For the stability of a nation, you must have strong healthy government, strong healthy businesses, and strong healthy churches. A three-legged stool will have stability. So I'm going from country to country teaching business its role, teaching church its role, and teaching government leaders their role—you've got to work together! We cannot solve the problem in your country or in the world if we won't work together.

"Personal computers have brand names. But inside every pc is an Intel chip and an operating system. Windows.... The Purpose Driven paradigm is the Intel chip for the 21st-century church and the Windows system of the 21st-century church." Rick Warren, Christianity Today, Oct. 2005

"[W]e are possibly on the verge of a new reformation in Christianity and another Great Awakening in our nation ... The signs are everywhere, including the popularity of this book." Rick Warren, Baptist Press, Sept. 2004

"I really do feel that these people are brothers and sisters in God's family. I am looking to build bridges with the Orthodox Church, looking to build bridges with the Catholic Church, with the Anglican church." Rick Warren at Anglican conference, 11/05

Related information:

The Philippine Inquirer July 30th interview with Rick Warren

To fully understand the contemplative prayer movement and how it is coming into the church through Purpose Driven, emerging church and other avenues, read A Time of Departing.

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." I Timothy 4:1

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" John 14:6

The simple, immutable fact is that yoga originated from the Vedic or Hindu culture. Its techniques were not adopted by Hinduism, but originated from it.... Efforts to separate yoga from its spiritual center reveal ignorance of the goal of yoga.... If this attempt to co-opt yoga into their (Christians) own tradition continues, in several decades of incessantly spinning the untruth as truth through re-labelings such as "Christian yoga," who will know that yoga is--or was--part of Hindu culture?

After reading this article (and I encourage you to read it too), I emailed Dr. Tiwari, and today I received a response from him. With his permission, I am sharing portions with you:

Hello and Namaste Deborah,

Namaste is a universal Hindu greeting which recognizes and bows to that Divinity within you.

Mantra and its practice is a core component in Hinduism. The language of Sanskrit which predates any and all languages known to humanity, and which hasn't evolved and became something other than what it has been from its inception, forms the oldest mantra, the first cosmic sound of OM (aum). One of the four sacred spiritual scriptures the Vedas, the Sama Veda is written in chants. The written forms of the Veda are pegged at 3500 to 5000+ BCE. (They are recited all over the world among Hindus exactly as they have been handed down)....

Hinduism and its offshoot spiritual traditions, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkhism, have never chosen the path which states that we are superior to everyone else and therefore deserve to engage in crusades and conversionism on global scale. That would be incongruent to our core belief tenets which holds all creatures are part of the Divine creation, and equal in the eyes of that divine parent. The moment we lose sight or consciously choose to believe and behave otherwise means we are acting from a place of limitation, superiority, arrogance and according to Vedanta, from a place of individual and global ignorance, avidya. Imagine any religious or spiritual tradition which defines its strength based on converting that which is already divine in nature, and the audacity to claim that they are doing the work of that Divine? There is only one Divine.

Sincere Regards,

Subhas

We thank Professor Tiwari for setting the record straight. There is no such thing as "Christian" Yoga, even though Thomas Nelson publishers just came out with a book this year called Yoga for Christians.

Also see:

Can yogic practices be integrated with the Christian faith? by Pastor Larry De Bruyn

Lighthouse Trails Research on Yoga

Small groups, Cell groups, House churches

Prayer

Youth and Youth Ministry

Discipleship, Spiritual Development, Spiritual Renewal

Through teaching sessions, films, guided periods of reflection and journalling, and question and answer, we have designed something far more than a retreat—it's an expedition of the heart. You will never be the same.

For more, please click here. 

