Printer
Friendly Version
Some
leading contemplative proponents say that a
loving God would not send His son to a violent
death on a Cross. Brennan Manning, in his book Above
All states:
[T]he
god who exacts the last drop of blood from his
Son so that his just anger, evoked by sin, may
be appeased, is not the God revealed by and
in Jesus Christ. And if he is not the God of
Jesus, he does not exist (p. 58).
Although
Manning takes credit for penning these words,
they are actually the words of panentheist mystic,
William Shannon, from his book Silence
on Fire, who wrote them several years
ago. Shannon stated:
He
is the God who exacts the last drop of blood
from His Son, so that His just anger, evoked
by sin, may be appeased ... This God does not
exist. This is not the God whom Jesus Christ
reveals to us" (p. 110).
What
are the implications of Shannon's statement? Basically,
making someone suffer a violent death to save
others is not something a loving God would do.
Shannon believes such a sacrifice is unnecessary
because he believes all creation (all people)
are already connected to God:
The
goal of all true spirituality is to achieve
an awareness of our oneness with God and with
all of God's creation ... and with all that
is (p. 160).
Shannon
says that we are all "contemplatives" ("mystics")
and that "God is the Hidden Ground of Love," and
we are "all one in that Ground" and "contemplative
prayer [is] becoming conscious of what is already
there [God]" (p. 22, 154, 160). That is why Thomas
Merton said if we knew what was really inside
of each other, we would fall down and worship
one another - Merton's biographer totally agreed
with this.
Manning, Shannon and Merton are not the only ones
who downplay the doctrine of the Cross. Alan Jones,
in his book Reimagining
Christianity, says that "Jesus' sacrifice
was to appease an angry God. Penal substitution
was the name of this vile doctrine" (p. 168).
Brian McLaren suggests that the doctrines of the
Cross and of Hell are "false advertising for God."1
If it were true, that Jesus Christ suffering a
violent death on the Cross was unnecessary for
man to be saved, then Scripture becomes invalid
for in Hebrews it says that "the Mediator [Jesus
Christ] of the new covenant" had to die before
the covenant could take effect (Hebrews 9). If
Christ had not died a sacrificial death, the new
covenant of grace would be non-existent, and there
would be no means in which anyone could be saved.
Contemplative spirituality ultimately rejects
the gospel message, and those who continue in
its path will eventually follow after other gods
and be led away from the salvation freely given
to all who will believe. Henri Nouwen, one of
the most prominent figures in the contemplative
movement, said that Buddhism and Hinduism offered
many spiritual treasures to contribute to the
life of the Christian (Disciplines
for Christian Living - Ryan). What
do Buddhism and Hinduism offer? Panentheism (God
in everything).
If Manning, Shannon, Merton, McLaren and Jones
are right, then there is no need to preach the
gospel to the lost, for there are no lost - they
are already connected to God and they just need
to be made aware of that. But if Scripture is
correct, then believers are compelled to defend
and preach this message that we are reconciled
to God through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
By His grace,
Editors, Lighthouse Trails Publishing |
Meditation: The heartbeat
of a new kind of politics
As Ray Yungen has pointed
out in his book, For Many Shall Come in My
Name, the New Age movement and eastern meditation
have completely saturated our society. The influence
can be seen in medicine, education, religion ...
and now more than ever, politics. Marianne Williamson,
a staunch New Ager and opponent of biblical Christianity,
has teamed up with Walter Cronkite to lobby Washington
DC for a Department of Peace. Make no mistake
about it, this Department of Peace will become
a controlling center for those who resist the
unified effort to rid the world of "narrow-mindedness"
that would say there is only one way to God, Jesus
Christ. Marianne Williamson and Barbara Marx Hubbard,
along with several other influential New Age proponents
have made this clear time and again. And what is the driving force, the energy that will
give this effort its power? It's meditation. Mysticism.
Where else is the New Age showing up in politics?
Well just take a look at Rick Warren. While he
says he is not into politics and is not a diplomat,
of course he is -- his actions show this clearly
(e.g., wanting to go to North Korea to diffuse
tensions). But politics is not Warren's only agenda.
No, he is also a strong endorser and promoter
of the spiritual formation movement, which is
a thinly veiled rendition of the New Age movement.
And what is the driving force of the spiritual
formation movement (i.e., contemplative spirituality).
Meditation. Mysticism.
