Thomas Keating, a Catholic monk, has been a significant influence in bringing contemplative spirituality to mainstream Christianity. It’s no secret that he is a promoter of Eastern mysticism, yet his books are found in countless Christian bookstores. Lifeway Stores says that Keating falls within the parameters of their policy on which books to sell. They … [Read more…]
On Sunday night, Dan Kimball, author of The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations, wrote to Lighthouse Trails regarding an article that Kimball wrote on labyrinths in 2001. Kimball stated to us that his article is no longer posted on his website, and he wondered why we still had a link to it. The … [Read more…]
“In the early Middle Ages, there lived a group of hermits in the wilderness areas of the Middle East. They were known to history as the desert fathers. “They dwelt in small isolated communities for the purpose of devoting their lives completely to God without distraction. The contemplative movement traces its roots back to these … [Read more…]
“The Barbarian Way was, in some sense, trying to create a volatile fuel to get people to step out and act. It’s pretty hard to get a whole group of people moving together as individuals who are stepping into a more mystical, faith-oriented, dynamic kind of experience with Christ. So, I think Barbarian Way was … [Read more…]
You may not have one at your church yet, but one thing is for sure – labyrinths are growing in popularity. A google search shows 116,000 web pages on labyrinths in the spring of 2004. A year later that number climbed to over 300,000. Today, that number is over 1,300,000. While this is certainly not … [Read more…]
Is Dallas Willard a proponent of contemplative spirituality? It seems to be a question that many ask. The UCLA professor and long time working companion of Richard Foster really doesn’t deny it, but yet the question still keeps getting asked. But it is a question that needn’t be asked, for Willard has made it clear … [Read more…]
Brennan Manning, a popular writer and speaker, is considered by many to be a kind of expert on the topic of God’s grace. Philip Yancey, editor for Christianity Today magazine, says “Brennan Manning [is] my spiritual director in the school of grace.” On the back cover of Manning’s book, Ragamuffin Gospel, Max Lucado states: “Brennan … [Read more…]
Zondervan Publishing, new owners of the National Pastors Convention (once owned by Youth Specialties), is now presenting National Pastors Retreats. Ruth Haley Barton, who has partnered with Zondervan, is the featured speaker at these upcoming retreats. The theme of the retreats is “Experiencing a Deeper Connection with God” will surely introduce pastors to contemplative spirituality. … [Read more…]
Moody Bible Institute has been around for a very long time and has enjoyed a respected reputation in the Christian community at large. Their mission statement admirably says they exist “to equip and motivate people to advance the cause of Christ through ministries that educate, edify and evangelize.” However, as with so many Christian colleges … [Read more…]
A four part article on the TrueU (Focus on the Family) website written by J. P. Moreland (professor at Talbot School of Theology), espouses the spiritual disciplines (i.e., contemplative spirituality). Moreland says, a “Christian spiritual discipline is a repeated bodily practice” and leaves one to view the Christian life as regimented rituals that just might … [Read more…]
In the following video (See video.) John Piper responds to criticisms about his bringing Mark Driscoll into his Desiring God conference (taking place on September 29th). In the video, Piper rightly analyzes the dangerous trend of the trivialization of doctrine by the emerging and seeker friendly churches. However, incorporating Mark Driscoll into his conference (who … [Read more…]
by Larry DeBruyn Between contemplative spirituality and biblical Christianity there reside watershed distinctions between first, the definition, and then, the practice of prayer. Simply stated, prayer is talking to God. In speaking to God, believers are free to disclose their hearts’ deepest longings and vexations to him, including their feelings, fears, secrets, sins, praises, petitions, … [Read more…]
Lutzer, Falwell, and Kennedy Endorse Contemplative Promoting Book Trusted Christian leaders, ones many would never suspect, have endorsed a book by contemplative proponent Larry Crabb, a “spiritual director” for the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) and a popular Christian author. Three pages of endorsements inside the book have several obvious names: Brian McLaren, Tony … [Read more…]
Contemplative terms always seem to be changing. What is called one thing today may be exchanged for a new term tomorrow. A new term for “Spiritual Direction” is “Soul Care.” In Biola University’s Masters program, Spiritual Formation and Soul Care , the program “trains leaders in soul care to be spiritual mentors, directors and … [Read more…]
The Evangelical Covenant Church began in the late 1880s “in the biblical instruction of the Lutheran State Church of Sweden, and in the great spiritual awakenings of the nineteenth century.” The denomination has ministries on five continents and claims that it “values the Bible as the Word of God.” Therefore it is with sadness to … [Read more…]