You may be asking yourself, where does Beth Moore really stand with regard to contemplative. The answer to that may at least partially be found in a book she wrote in 2002 called When Godly People Do Ungodly Things. In a section about "Unceasing Prayer" Moore states: "I have picked up on the terminology of Brother Lawrence, who called praying unceasingly practicing God's presence. In fact, practicing God's presence has been my number one goal for the last year" (p. 109). Moore builds her case for contemplative in her frequent references to Brennan Manning in her book, suggesting that his contribution to "our generation of believers may be a gift without parallel" (p. 72). This is indeed a troubling statement made by a Christian leader who so many young women look to for direction and instruction in their spiritual lives. Many of those young women, in reading Moore's comments about Manning and her quoting of him in the book may turn to the writings of Manning for further insights. When they do, they will find that Manning is a devout admirer of Beatrice Bruteau, of The School for Contemplation. Bruteau, who believes that God lives in all creation, says:

[T]he first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer. Choose a single, sacred word or phrase that captures something of the flavor of your intimate relationship with God. A word such as Jesus, Abba, Peace, God or a phrase such as "Abba, I belong to you." ... Without moving your lips, repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, and often. When distractions come, ... simply return to listening to your sacred word.... [G]ently return [your mind] to your sacred word. (Brennan Manning)

Beth Moore quotes Manning from his book Ragamuffin Gospel calling the book "one of the most remarkable books" (p. 290) she has ever read. But it is this very book that reveals Manning's true affinity with contemplative spirituality. In the back of the book, Manning makes reference to Basil Pennington saying that Pennington?s methods will provide us with "a way of praying that leads to a deep living relationship with God." However, Pennington's methods of prayer draw from Eastern religions. In his book, Finding Grace at the Center, Pennington says:

We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and "capture" it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible. Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices. (From A Time of Departing, 2nd ed., p.64)

Manning also cites Carl Jung in Ragamuffin Gospel as well as interspiritualists and contemplatives, Anthony De Mello, Marcus Borg, Morton Kelsey, Gerald May, Henri Nouwen, Annie Dillard, Alan Jones, Eugene Peterson, and Sue Monk Kidd For Moore to call Manning's book "remarkable" and to say his contribution to this generation of believers is "a gift without parallel" leads one to conclude that Beth Moore has absorbed Brennan Manning's spirituality. In light of all these findings, it also becomes apparent that Moore does belong on the Be Still DVD after all, due to her advocacy of contemplative spirituality. And from the recent statement from her ministry, it appears she would agree with that.

Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.—From Sabbatical Journey, Henri Nouwen's last book, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition

Biola University is the home to both Talbot School of Theology as well as the Institute of Spiritual Formation (a Department of Talbot). There is ample evidence to show that both Talbot and the Institute are promoting and teaching contemplative spirituality. The Institute alone has three masters degree programs and has dozens of courses in spiritual formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality)within the context of these programs.

But how far has contemplative gone into Biola University at large? Is this influence just limited to Talbot and the Institute of Spiritual Formation? Unfortunately, research shows that Biola has many avenues through which contemplative/emerging spirituality has entered.

In Biola's M.A. of Organizational Leadership Distinguished Speaker Series, speakers include New Age sympathizer Laurie Beth Jones, and a 2004-2005 Young Alumni Chapel speakers list includes emerging leader Erwin McManus and Bruce Wilkinson (Prayer of Jabez). Perhaps more disturbing and revealing is a recommended book list for the leadership M.A. program. This list is said to "help you grow in leadership, organizational development and character formation," and includes books by New Age/Buddhist sympathizer Ken Blanchard, and one that Blanchard co- authored with Norman Vincent Peale (who used the writings of an occultist). Peter Drucker is also on the list of recommended books as is meditation promoter Michael Ray. Another leadership course (MOL651) uses a book by Larry Crabb for curriculum, and a Spring 2006 course (Character Development in Leadership) uses Dallas Willard's book, Renovation of the Heart. In a course in Talbot's theology school called Prayer Seminar practices such as centering prayer, lectio divina, the Jesus Prayer and other contemplative forms are introduced and considered.

It seems that this would be enough to convince even the most questioning mind that contemplative and emerging are being promoted at Biola University. But there is more ... The 2006 Missions Conference that took place this spring included a " Prayer Labyrinth."

Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God." From Sabbatical Journey, Henri Nouwen's last book, p. 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition