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As
one Christian leader after the next succumbs
to contemplative spirituality, it is hard for
many believers not to wonder if we are beginning
to see what the Bible refers to as the great
falling away. And there seems little doubt that
we are in the midst of a spiritual famine. While
many are saying peace, peace and claiming that
we are entering into a great spiritual awakening,
we must be reminded of the words of Amos, and
though his words were spoken so many years ago,
perhaps they are very relevant for today.
"Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will
send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread,
nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words
of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea
to sea, and from the north even to the east,
they shall run to and fro to seek the word of
the LORD, and shall not find it." (Amos 8:11-12) |
Red Moon Rising: 24-7 Prayer
Leads Youth into Contemplative and New Age Thought
Red
Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer is Awakening a
Generation (2003, Relevant Books), by UK author Pete Greig,
is becoming an increasingly popular book among
Christian youth. Greig is the founder of an
international prayer movement called 24-7
Prayer and Boiler Rooms. In a
magazine interview with Greig, he explains
that his organization is now in over 65 countries
and has partnered with groups such as Salvation
Army and YWAM and has established "modern day
monasteries based on the example of the ancient
Celts."
While
Greig's book and ministry may, at first glance,
appear to be a movement of prayer, research
shows that both the book and the movement are
heavily influenced by contemplative spirituality
and New Age thought. And while youth around
the world are taking shifts (to pray) in Greig's
boiler rooms (prayer rooms), they may be getting
into something entirely different than biblical
prayer. If your youth group is considering incorporating Red Moon Rising and 24-7 Prayer into
their agenda, a second look may be worthwhile.
Greig
tells readers to look to Brennan
Manning's book, Abba's Child. It
is in Abba's Child that Manning says Dr.
Beatrice Bruteau is a "trustworthy guide
to contemplative consciousness." Bruteau is
the founder of The
School for Contemplation and believes God
is within every human being. She wrote the book, What We Can Learn from the East and says:
"We
have realized ourselves as the Self that says
only I AM, with no predicate following, not
"I am a this" or "I have that quality." Only
unlimited, absolute I AM"
Also
in Manning's book, he says: "[I]f I find Christ,
I will find my true self and if I find my true
self, I will find Christ." Thomas Merton believed
what Bruteau and Manning have stated, that God
is already within every human being, we just
need to become aware of this. When Greig tells
readers to turn to Abba's Child, he is
pointing them towards the mystical, panentheistic
views of Thomas Merton.
Red
Moon Rising instructs readers on lectio
divina, but warns readers that their "inner
fundamentalist" voice may be telling them this
isn't biblical - in actuality that may be the
voice of the Holy Spirit. The book cites contemplative
proponents like Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren
and Henri Nouwen and talks about a paradigm
and cultural shift that is taking place in the
world.
On
the 24-7 Prayer website, a section called Labyrinths
and Liturgy states: "[I]t's about time we
pooled our resources and created a collection
of homegrown liturgies, and make them available
for anyone out there who wishes to use them
in their prayer rooms or as part of their personal
rhythm of prayer."
Throughout
Greig's site, articles and discussion cover
topics such as monks, monasteries, and meditation.
One article, titled "The
Cross and the Cellar", is written by Morton
Kelsey. Kelsey, an Episcopalian priest, was
a strong advocate for contemplative spirituality
and said: "You can find most of the New Age
practices in the depth of Christianity.... I
believe that the Holy One lives in every soul
(A Time of Departing, p. 67).
In another
article Greig says 24-7 Prayer is part of
a "global prayer explosion" that includes the
Catholic Renewal Movement, Taize
worship, IHOP,
and other prayer movements.
The
24-7 Prayer organization has another ministry
outlet called "The
Order of the Mustard Seed." Based on an
18th century order, participants are asked to take
a vow and then wear a specially
made ring. When we study the Mustard Seed
website a clear picture begins to unfold, that
this vow is a vow to be contemplative. Contemplative
and occultic concepts, references, quotes, etc.
so fill the pages of this site, that it would
take much more than this article to describe
it's depth of deception. In
one Mustard Seed article, Greig states his
admiration for Henri Nouwen, saying: "I am firmly
in the Henri Nouwen fan-club, yearning for greater
spiritual depth and getting excited about Rhythms
and Rules of Life." But these rhythms and rules
are filled with mysticism and spiritual darkness.