In case some haven't noticed, there is a convergence
going on. Political activist Marianne Williamson
came to the defense of another political activist,
Rick Warren. Both promote mystical meditation
- is it any wonder Williamson would resonate with
Warren? And a statement was issued by several
"evangelicals" that is titled, We
Stand with Rick Warren and Barak Obama. This
statement was signed by meditation proponents
like Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis and Lauren Winner
(Girl Meets God).
While politics is obviously on people's minds
right now in light of an upcoming election, we
must remember that mysticism transcends politics
and is the heartbeat of a new kind of politics
that is surfacing today.
|
The Spirituality of Barak
Obama and Rick Warren
Barak Obama, the Senator
who recently spoke at Saddleback Church, drew
criticism from many Christians because of his
pro-abortion beliefs. Rick Warren defended his
move to include Obama at the AIDS convention,
and while at first glance, it may look like the
two men are at opposite ends of the pole when
it comes to spiritual beliefs, in actuality, they
have quite a bit in common.
In an
article in United Church News, Obama
stated that the teachings of the UCC (United Church
of Christ), of which he is a member (Trinity
United Church of Christ), are "foundation
stones for his political work." Just what are
those "teachings" comprised of? On Trinity's website,
on the
Yoga page, the following statement is highlighted:
Within each [of]us is the seed of
Divinity. Each Soul is divine. I bow to the
divinity in us all!
That is the spirituality of Thomas Merton! You
may be asking right now, "How is this kind of
affinity to yoga and panentheism similar to Rick
Warren's beliefs? After all, he's evangelical!
Right." But Rick Warren has been and continues
to promote Thomas Merton's contemplative spirituality,
which has the same premise as that of yoga and
panentheism - it's just that what he promotes
is disguised in Christian terminology so people
are fooled.
It is interesting to note that on the Trinity
Church of Christ website, it states: Rick
Warren is "brilliant at explaining our real purpose
on earth." Such a statement clearly shows that
Obama's spiritual leaders at Trinity resonate
with Rick Warren.
The United Church of Christ basically is an ultra
liberal Christian denomination that has focused
on social justice and making the world into a
better place. But in the process of their all
encompassing view that anything positive is spiritually
sound, many leaders within this group have embraced
or incorporated the teachings and practices of
occultism and eastern religion. One such individual
is Bruce
Epperly, a United Church of Christ pastor,
who wrote a book called Reiki Healing Touch
and the Way of Jesus, in which Epperly says:
We can utilize the practice of Reiki to transform
families, relationships, meetings, and institutions."
Reiki, as you know, is drawn from Tibetan Buddhism
and incorporates spirit guides and psychic powers.
It is extremely likely that Obama has been exposed
to things such as yoga or Reiki.
Rick Warren and Barak Obama also share views on
global peace and world-wide unification. Obama,
who was a speaker at the "Pentecost
2006: Building a Covenant for a New America"
conference, used "the speech as a call for continued
dialogue and bridge- building between religious
conservatives and progressives." This "bridge-building"
is the same kind of talk Rick Warren uses when
he is discussing his "new reformation" that will
include all religions, in which he states that
he will do "whatever it takes" to accomplish it
in his lifetime.
In Obama's
address at Pentecost 2006, he talked about
the "connection between religion and politics."
That is what Rick
Warren talks about with his "three-legged
stool" philosophy that government, religion and
business have to work together if global peace
is every going to happen. Herein lies another
similarity between Obama and Warren.
When New Ager and meditation promoter Marianne
Williamson came to Rick Warren's defense recently, she knew he shared the same vision as
she. That vision, which is also Obama's, will
eventually attempt to eliminate opposition to
this mystical-based new reformation. They will
believe they have to in order for it to work.
We mustn't be fooled into thinking that Rick Warren
is on a different page than Obama, just because
their views on abortion differ. They have found a common ground, and it is one that is sinking
sand.
For related information:
The
Red Three Legged Stool
Meditation:
The heartbeat of a new kind of politics
"Spiritual
Politics" (Excerpt from Reinventing Jesus Christ)
Why
We Should Be Very Concerned About Leonard Sweet
and Rick Warren ... and Their Plans for the Future
|
CANADA WATCH: Trinity Western
University Teams Up with 24-7 Prayer
Trinity Western University
(TWU) of British Columbia, Canada, has joined
up with the contemplative/emerging ministry
of 24-7 prayer. The founder of 24-7 prayer is
Pete Greig (of the UK), author of Red Moon
Rising. In October, we reported on this situation
in an article titled, "Red
Moon Rising: An Army for God with a 'Violent Reaction'" . We stated:
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....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.
