LTRP Note: David Benner has been referenced many times on Lighthouse Trails. He is the author of the contemplative promoting book Sacred Companions (foreword by Larry Crabb).
By L. Putnam
Wanda Walborn, Spiritual Formation Director, Instructor at Nyack College, and Teacher for the CMA Women’s Empower Program, touts David G. Benner’s The Gift of Being Yourself as a great book for your spiritual journey. Sadly, she and many others have missed the red flags beginning with the covers. In fact, a discerning reader would not even have to open the book to know here is a work that will be filled with deceptive teachings!
Front Cover Flags:
Notice the title: The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery. Note verses: II Timothy 3:1-2 says, “But know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…”
Notice the foreword writer: Dom M. Basil Pennington, OCSO. Note this BP quote: We Are God’s Dream: “We do not know how precious we are in ourselves. As Dame Julian of Norwich, that delightful English mystic declared, we are God’s dream, his homiest home. We have too little respect for ourselves, too little esteem for our own importance. God sees things otherwise.”
Back Cover Flags:
Read that Benner is a depth psychologist, a spiritual director, a former professor of Psychology and Spirituality, a retreat leader, an author, and an editor.
Read that Benner is first endorsed by Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Read that Benner is also endorsed by these contemplatives: John Ortberg, Mark R. McMinn, Margaret Guenther, and Gary W. Moon.
Read that Benner is published by “Formatio Books” from IVP Books.
First Page Flag:
Here’s a Thomas Merton epigraph. Think: Merton is much admired by Benner. For Benner has said, “I started reading Thomas Merton in my twenties and to this day he remains my favorite Christian mystic … I felt drawn to the journey he described but wasn’t ready to personally make it my own for many years.” Click here to continue reading.
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