"Rules have been the heartbeat of life for many
of those we esteem the most," Greig adds and
then lists several contemplatives including
Thomas Merton and Mother Teresa(see her address: "Contemplatives
in the Heart of the World"). A "Vision
Study Guide" gives instruction on the spiritual
disciplines including the silence and sacred
space.
Unfortunately,
as we have shown over the past few years, this
cultural shift that is occurring within Christendom
is one steeped in mysticism and a joining together
of all the world's religious traditions. And
when Greig talks about his vision for an army
of young people who have a "violent reaction
to compromised religion," this sounds similar
to Erwin McManus' "barbarian way," Teen Mania's
"battle cry" and Kids
in Ministry's army of children with supernatural
proclivities. It is frightening to see a growing
trend that sounds more like a preparation for
the Crusades than the language of Jesus Christ
and the disciples. Couple this with contemplative
mysticism, and we may have a combination that
will bring about unmentionable results.
For
more information:
A
24-7 Prayer room in Vista, California
Directory
of 24-7 Prayer Rooms in the US
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Cedarville University
Heading Down the Contemplative Road?
In
June of this year, we
reported that several Christian colleges
and seminaries now have Spiritual Formation programs.
One of those we listed was Cedarville
University of Ohio. The
Spiritual Formation course, titled BEGE 1720, is taught by Dr. Richard Blumenstock, and while
the course outline lists no use of contemplative
authors, Cedarville's 64-page Student
Handbook shows signs that Cedarville
may indeed be stepping toward contemplative spirituality.
On pages 12 and 34, Dallas
Willard is quoted on sidebar commentaries
from his book, The
Spirit of the Disciplines. Willard's
book carries a disturbing endorsement on the back
cover - that of Sue Monk Kidd! Monk Kidd is discussed
in A
Time of Departing because of her contemplative
and New Age affinities:
[Sue]
Monk Kidd's spirituality is spelled out clearly
in her book, When the Heart Waits. She
explains: There's a bulb of truth buried in
the human soul [everyone] that's only God ...
the soul is more than something to win or save.
It's the seat and repository of the inner Divine,
the God-image, the truest part of us--Ray Yungen, A
Time of Departing, 2nd ed., p. 134.
In
Monk Kidd's book, The Dance of the Dissident
Daughter , she says that God is in everything,
even bodily waste. Monk Kidd began following
the teachings of Thomas Merton several years
ago when she was a Southern Baptist Sunday School
teacher. Today, she is an advocate of goddess
spirituality. In addition to Monk Kidd's endorsement
on the cover of Willard's book, Willard favorably
quotes Thomas Merton in his book and helped
to launch Richard Foster's Renovare
Spiritual Formation Study Bible.
For
Cedarville University to quote Willard (twice)
in their student handbook, could ultimately
lead young college students right into the arms
of Thomas Merton, and Sue Monk Kidd, which means
right into the arms of New Age mysticism.
Cedarville's
president, Dr. Bill Brown, has an interesting
"Resources"
page for students to utilize. While he does
make a disclaimer that not all the books he
lists are Christian, it is unfortunate that
he would recommend young, impressionable students
to read "thought- stimulating" books by Leonard
Sweet, Brian McLaren and Philip Yancey as well
as a book by heavy-weight New Ager James
Redfield (author of the Celestine Prophecy
- soon to be a movie).
If
students at Cedarville are not aware of the
dangers of the teachings of these men, the results
in their spiritual lives could be disastrous.
One can only wonder if Sweet, McLaren or Redfield's
quotes will wind up on the next edition of the
Student Handbook.
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Rob
Bell on Breath Prayer, Noomas, Yoga and more...
The
following Audio clip is a sermon by Rob Bell.
In this audio, Bell leads the audience through
a meditation exercise and talks about various
aspects of contemplative spirituality. Please
use caution when listening to this audio file
(not suitable for children). Click
here for audio file - then scroll to article
titled "Postmodern Ministry has Raised Discipleship
from the Dead" .