John Michael Talbot is a musician. He is also a Catholic monk. Many years ago, I heard him at a concert where he and his brother Terry performed. There were no Catholic rituals and certainly no mention of meditation, contemplative prayer, or New Age chanting and yoga. His music was gentle and soothing. His … [Read more…]
Recently we were contacted by a member of Overlake Church in Redmond, Washington who shared with us concerns about Overlake’s affinity with contemplative and emerging spiritualities. Overlake Church is a non-denominational church that states it “believes the Bible to be divinely inspired and inerrant.” However, this November they will be hosting the Revolution Conference, which … [Read more…]
Pretty soon, it is back to school, and thousands of teens and young adults will be flooding the doors of Christian colleges and seminaries. For nearly five years now, we have been researching Christian colleges and seminaries, have spoken to countless professors and several presidents and have found that most of these higher education … [Read more…]
The 2007 National Pastors Convention (presented by Zondervan publishers) carries a heavy-weight line up of speakers. From Ruth Haley Barton to Brian McLaren, next year’s convention will not be lacking in New Age sympathizing, meditation promoting speakers. John Burke, president of Emerging Leadership Initiative, was recently a speaker at the Ancient-Wisdom Conference, and says this … [Read more…]
If you are someone who, on a regular basis, reads books written by Christian leaders, then you are probably well aware that many of those leaders quote contemplative authors. And many of those leaders defend their quoting of contemplatives, insisting that even if they may not agree with all that is said, it is worth … [Read more…]
In February, we contacted Awana Club with concerns about their affiliation with and promotion of contemplative organizations such as Willow Creek, Youth Specialties, and Group Publishing. We later learned that there would be no changes made by Awana regarding these organizations. (You may read about this situation in our February news release.) Today, we have … [Read more…]
by Larry DeBruyn Music engenders mystical experiences. This can be discerned from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera and lyrics from The Music of the Night: “Night time sharpens heightens each sensation / Darkness wakes and stirs imagination / Silently the senses abandon their defenses / Helpless to resist the notes I write … [Read more…]
Ancient Wisdom The supposed laws of the Universe that, when mastered, enable one to see one’s own divinity-another word for metaphysics or occultism. A Thin Place Where the space or distance (spiritually speaking) between heaven and earth, God and man is very small. This thin place is supposed to be achieved through meditative prayer by … [Read more…]
According to the Articles of Faith at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, the university believes the Bible is the “inspired, the only infallible, authoritative word of God” and that Jesus Christ is God. But their Bachelor of Science Degree with Major in Youth Ministries may send out a conflicting message. According to the … [Read more…]
First published in 1978, Celebration of Discipline has had a massive influence on Christendom. Unfortunately, the influence has helped to saturate the church with mystical contemplative prayer and the New Age. Most likely, your pastor has a copy of this book sitting on his library shelves. He may even have it sitting on his desk … [Read more…]
As many of you may know, we received a letter in May from Focus on the Family after asking them why they were promoting and endorsing author Gary Thomas, who is a promoter of contemplative prayer. Thomas, in his book Sacred Pathways, lists different ways people can draw near to God incorporating contemplative prayer. In … [Read more…]
Women of Faith is a Christian franchise that has held conferences for over 3 million women since its inception in 1996. In 2000, Christian publisher Thomas Nelson bought the Women of Faith franchise and has a strong influence in the organization. Nearly all of the regular Women of Faith speakers are Thomas Nelson authors, and … [Read more…]
The following article, though written quite a few years ago, is still one of the best we have seen on contemplative. If you haven’t read it this before, or if it has been a while since you read it, we encourage you to do so. It answers so many questions as to why contemplative spirituality … [Read more…]
Biola University is the home to both Talbot School of Theology as well as the Institute of Spiritual Formation (a Department of Talbot). There is ample evidence to show that both Talbot and the Institute are promoting and teaching contemplative spirituality. The Institute alone has three masters degree programs and has dozens of courses in … [Read more…]
For some time now, Biola University has been promoting contemplative spirituality. Biola’s Institute for Spiritual Formation teaches contemplative prayer, and Biola has a seat on the Board of Directors with the very contemplative Spiritual Formation forum. As is so often the case with those who follow after contemplative, emerging spirituality goes hand in hand. In … [Read more…]