To Lighthouse Trails:
Just wondering if you all have any research on The (Emergent) Journey? It’s the name of a 3-phase course being taught in a number of churches by a group called Vantage Point3. Seems tied strongly with Emergent/Contemplative. My church is teaching this . . . right on the heels of introducing Renovare’s “Apprentice” series.
Thank you!
OUR ANSWER:
You can be sure that your church has headed into the contemplative/emergent camp. First of all, Renovare (Richard Foster’s organization) is the pioneering organization to bring contemplative spirituality into the evangelical/Protestant church. Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline (published in 1978) set the course.
As for VantagePoint3, this is a major venue for bringing contemplative/emergent beliefs into the church. The Emergent Journey is VantagePoint3’s venue for doing this. Just as one example, VantagePoint3’s educational design overseer, Rob Loane, uses Henri Nouwen in the Emergent Journey (see here) to help people find their “true identity.” However, we know that Henri Nouwen was a panentheist and a contemplative mystic who believed there were many paths to God.
Lighthouse Trails has written articles on both Richard Foster and VantagePoint3. Below are links to two of those articles.
If you can get your pastor and elders to read A Time of Departing and Faith Undone, perhaps they will come to realize the grave error they have made in going down this path.
Related Links:
The Quantum Christ: Entering the World AND the Church Through Popular New Age & Christian Leaders (an article by Warren B. Smith that talks about VantagePoint3)
Celebration of Discipline – 35 Years of Influence! – Does Your Pastor Have a Copy?
A list of participating churches in VantagePoint3
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.