Lighthouse
Trails has been contacted by several concerned
parents and grandparents whose teens are being
introduced to the teachings and films of emerging
church leader, Rob Bell (a strong proponent
of mysticism, i.e., contemplative). Bell, the
creator of the Nooma films, is pastor of Mars
Hill Bible Church and the author of Velvet
Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. Christian
schools and youth groups are presenting the
Nooma films to their youth, and many of these
groups are having teens read Velvet Elvis. Because
Bell promotes and teaches New Age mystical practices
in a Christian context, young people may accept
these teachings as biblical Christianity. And
when trusted teachers are presenting this material,
both teens and parents alike may be caught off
guard. In our recent article " Will the Next Billy Graham Be a Mystic?"
we documented important information regarding
Bell's spiritual affinities. Here is a small
portion of that article:
On
March 19th 2006 Bell ... invited a Dominican
sister from the Dominican
Center at Marywood in Michigan to
speak at a church service at Mars Hill. The
Dominican Center is a "Spirituality center,"
which offers a wide variety of contemplative
opportunities, including Reiki [an occult-based,
i.e., chakra, healing technique], a Spiritual
Formation program, a Spiritual Director program,
labyrinths, Celtic Spirituality, enneagrams
and more.
Zondervan
Publishing will be releasing Bell's new book, Sex
God: Exploring the Endless Connections between
Sexuality and Spirituality,
next spring.
For
further information:
Our research
on Rob Bell
POSTURE TO APOSTASY : Can yogic practices
be integrated with the Christian faith?
Breath Prayers
A Time of Departing
"We're rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern
religion, as a way of life."- Rob Bell, from
"The
Emergent Mystique"
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Alpha Course on Israel!
by Dusty Peterson
Bayith Ministries
"One of the central Biblical principles of right
living is that we must speak the truth at all
times. Much discerning material has been written
regarding the 'amount' of truth found in various
facets of the Alpha Course, but in this article
we simply want to explore the question of whether
or not Alpha currently teaches truthfully about
the physical nation of Israel. After all, this
topic is vital for a proper comprehension of the
gospel (Rom. 11:11-25) and for 'rightly dividing'
God's Word.... Click
here to read the rest of this article.
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Emergent Manifesto to Be Released by Baker Books
Book by Tony Jones
and Doug Pagitt to Be Released Next Spring
 Baker Books, another Christian
publisher that is getting on the contemplative/emerging
bandwagon, will be releasing a book next spring
called Emergent Manifesto.
Here is a
link to a 32 page excerpt of the book (from
the publishers website). The book, edited by Jones
and Pagitt, is a conglomeration of the writings
of several emerging leaders, including Jones,
Pagitt and Brian McLaren. Read this with caution
and discernment.
See our recent article on Baker Books, Another
Christian Publisher Embraces Contemplative/Emerging
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INTERSPIRITUAL
ALERT: Pentecost 2006
This
summer's Pentecost
2006 conference, titled "Building a Covenant
for a New America," is another example of how
a move towards interspirituality (the coming
together of all religions) is quickly taking
place. Speakers included mysticism-promoting Jim
Wallis and Tony
Campolo as well as Hillary Clinton and other
political and religious figures. According to
a Wall
Street Journal editorial article on
the event, Pentecost speaker Howard Dean said,
"We're about to enter into the '60s again ...
Into the age of enlightenment, led by religious
figures who want to greet Americans with a moral,
uplifting vision." While the emphasis of the
Pentecost 2006 event was said to be helping
the poor, one cannot help wonder about the implications
and the results of such a coming together of
religious and political ideas, especially when
we stop and realize that here too, mysticism
plays a significant role. Pentecost 2006 speaker
Tony Campolo states his views on the role of
mysticism and uniting all together in his book, Speaking My Mind:
Beyond
these models of reconciliation, a theology of
mysticism provides some hope for common ground
between Christianity and Islam. Both religions
have within their histories examples of ecstatic
union with God ... I do not know what to make
of the Muslim mystics, especially those who
have come to be known as the Sufis. What do
they experience in their mystical experiences?
