Letter to the Editor: How About These Three Bible Schools? Are They Contemplative?

Hello:

Are these Bible schools solid?:

 Montana Wilderness School of the Bible

 Ecola Bible School 

 Frontier School of the Bible

I did not see them on your lists. Thank you,

_________

OUR ANSWER:

1. Montana Wilderness School of the Bible (Augusta, MT): Under “Courses” on their website, it reads:  The class will focus on the classic disciplines of Silence and Solitude, Prayer, Scripture Memory, Meditation, Bible Intake, Studying, and Journaling.” This is the typical list of “spiritual disciplines” of a school that has incorporated Spiritual Formation and Contemplative Prayer which includes “silence and solitude”  differentiated from biblical prayer. “Silence and solitude” as described by contemplatives means not just a quiet time with the Lord in a quiet place (t.v. off, sitting next to a stream – which are legitimate) but also a stilling of the mind (through various meditative practices), which is not legitimate or biblical.  While Montana Wilderness School of the Bible’s doctrinal statement appears solid and they state “We are committed to teaching God’s Word as the foundation to all of life and have a passion to pass on the life of Jesus Christ from our lives to the lives of our students,” this school appears to be  in the early stages of bringing in contemplative spirituality. However, further research would need to be done to verify to what extent this is taking place.

2. Ecola Bible School (Canon Beach, OR): The school does talk about “practical course of study that focuses on spiritual formation.” However, we could not find access to textbook lists and other information to identify the level of participation in Spiritual Formation. We would recommend interested students contact the school and ask to see a list of books used for classes. Also ask the school to explain in what context they are incorporating “spiritual formation.”

3. Frontier School of the Bible (LaGrange, WY): We saw nothing on the school’s website to indicate that they were incorporating Spiritual Formation, contemplative spirituality, or emerging church ideas into their school.

None of the above schools will be placed on the Lighthouse Trails Contemplative Colleges list at this time.