Reader finds “An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School” to be “Junk”

After posting an excerpt of the Lighthouse Trails novel Castles in the Sand last week, which we titled “An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School,” we received the following e-mail from a pastor.

You give some good information in your letters that is useful. Why the garbage that no one needs to read, like the article An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School.

If I recommend your letter to someone, I don’t want them to read that junk. How would they know if that crazy stuff is what you support. You give no disclaimers.

If we have offended or upset any of our readers for posting this excerpt, we do sincerely apologize for that. It was not our intention. However, while we can understand that this pastor does not want someone to misunderstand why we have this excerpt posted, we find it is important to post information such as this because contemplative spirituality (i.e., spiritual formation) has overtaken the Christian church (and especially the colleges and seminaries) in such an overwhelming way that Lighthouse Trails is doing everything possible to warn Christians about it. While  Castles in the Sand can be a difficult read in parts because it is a fictionalized account of those who are practicing contemplative mysticism, it is the only novel that has been published that exposing the dangers of contemplative spirituality and the spiritual formation movement. If this mystical spirituality wasn’t such an epidemic in the church, we could see that Castles in the Sand is an overreaction. But given the realities of what is happening today, we find it an effective way to issue warning and information.The denomination of which the pastor who wrote to us is part of is one of the most contemplative-saturated denominations out there. If leaders in that denomination would read A Time of Departing and Castles in the Sand, they might not continue going in that disastrous direction.

(Note: On 2/10/12, after receiving the letter to the editor above, we posted a note on the “Afternoon” article linking to this post of explanation).

Here are some other excerpts and sample chapters of Castles in the Sand:

Table of Contents and Chapter 1 

Chapter by Chapter Synopsis

Chapter 2: “Another Teresa”

Chapter 6: When a Young Girl Meets a Mystic – excerpt

Chapter 19: “Bad Counsel”

Take a look at this list below of Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries that are now promoting contemplative (i.e, spiritual formation), and this may help to show why we are so concerned and feel such an urgency that we would spend nearly every waking hour devoted to warning about it for the last ten years. Some write and tell us that we are wasting our lives by doing this. If we did not think that going contemplative was the antithesis of going toward the Gospel, we would have to agree with those people. But we believe those who practice contemplative prayer will in time change their spiritual outlooks to reflect more of a New Age view of “God” (where God is in all things and all humans) than a biblical view of the true God and Savior, Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation.

This is not a comprehensive list of schools that have incorporated spiritual formation/contemplative spirituality, but is a growing list of schools we have researched. We do have a small list of schools that have not yet shown signs that they are going in that direction, but that list remains very small. One of the reasons we discovered why so many Christian schools are going this way is that some of the top accreditation associations are requiring schools to incorporate spiritual formation in order to receive accreditation. Sadly, most schools are willing to exchange biblical integrity for popular accreditation.

Abilene Christian University

ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University

BC, Canada

Alberta Bible College

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Ambrose University

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

(information)

American Christian College & Seminary

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

info@accs.edu

PMN 3373 Christian Spirituality: A Biblical and historical overview of the concept of Christian spirituality. Exposes the student to various disciplines such as journalling, meditation on Scripture, prayer, solitude, fasting and contemplative Bible study.

Anderson University

Anderson, IN

Anderson University

Anderson, SC

(Invited Sue Monk Kidd to a speaking event in March 2011)

Ashland Theological Seminary

Ashland, OH

Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

Professor Earl Creps

Doctor of Ministry Program Associate Professor of

Leadership and Spiritual Renewal

Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

Valley Forge Christian College Branch Campus

Phoenixville, PA

Assemblies of God Theological Seminary

SOUTHEASTERN COLLEGE BRANCH CAMPUS

Lakeland, Florida

Azusa Pacific University

Haggard School of Theology

Azusa, CA

Example: Transitions in Ministry

Baptist Theological Seminary of Southern Africa

Barclay College

Haviland, Kansas

Baylor University

Waco, TX

Belmont University

Nashville, Tennessee

Bethel Seminary

San Diego, St. Paul, East Coast campus

Biblical Theological Seminary

Hatfield, PA

Biola University

(Institute of Spiritual Formation)

aka: Talbot School of Theology

ISF 532 Developmental Spirituality & Contemplative Prayer

Briercrest Bible College 

Saskatchewan, Canada

Bryan College

Dayton, TN

Calvin College

Grand Rapids, MI

Campbellsville University

Campbellsville, KY

Canadian Mennonite University

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

A Contemplative Approach to Youth Ministry 

Carey Institute 

Vancouver, BC

Cedarville University

Cedarville, OH

Christian Theological Seminary

Indianapolis, IN

Cincinnati Bible Seminary

Cincinnati, OH

Corban University

Salem, OR

Colorado Christian University

Lakewood, CO

Columbia Theological Seminary (Presbyterian)

Decatur, GA

Cornerstone University

Grand Rapids, MI

Spiritual Formation Department