Could they have encountered the same God we
do in our Christian mysticism? p. 149-150
Well,
according to New Agers, there is indeed a common
ground between Christianity and Islam, in fact
between all religions. Mysticism is the glue that
binds them all together. In Ron Miller's book, As
Above, So Below, he states (quoting
Aldous Huxley):
"a
highest common factor" links the world's religious
traditions. He [Huxley] calls this unifying
factor the Perennial Philosophy, "the metaphysical
[mystical] that recognizes a divine reality
... each religion [provides] meditative disciplines
that help us ... experience our rootedness in
the divine ... the spiritual dimension of culture
is ... a spectrum of contemplative practices,
equivalent in essence, which lead toward experience
rather than towards doctrinal assertion." (pp.
2-3)
Will
this expected "age of enlightenment" that Howard
Dean spoke of at Pentecost 2006 intersect at some
point with the evangelicals' (e.g., Rick Warren)
hoped for "great awakening" or "second reformation"?
The gap between the two is narrowing, and mysticism
is the bridge that will bring about the ultimate
unity.
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Franklin
Graham Joins Rick Warren and John Ortberg at AIDS
In
a time when the church desperately needs leaders
who are willing to take a stand against New Age
teachings coming into Christendom, it is with
sadness to report on an upcoming AIDS conference
in which Franklin Graham (president and C.E.O.
of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association) will join contemplative-promoting
leaders John Ortberg and Rick Warren. The conference,
called Race
Against Time: 2006 Global Summit on AIDS and the
Church is hosted by Rick and Kay Warren and
the Purpose Driven Network and will be held in
November at Saddleback Church.
Both
Ortberg and Rick Warren are strong proponents
for contemplative spirituality, and Warren himself
has stated (in his book Purpose Driven Church)
that this movement is a vital and needed wake
up call for the church, pointing people (in PDC) to Richard Foster and Dallas Willard
as leaders. In Ortberg's 2005 book, God is
Closer Than You Think, Ortberg quotes favorably
from contemplatives such as Anne Lamott, Annie
Dillard, Gary Thomas (Sacred Pathways), Brother
Lawrence (who danced violently like a mad
man when he practiced), interspiritualists Tilden
Edwards (Shalem
Institute), Thomas Kelly (Divine Center
in all), Jean Pierre de Caussade, Frederick
Buechner, Meister Eckhart as well as Dallas
Willard and Thomas
Merton.
We
hope that Race Against Time speaker Franklin
Graham will make a public statement denouncing
contemplative spirituality. Participating in
a Purpose Driven conference will certainly send
out a different message unless something is
said. In addition to Rick Warren's promotion
of contemplative and the emerging church, he
is hoping to help bring in a "new reformation"
in which other religions can take part.
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Shadow Mountain Church
- Purpose Driven
For
those who have been following our articles over
the past year, showing our growing concern for
David Jeremiah's lean towards contemplative,
it is worth noting that Shadow Mountain Community
Church (Jeremiah's church) is also incorporating
Purpose Driven into its church life. Shadow
Mountain participated in 40
Days of Community in 2005 and is listed
as a "Purpose-Driven church" in a pastors.com
article. In addition, Shadow Mountain is
using Rick Warren's Celebrate
Recovery program.
Because
of Rick Warren's promotion and endorsement of
contemplative spirituality and the emerging
church, it only makes sense that Purpose Driven
churches are heading in this direction too.
This could possibly explain David Jeremiah's
recent promotion of Erwin McManus' book, The
Barbarian Way.
Related
Information:
David Jeremiah Quotes New Age Sympathizers and
Contemplatives in His Book, Life Wide Open
David Jeremiah Proposes "Major Paradigm Shift"
For His Church
David Jeremiah and the Barbarian Way
New Age Writer Found in Christian Circles
Shadow Mountain Men's Conference To Include
Willow Creek Speaker
David
Jeremiah and Henri Nouwen
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BREATH PRAYERS and
Rick Warren
Are "breath prayers"
a method by which we can become best friends with
God?
by Pastor Larry DeBruyn
To direct people on a spiritual journey for 40
days, Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven
Life. The best selling book has impacted millions
of persons. Some of Pastor Warren's purpose involves
recommendations for "Becoming Best Friends with
God." To become God's friends, the author shares
six secrets, one of which is practicing God's
presence by being in "constant conversation" with
him. After quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:17 ("pray
without ceasing"), Warren asks how a Christian
can practice unceasing prayer to which he answers,
"One way is to use 'breath prayers' throughout
the day, as many Christians have done for centuries.
