After being alerted by a concerned parent who’s child attends Campbell University in North Carolina, and after doing our own research, Lighthouse Trails has added Campbell University to its Contemplative College list, a list that includes the names of Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities, which promote spiritual formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality). In virtually every case where a college has a spiritual formation program, you will find the writings of contemplative authors such as Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Ruth Haley Barton, and a host of others being used either as textbooks or as recommended or required reading. Usually Henri Nouwen’s books are used, and sometimes, in more severe cases, Thomas Merton, Basil Pennington, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, etc are also used by professors. In the case of Campbell University, there are numerous examples. According to the e-mail we received from the parent, her child received an e-mail from the school saying it was “a requirement that 8 credits be completed in the spiritual formation category.”
Here is a portion of the e-mail sent out to students:
CUW is now Connections. Connections will focus on crafting engaging and interactive sessions that explore spiritual formation and holistic growth. We are excited about the new programming! Read on to learn more!
Program Choices:
• Students in Connections 200 [see below] will choose from a variety of programs in the following categories:
• Spiritual Formation/Faith Development (SF)
• Academic (AD)
• Arts and Culture (AC)
• Personal Development (PD)
• Service (as before—students can complete two occasions of service for Connections credit) (S)
• 8 of the 15 credits must fall in the Spiritual Formation/Faith Development category.
• In addition to the Spiritual Formation/Faith Development programs on Wednesdays, sessions in all categories will come from the Fine Arts Department, Divinity School, Student Success, and many other departments across campus.Just for your information:
Connections 100 will see little change in that students attend every Monday and have assigned seats. The programming is for first time students and topics include: identity, meaning and purpose, what spiritual formation means, relationships, issues of social justice, etc.
Incidentally, Campbell University’s Divinity School is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Lighthouse Trails’ special report in 2011 showed how ATS was requiring accredited member schools to include Spiritual Formation in their programs. This has proven to be a sure fire rapid path into contemplative spirituality. Colleges that do not want to move in that direction should consider dropping their accreditation with ATS and other accreditation bodies that require Spiritual Formation. Spiritual Formation is never without the contemplatives. That’s because the term has been coined by them (e.g., Richard Foster, Dallas Willard) as well as propagated by them. Listen to what Richard Foster says about this proliferation:
When I first began writing in the field in the late 70s and early 80s the term “Spiritual Formation” was hardly known, except for highly specialized references in relation to the Catholic orders. Today it is a rare person who has not heard the term. Seminary courses in Spiritual Formation proliferate like baby rabbits. Huge numbers are seeking to become certified as Spiritual Directors to answer the cry of multiplied thousands for spiritual direction.1 Richard Foster
So really, when people try to say that Spiritual Formation doesn’t necessarily mean contemplative, they are wrong. Those who helped to “proliferate” it “like baby rabbits” are all contemplative proponents. That’s because Spiritual Formation is just another term for contemplative spirituality.
Back to Campbell University. Worth noting, Lighthouse Trails posted a word of caution back in 2006 regarding Campbell University. At the time, Campbell University’s Divinity School was pointing students to the “spiritual disciplines,” lectio divina, contemplative prayer, and so forth. The following instructions (taken from this page) are given:
This is classic contemplative prayer, and it is similar to instructions on transcendental meditation. Now some may say that this was 6 years ago. True, and that would be a valid point if the school was no longer going in the contemplative direction, but sadly they still are as you can see from the sampling of courses below:
DIVI 1000 – Intro to Theological Education – (Professor Cogdill): Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
DMIN 101 – Theological Reflection on Ministry –(Cogdill): The Missional Leader by Alan Roxburgh
DIVI 2000 – Church History 1 – (Professor Hoyle): Devotional Classics by Richard Foster (book includes chapters by many mystics such as Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, Teresa of Avila, and numerous others)
DIVI 1100 – New Testament 1 – (Professor Wakefield): The Challenge of Jesus – Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is by N.T. Wright (emerging church author)
RELG 334 – American Christianity: Christianity After Religion by Diane Butler Bass (If you look on the Amazon listing of this emerging book, you can see where some of the most prolific emerging leaders such as Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Marcus Borg (denies the virgin birth and other fundamentals of biblical Christianity), Phyllis Tickle, and more endorse Butler Bass’ book)
RELG 365 & DMIN 101: (Professor Cogdill) : This Odd and Wondrous Calling (an emerging church type book with pro-homosexuality references – foreword by the late homosexual minister Peter Gomes)
RELG 324: St. Thomas Aquinas and Catherine of Sienna
If you know someone attending a Christian university, college, or seminary, we urge you to do what you can to warn and inform him or her of the contemplative prayer movement that is most likely already entered the school he or she is attending. For those who might be skeptical about the direction we see Campbell University going in, a look at their Connections 200 program (presented by Faithe Beam, CU campus minister) reveals much. That program, which takes place the fall of 2012, includes everything from the spiritual disciplines to lectio divina to a labyrinth.
Notes:
1. Richard Foster, “Spiritual Formation: a Pastoral Letter,” January 18, 2004, http://web.archive.org/web/20100601012402/http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=744
Related Articles:
An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School
A Book Every Christian College Student Should Read
Archive of articles on Contemplative colleges