigators Welcomes 2019 With Their Contemplative Trend By Promoting Jesuit Prayer Practice

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Navigators is a Christian organization, founded in 1933 by a young man named Dawson Trotman, that eventually became a household name in the evangelical church.* The Navigators motto is, “To Know Christ and to Make Him Known.” However, Navigators and its publishing arm NavPress have been on a contemplative trend for over 15 years, and … [Read more…]

The Cloud of Unknowing – “Take a little word, and repeat it.”

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The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an anonymous monk, has passed under the radar of many church libraries,  Christian bookstores, and theological seminaries and colleges. But this book is a primer on mystical contemplative spirituality. Check your church library and see if this book is sitting on the shelves. by Ray Yungen To my dismay, … [Read more…]

LT Caller: What Are Breath Prayers?

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Today, a Lighthouse Trails caller asked if we could tell her what “breath prayers” are and wondered if we had any information on them because someone in her church is advising others to practice them. Thus, we are posting some information we have previously posted on breath prayers. Breath prayers, like lectio divina, are a … [Read more…]

Learning From Rome

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By Ray Yungen From a theological viewpoint, there now exist two branches (so to speak) of the Catholic Church—the traditional (as defended by someone like Karl Keating in his book Catholicism and Fundamentalism) and the progressive or contemplative* element (as exemplified by Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen).1 And while these two branches (or movements) can … [Read more…]

“Temple Prostitutes” – Another “Fruit” of Contemplative Spirituality

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  By Lynn Lusby Pratt That title was a crack I made around 2006 when I became aware of the new wave of false teaching entering the church. One aspect of that teaching hinted that our experience with Jesus was (should be?) sexual. (Christians who use a mantra, as in contemplative prayer, and go into … [Read more…]

Two Contemplative Leaders Die: Eugene Peterson and Thomas Keating

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LTRP Note: Eugene Peterson (d. 10/22/18) and Catholic priest Thomas Keating (d. 10/25/18) have died. The article below (which is promoting Peterson and Keating) is written by Carl McColman (author of The Big Book of Contemplative Mysticism) and is posted for informational and research purposes and not as an endorsement of the content. Both Peterson … [Read more…]

Warning: Hymnary.org (Via Calvin College) Tainting Old Hymn With Contemplative Advice

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Lighthouse Trails has known for several years that Calvin College is a contemplative-promoting institution, but it looks like that influence has seeped into a ministry of Calvin College, Hymnary.org, an online resource that provides the lyrics and information for thousands of hymns. A Lighthouse Trails reader brought to our attention this week that on the … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editor: My Unexpected Unwelcome Walk With “Walk to Emmaus”

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To Lighthouse Trails: I’m grateful to God for helping me come across your site tonight! I found out the Walk to Emmaus was demonic when I went on the walk this last weekend. It was the most horrible thing I’ve been through in my life. I believe God was protecting me while I was there. … [Read more…]

Welcome to the New (Contemplative) Christianity – Just Breathe In . . . Breathe Out

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The acceptance of contemplative prayer has hit an all-time high in the church. And is it any wonder? Christian media, Christian publishers, pastors, mission societies, Bible societies, authors, radio hosts, youth leaders, women’s group leaders, and Christian ministry leaders are all promoting it more than ever.  The video below that was posted on Charisma Magazine’s … [Read more…]

Popular Christian Magazine – RELEVANT – Tells Millennials to Practice Breath Prayers and Mindfulness Meditation

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A summer 2018 Relevant Magazine article titled “Why Learning to Breathe May Be the Best Way to Pray,”  tells readers that, Breath prayer [are] an ancient Christian prayer practice with origins in the lives of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, is a vehicle we can use to live out Scripture’s call to “pray without ceasing. (1 … [Read more…]

Booklet Highlight: Mandala Color Books (in the Church): Relaxing Fun or a Tool for New Age Meditation?

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Mandala Color Books: Relaxing Fun or a Tool for New Age Meditation? By Lois Putnam Adult coloring has recently become a national passion. In fact, of the top twenty best-selling books on Amazon.com, ten of these were adult color books. Proof of this can be found in any bookstore where the first thing you’ll see … [Read more…]

Willow Creek Has A Lot More to Repent of Than Sexual Abuse Cover-Ups

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An August 8, 2018 Christianity Today article titled Willow Creek Elders and Pastor Heather Larson Resign over Bill Hybels chronicles events that led to Willow Creek founder Bill Hybels’ resignation from the megachurch due to numerous women having come forth with accusations of years of sexual misconduct and abuse by Hybels. Because of the lackadaisical … [Read more…]

Dispelling the Rumor That God Can Be Found “Only in the Silence”

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LTRP Note: From Beth Moore to Chuck Swindoll to Dallas Willard, Christian leaders are telling us we can’t really know God without the silence (stilling the mind). But is this really a biblical mandate? By Lynn Lusby Pratt Have you heard the rumor going around—that God can be found “only in the silence”? Don’t buy … [Read more…]

Lighthouse Trails Sends Out 8th Booklet Mailing to Christian Leaders and Pastors

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As many of you know, Lighthouse Trails has been mailing out booklets (1 or 2 at a time) since 2016 to a list of Christian leaders and pastors. We mail them out three times a year. This week, we are sending out our 8th mailing. Many of you have submitted the names of addresses of … [Read more…]

Why Richard Foster’s “School of Contemplative Prayer” Should Be Avoided

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LTRP Note: For sixteen years, Lighthouse Trails has been warning about the contemplative prayer movement. In the following article, Ray Yungen has provided  information that makes the contemplative argument (against it) irrefutable. We have sent a copy of this booklet to all of the major Christian leaders whom we have challenged including Beth Moore, Rick … [Read more…]

D is for Deception: The Language of the “New” Christianity

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By Kevin Reeves and the Editors at Lighthouse Trails A number of years ago, a book written by emerging-church leaders Brian McLaren and Leonard Sweet was released. The book was called A is for Abductive: the language of the emerging church. Going through the alphabet, the authors identified many terms they hoped would be picked … [Read more…]

YWAM—Wants Every YWAMer to Practice Contemplative Prayer!

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  YWAM (Youth With a Mission), an evangelical missions organization (founded in 1960  by Loren Cunningham) that trains about 25,000 people every year for world-wide mission trips, has issued an announcement regarding its commitment to teaching contemplative prayer. On Saturday, a reader alerted Lighthouse Trails to a June 2018 YWAM promotional audio piece on the … [Read more…]