You choose a brief sentence or a simple phrase
that can be repeated in one breath." Then after
providing ten examples of short biblical phrases
that could work as breath prayers, Warren advises
"Pray it as often as possible so it is rooted
deep in your heart."[1] In this context Warren
also cites the book of Brother Lawrence (c.1605-1691), The Practice of the Presence of God, who
advocated experiencing God's presence in the most
menial of circumstances by praying short conversational
prayers throughout the day. The Roman Catholic
practice of praying the rosary is akin to breath
prayers.
In the course of our waking hours, think of how
many times we breathe--hundreds and hundreds,
even thousands per day. So to pray "breath prayers"
means that like breathing, I am to intermittently
say the same short prayer over and over again
throughout the day.
Advocates of breath prayers recommend breathing
out a short biblical phrase of prayer throughout
the day. For example, in the parable of The Pharisee
and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus portrayed
a tax collector who in repentance and humility,
cried out, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'"
Out of this parable The Desert Fathers, a monastic
group in Egypt circa the 5th century, created
the "Kyrie Eleison" prayer (i.e., "Lord have mercy.")
which became known as the "Jesus Prayer."[2] The
prayer became a favorite of these fathers who
later expanded it to be, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son
of God, have mercy on me a sinner."[3] This prayer
as well as others, they chanted over and over
again. Click
here to read this entire article.
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CHRISTIANITY TODAY:
Contemplative for Children
Children
have become a particular target for those who
promote New Age and contemplative spiritualities.
Movies like Bee Season and Indigo Children are
examples of this, and many public schools are
introducing meditation practices to students.
Christendom may take the lead in teaching children
how to practice the spiritual discipline of meditation.
One
of the largest Christian magazines in North
America has been promoting contemplative and
the emerging church for some time. The online
edition of Christianity Today (celebrating
their 50th anniversary) has an article titled
- "Elementary
Disciplines: Spiritual formation for little
lambs" According to the article, spiritual
disciplines for children can be learned from
contemplatives Richard Foster and Dallas Willard
as well as Theophan,
the Recluse. The article also suggests getting
a spiritual director to help towards spiritual
maturity.
For
more information:
Christian Schools Introducing Students to Mysticism
Proponent
Ancient Wisdom for Babies
Jesus Camp: Film Reveals the Mystical and the
Militant
Awana Clubs: Now Featuring Book by Youth Specialties
Speaker
"Do You Really Want Your Child to Learn New
Age Meditation?" |
Lighthouse Trails Research
Databases
Lighthouse
Trails Research has over 400 pages and 14,000
links. There are several ways to find information.
Below are a few of them:
Topical
Index
Search
engine
Index
of Newsletter Articles
Links
to Other Ministries
Newsletter
Archive
In addition, we have drop-down
menu databases for certain topics.
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Foursquare Church, The Lake,
Promoting Contemplative and the Emerging Church
Contemplative spirituality
has been influencing many evangelical denominations,
and the Foursquare denomination is one of those
that has been affected. The
Lake is a Foursquare
Church and according to their Mission Statement,
they are helping "wanderers ... restore and rebuild
their lives around Jesus." But The Lake is also
introducing these "wanderers" to contemplative
spirituality through emerging church leaders like
Brian McLaren and Tony
Campolo. On a church
resource page, recommended books are written
by McLaren and Campolo as well as Leonard Sweet, Erwin
McManus and Chuck Smith, Jr. On the same resource
page, links take visitors to an online labyrinth
and websites like The Ooze and Relevant Magazine
(both of which heavily promote contemplative spirituality
and the emerging church).
Related Information:
Evangelical
Leaders Promote New Age and
Robert
Harold Schuller Forum for Possibility Thinking
Leadership
Emerging
Church Database
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