It is most unfortunately that Trinity Western
University has decided to take this route.
Popularity for Greig's prayer rooms in North America
has brought about the release of a book by Greig
called 24-7
Prayer Manual. This movement is introducing
more and more people to global meditation and eastern mysticism, which will ultimately usher
in spiritual deception of a magnitude the world
has never seen. (See Reinventing
Jesus Christ for more information on this
topic.)
|
AN APPEARANCE OF "JESUS"
Recently a non-Catholic visiting
a Roman Catholic Adoration Chapel saw a manifestation
of "Jesus" in a monstrance. According to the Bible,
there will be more of these appearances before
the real Jesus appears. Are you aware this is
a sign of the end times?
It was another one of those headlines that immediately
caught my attention: "Non-Catholic visitor sees
Jesus in local chapel." Ever since I became aware
of the Roman Catholic New Evangelization program
to win the world to the Roman Catholic Eucharistic
Christ, I have been expecting a news item of this
nature. If my perception is correct, many more
reports will soon be common.
The St. Charles Herald Guide reported that a petroleum
geologist by the name of Andy Petty experienced
a manifestation of "Jesus" at the Adoration Chapel
of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Quoting from the
article:
It all started when Petty visited Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Adoration Chapel in Rivertown.
Little did he know that someone was waiting for
him there. Petty, who belonged to the Worldwide
Church of God, was only attending Our Lady of
Perpetual Help to be with his fiance, Ina. When
Ina said, "let's go to the chapel" he thought
she meant wedding chapel.
For those not familiar with this topic, adoration
of the Eucharistic Jesus that takes place in adoration
chapels is a major part of the New Evangelization
program. In order to understand what this means,
some basic terms and concepts need to be defined. Click here to read the rest of this article.
|
National Pastor's Convention
Using Occultic Enneagram
 Next year's National Pastors
Convention will be using an occultic tool called
the enneagram (see yesterday's post about Enneagrams).
The tool will be used during one of the Critical
Concerns Courses. An introduction of the course, Understanding
the Enneagram: Insights for Spiritual Transformation says "This course will provide personal and biblical
perspectives from the enneagram, an ancient tool
being rediscovered in the church."
Unfortunately, this "ancient tool" that is being
"rediscovered" is just another New Age/contemplative
practice that is being disguised as Christian
by wrapping it with out of context scriptures
and Christian terminology.
Considering that the National Pastors Convention
is presented by Zondervan and Youth Specialties,
it really comes as no surprise that they would
introduce the enneagram. Zondervan Publishing
is heading straight into the interspiritual camp,
and if you watch the video clip we
posted yesterday by Catholic priest William
Menninger, you will see that the enneagram fits
nicely with such interspiritual sympathies.
Incidentally, mantra proponent Gary Thomas (promoted
by Focus on the Family and Rick Warren) will also
be speaking at the National Pastors Convention.
Thomas, in his book Sacred Pathways, tells
readers they should repeat a word for 20 minutes.
|
Hail Mary and Rhythmic Breathing
- A New Way of Praying the Rosary
LTRP
Note: There is a growing belief (that actually
been taught by New Agers for a long time) that
meditation is the key to global peace. New Age
proponent Marianne Williamson's recent defense
of Rick Warren and her hope that collective meditation
will bring peace is another example of this. The
following article is further proof that this is
the direction spirituality is going.
Written by Staci Schoff
Published November 28, 2006
"Incorporating meditative breathing exercises
into Catholic prayer is a fascinating concept,
but is it useful, licit and the key to world peace?
The answer is maybe, not exactly and sort of,
but Richard Galentino makes a fairly strong and
surprisingly poetic case for "yes."
"The book begins with a short history of Yoga
and the rosary, as well as information outlining
some historical connections between yoga and Catholicism." Read this entire news article.
|
ALERT: 24-7 Prayer Rooms
Increasing in North America
 24-7 Prayer, the ministry
of Pete Greig (UK author of Red Moon Rising)
has announced: "The new
24-7 Prayer Manual has just been published
in North America in response to the growing
demand of prayer rooms multiplying all over the continent."
