According to one definition, Lent is:
. . . a solemn religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks (40 days) later on Holy Thursday, the memorial of the Lord’s supper the Thursday of Holy Week before Easter Sunday. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, almsgiving, and denial of ego. This event is observed in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, Oriental Orthodox, Reformed, and Roman Catholic Churches. Some Anabaptist and evangelical churches also observe the Lenten season.1
While the Bible does not give any instruction to practice or participate in Lent, many churches do. In fact, since the contemplative prayer movement has come into full swing, more and more churches are observing Lent. And, in fact, Lent is often being used as the open door to bring contemplative prayer into a church. This is largely done through the multitudes of books from religious publishers who have now become conduits for contemplative spirituality.*
Here are the titles of some books currently on the market that incorporate contemplative into Lent:
Lent and Holy Week (Bridges to Contemplative Living) by Thomas Merton and Jonathan Montaldo
Wonderous Encounters (Scriptures for Lent) by Richard Rohr
A Living Lent: A Contemplative Daily Companion for Lent & Holy Week by Peter Traben Haas
The Ignatian Workout for Lent: 40 Days of Prayer, Reflection, and Action by Tim Muldoon
A Lenten Journey – paperback: A Contemplative Devotional On the Passion and Resurrection of Christ by Bill O’Byrne
Sacred Space for Lent
40 Days, 40 Ways: A New Look at Lent by Marcellino D’Ambrosio
Lent With Evelyn Underhill
Journey to the Center: A Lenten Passage by Thomas Keating
Lent and Easter Wisdom by Henri Nouwen
The Lenten Labyrinth by Edward Hays
Lenten Reflections: From the Desert to the Resurrection by Milton Lopes
Sensing God: Learning to Meditate During Lent by Laurence Freeman
While many of these books may be from Catholic or Orthodox publishers, do not think that will keep evangelicals from reading them. As we have mentioned in other documents, Catholic mystic Richard Rohr was told by one of his publishers that his largest reading audience was young evangelical men (todau’s and tomorrow’s pastors).
In addition to the contemplative books that are specifically meant for Lent, there are countless contemplative books that are not solely for Lent or may not even mention Lent but to which Lent-observing churches turn during Lent.
The ritualistic and liturgical nature of Lent observance has become a “perfect” fit for contemplative spirituality; in many cases (maybe most today), where you find Lent being observed, you will also find contemplative spirituality lurking in its shadows (or standing front and center).
Before entering into practices done at a church you may be attending, remember the Bible’s exhortations to seek out God’s truth:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God. (1 John 4:1)
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11)
Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (Matthew 24:4)
*Contemplative spirituality: A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are “spiritual formation,” “the silence,” “the stillness,” “ancient-wisdom,” “spiritual disciplines,” and many others. During contemplative prayer, a word or phrase is repeated for several minutes with the intention of putting the mind into neutral and removing mental and other distractions. It is said that then one can hear the voice of God.
Related Articles:
Evangelicals are making [Catholic contemplative] liturgical traditions their own
(photo from bigstockphoto.com; use with permission)
Endnote:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.