6 Comments

  1. Dana

    So happy to have found this article! I feel the exact same way Susan J feels in the early comment and others. I too have been asking for the last couple of years why in the world have we gone crazy with all the Advent talk and now Ash Wednesday and Lent. I’ve wondered what in the world has happened that evangelicals would participate in these and hold these observances at their churches. I grew up in a strong Biblical preaching/teaching church. Was it perfect? By no means. But I was taught clearly about creation, sin, the Trinity, Jesus’s birth, death, burial and bodily resurrection. I learned about God’s Grace, Mercy and forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ and about our “Blessed Hope” of His return for the church and subsequent events etc. I just could not put my finger on what was happening…even in my own church! We too have seen the contemplative movement happening and YES, with it came all the mystical practices. Thank you for writing and sharing this and thank you to those who posted like comments. Apparently we are not in this alone. It’s everywhere! I pray for others eyes to be opened to discern the Truth! Once you “see it”, you can’t ignore it.

  2. Lori, well said. If only people realized that what much of we are seeing in the church today (e.g., wokeism, the growing acceptance of homosexuality, belief in evolution, drug use, practicing Yoga and Reiki, and universalism) has a lot to do with the years-ago and present acceptance and embracing of contemplative spirituality (i.e., mysticism). As Ray Yungen often said, the fruit of contemplative prayer is panentheism (the belief that God is in everyone) and interspirituality (all paths lead to God). And when these two elements are introduced, all kinds of immorality, deception and spiritual blindness enters in. Going into the altered states of consciousness (which happens in contemplative prayer) is basically having tea with the devil.

  3. Lori

    Spiritual Formation and contemplative prayer has taken over the Evangelical church. Even mature, seasoned pastors are embracing contemplative spirituality and Catholic traditions. Those involved simply refuse to believe that it is unbiblical no matter how much proof or biblical truth you give them. I feel like I’m living in the “twilight zone” because so many believers are unable to discern truth from error. Everywhere I go I hear believers mimicking the false teaching of Spiritual Formation and the false teaching of Bethel church (Redding, CA) with their miracles, healings, signs, and wonders. It is predominantly brought into the church through the books and the acceptance of Bethel music in worship which draws people in to their false theologies. We are most certainly living in the deception of the end of the last days.

  4. SusanJ

    When I was growing up, the practice of Lent was never heard of among conservative evangelical believers. It was something held by Roman Catholics and regarded as being unbiblical. But in more recent years there has been a blurring, acceptance and promotion of catholic and mystic practices and names like Thomas Merton and Richard Rohr etc whose books are now commonly sold in Christian book shops and websites. So now we are bombarded by Lent from all sides and I find it shocking the number of once clearly protestant organisations now promoting and making money from devotionals too. The same with Advent. We must be discerning.

  5. Sharon

    This is amazing. Thank you so much for all of the research you do, and for pointing this out. I had also noticed much more emphasis on Mardis Gras this year than ever before.

  6. T. I. Miller

    Trust but verify is great for politics but not for sufficient the devout. Rather it is to be reversed, verify then trust.
    But as far as judging trees by their fruit today’s clergy cannot be bothered.
    Too busy team building.
    Too busy being like social directors on a cruise ship.
    Too concerned about offending people. Having numerous attendees is more important than standing against soul wrecking deception.
    Apostasy won’t be held back by ignorance.

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