Because of the growing popularity of these contemplative/mystical
prayer rooms, we are re-posting an article we
wrote in October regarding the 24-7 prayer rooms
and Greig's book, Red Moon Rising:
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 his readers to look to Brennan
Manning's book, Abba's Child, for further
reading. 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 "battlecry" 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:
Directory
of 24-7 Prayer Rooms in the US
International
House of Prayer (IHOP) Promotes Contemplative
Spirituality
|
Southern Baptist Convention
Teams Up with Ken Blanchard And Erwin McManus
Southern Baptist Convention
continues to make the descent into spiritual formation
(i.e., contemplative spirituality). At their upcoming
(Feb. 2007) On
Target Evangelism conference, speakers will
be New Age sympathizer Ken
Blanchard and emerging church proponent, Erwin
McManus. In addition to Blanchard's long
history, including current activity, of promoting
New Age authors and teachers (with a particular
focus on meditation), Blanchard is on the board
of the Hoffman Institute, home of the Hoffman
Quadrinity Process. McManus, author of The
Barbarian Way, says: "My goal is to destroy
Christianity as a world religion and be a
recatalyst for the movement of Jesus Christ ...
Some people are upset with me because it sounds
like I'm anti-Christian. I think they might be
right."- While it is not surprising to see Southern
Baptist Convention take another big step into
apostasy, it is disheartening to watch it happen.
So many unaware people are going to get sucked
into the spiritual deception that now permeates
the SBC walls. |
Yoga for Children
Kids in public school are
learning yoga. According to yoga instructor,
Mark Blanchard, (of Progressive
Power Yoga, he taught
children at Colfax Elementary school in
California this past November. On his blog,
he states: "I will be introducing yoga to all
of the kids at the school as I donate a full
yoga program." Blanchard has been featured in many magazines such as Family Circle and Seventeen and has trained many actors
and actresses (like Jennifer Lopez and Drew
Barrymore). Blanchard plans to "bring Progressive
Power Yoga to as many places as I can around
the states (as well as the globe) in the coming
year."
Part of Blanchard's plans include working with Mini Yogis Yoga for Kids. On the
Mini Yogis website, they list not only Blanchard's
company but many other organizations as well,
many of which are schools like Happy Land Preschool
in Culver City and St. Monica's Elementary School
in Santa Monica.
Yoga for kids is on the rise, and if your child
attends public school, you may want to check
to see if they are teaching him or her yoga.
A program called Yoga Ed
provides yoga classes under the heading of "health/wellness"
programs for schools. Those programs take place
in several states including California, Colorado,
New York, Washington and Washington, DC.
Parents whose kids are in Christian schools
may need to be concerned too. More and more
churches and Christian organizations are opening
their doors to the practice of Yoga. And the
biggest Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson,
published a book titled Yoga for Christians earlier this year. It's just a matter of
time before kids in Christian schools will be
learning Yoga and eventually the art of meditation.
It is tragic to know that countless public school
children are being taught eastern mysticism
and will learn how to say "Namaste (the god
in me greets the god in you) before they learn
that they can have a relationship with God through
Jesus Christ without going into altered states
through meditation. And it is equally tragic
that much of Christendom will not be able to
help them because they are doing the same practices
through their spiritual formation programs in
their churches.
More Yoga in Elementary Schools:
Youngsters
sit quietly for yoga (Pennsylvania)
Yoga
at Rosa Parks Elementary
Yoga
Kids (Massachusetts elementary schools)
|
Rick Warren Interview: Campaigning
for His New "Reformation"
"The PEACE plan revolves around mobilizing
a billion Christians in missions-essentially
the entire Christian Church."
Rick Warren was interviewed by Urbana.org in preparation
for the Urbana 2006 conference, which will take
place in late December. Urbana is an InterVarsity
ministry. In the interview, Warren said that "To
be a part of God's purposes, we're going to have
to make a fundamental shift in the way we think
about life-- or five major mental shifts." Warren
explains that these "shifts" are:
1. A "shift from self-centeredness to God- centeredness."
2. A shift "from local orientation to global orientation."
3. A "shift "from temporal values-temporary values-to
eternal ones."
4. A "shifting our thinking from security to service."
5. "The shift from comfort to sacrifice"
Warren says that the church has a great opportunity
now to make a difference in the AIDS epidemic
and "to silence skeptics." Rick Warren has proven
time and again that it is Rick's way or no way.
There is no room for opponents. He explains the
plan:
"I believe we're on the verge of a
second Reformation in the church. 500 years
ago we had the first Reformation. It was about
beliefs. This one is going to be about behavior.
It's not about what the church knows, it's about
what the church does."
We need to reattach the hands and the feet to
the body of Christ. About 50 years ago the hands
and the feet got cut off, and all that's left
is a mouth. Evangelicals in particular are known
more for what we talk about than what we do.
