The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is a non-profit organization that hopes to bridge the gap between parents and kids. However, the organization is pointing parents and teens to contemplative/emergent teachings.
Walt Mueller, president and founder of CPYU states:
If we take the time to understand and really know kids, then we’ll be able to cross into their culture, close the gap, and give them the Biblical answers and positive direction they so desperately need!
Unfortunately, the “direction” Mueller (through CPYU) is giving could do more harm to the spiritual lives and relationships of parents and teens than good.
Mueller’s Reading List has numerous contemplative/emergent promoting authors. One name that stands out is that of New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet. Sweet teaches the Theory of Everything, the belief that all creation [including all people] is part of divinity [God] and is unified. Other authors that CPYU recommends are Anne Lamott, the late Kyle Lake, Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, and Michael Card, all of whom are contemplative-proponents. Many of the authors on the list also push the emerging church message. Something that should be noted is CPYU’s reference to an online bookstore called Hearts and Minds Books, calling it their “preferred retailer for books of this nature.” 1 Hearts and Minds has an entire section called “Contemplative Spirituality” where mystic Thomas Merton is featured. The store is actually a who’s who of mysticism and panentheism (God is in all), where their “favorite writer of contemplative spirituality” is Richard Foster.
CPYU Walt Mueller will be speaking at the /2007 National Youth Worker’s Convention with an array of other contemplative/emergent promoters this fall. It is important for parents to be aware that CPYU may fail to give “Biblical answers and positive direction” to families if they continue promoting this belief system and could end up doing more harm than good to bridge the gap between parents and kids. The only bridge that will ultimately help the relationships in families is Jesus Christ, and contemplative/emergent spiritualities are contrary to what He and the Bible teach.