A lot of times we're known more for what we're
against than what we're for. I intend to change
that. So this second Reformation will be about
being the church in the world. Reformations
don't happen overnight. They take fifty years.
I can give twenty years to it. But that's probably
all I've got left in my life, is another twenty
years. The next generation will be the Reformation
generation. My goal is to train them, to prepare
them to finish the task." Read
entire interview.
Over 400,000 churches have done the Purpose Driven
program. Isn't it time for born-again pastors
who were fooled into thinking Purpose Driven was
biblical Christianity to step forward and speak
up? Rick Warren's new reformation is a dangerous
trap of deception, and this global P.E.A.C.E.
plan is a pied-piper that is going to lead a lot
of people over the cliff.
"Who's the man of peace in any village
- or it might be a woman of peace - who has
the most respect, they're open and they're influential?
They don't have to be a Christian. In fact,
they could be a Muslim, but they're open and
they're influential and you work with them to
attack the five giants. And that's going to
bring the second Reformation." -- Rick Warren,
May 2005, Pew
Forum on Religion
"I am praying for a second reformation of the
church that will focus more on deeds than words.
The first Reformation was about beliefs. This
one needs to be about behavior.... We've had
a Reformation; what we need now is a transformation."
--Rick Warren, July 2005 at the Baptist World
Alliance with Tony Campolo and Jimmy Carter
"
Warren said the deeds of a new reformation will
require mobilizing Christians, multiplying churches,
evangelizing the world and eradicating global
problems." --A
World of Baptists By Greg Warner Associated
Baptist Press
"I see absolutely zero reason in separating
my fellowship from anybody," he said. Noting
he has theological differences with many of
the diverse denominations that invite him to
speak, Warren added, "That doesn't stop me from
fellowshipping with them." When he heard of
the SBC's withdrawal, he added, "I thought,
'This is silly! Why would we separate ourselves
from brothers and sisters in the world?'"--Rick
Warren at the Baptist
World Alliance, Warren: Global Baptists 'are all in this together' By Trennis Henderson
"I have two goals in my life. One is a reformation
of the church in America and the other is a
return of civility to society when people who
disagree can still get along and like each other
even if they disagree." Rick
Warren on Larry King,12/2/05
|
Wesylan Church Goes Deeper
into Contemplative
Wesleyan Publishing House,
the publishing arm of the Wesleyan church is going
contemplative. This past summer, we reported
that the Wesleyan Church was offering contemplative
retreats called Holy
Next: Spiritual Formation Retreat. Dr. Keith
Drury (featured on HolyNext and a professor at
Indiana Wesleyan University) writes "extensively
on spirituality." His newest book is titled With
Unveiled Faces ... Experience Intimacy with God
Through Spiritual Disciplines. Drury also
wrote a book for a series called the Lectio
Divina Bible Studies, which is published
by Wesleyan Publishing.
In January, the Wesleyan Church will present the
Gathering 2007 event. Speakers include Willow
Creek pastor, Bill Hybels and business guru John
Maxwell, a former Wesleyan pastor. And the denomination
website has a
Spiritual Formation Department with a Youth
Ministry section that promotes the teachings
of Rob Bell (Noomas) and Saddleback Church's Doug
Fields.
In addition to these reasons above why we should
be concerned about the direction Wesleyan is going,
their main
site online bookstore (serviced by Parable)
is saturated with New Age sympathizing authors
such as Brian McLaren, Ken Blanchard, Laurie Beth
Jones, contemplatives such as Henri Nouwen, Richard
Foster, emerging church leaders like Tony Jones,
Dan Kimball, and Doug Pagitt. They also sell Alan
Jones' book, Reimagining Christianity,
in which Jones says the doctrine of the Cross
is a vile doctrine. In Henri Nouwen's book, Sabbatical
Journey (which Wesleyan sells) Nouwen said he
was uncomfortable with those who said Jesus was
the only way to salvation and he wanted to help
people find their own path to God. Wesleyan is
also selling Sue Monk Kidd's books, including The Dance of the Dissident Daughter in
which Monk Kidd states that God is in everything,
even excrement! To top all that off, they are
carrying books by panentheists Thomas Keating,
Thomas Merton, Matthew Fox, and Basil Pennington.
If you are attending a Wesleyan church, it might
be a good idea to warn your pastor about the spiritual
formation movement and ask him to contact headquarters
because there is a fire of deception coming down
the line, and a lot of people are going to get
burned. |
|
