Contemplative Spirituality
Through Which Avenues
is Contemplative
Entering the Church?
Purpose Driven Life - one of the major avenues through which contemplative spirituality is entering the church.
Willow Creek - Bill Hybels church another major influence in bringing contemplative/emerging into the church
The Emerging Church — emerging, but not with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
*
Christian Seminaries & Colleges—
leading our future pastors and Christian leaders into contemplative spirituality
Christian Publishers —succumbing to the temptation to publish books promoting contemplative and emerging spirituality
The Spiritual Formation Movement —another way of saying contemplative spirituality
Mystical Rituals —labyrinths, contemplative prayer, lectio divina, breath prayer, yoga, Taize and other rituals.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY, CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY AND THE NEW AGE …
America’s leading Christian magazine has turned to promoting mysticism, contemplative prayer and other New Age, anti-Christian practices.
Don’t believe it? See for yourself.
Christianity Today Has Become a Central News Agency on Behalf of Contemplative Spirituality. One article after the next is being written by this magazine to convince readers that CP is good. See below:
Drawing Closer to God
by Today’s Christian Woman Magazine
(Christianity Today)
In this article about spiritual directors, top contemplative advocates are
quoted and popularized—
Ruth Haley Barton
David Benner
Larry Crabb
Leanne Payne
Brennan Manning
Shalem Prayer Institute
As a matter of fact, the only ones the article is promoting are strong contemplative advocates, those who promote: Universalism, Buddhism, chanting, mantra meditation and the New Age movement, which states all paths lead to God.
“[S]ince the departure of the well-known Bible-defender Harold Lindsell as editor in 1978, CT has continually featured articles and commentaries that compromise the authority of the Bible from its very first verse.” Answers in Genesis
**Interview with CT Dick Staub and contemplative Fil Anderson
(trained at Shalem Prayer Institute.)
**CT’s Chris Armstrong and Steven Gertz talk about contemplative Larry Crabb.
**Christianity Today promotes contemplative Tony Jones as he leads America’s Christian youth into mystical prayer practices.
Contemplation practiced by New Age teachers and gurus is totally different then Christian meditation and contemplation.
Mystics in Christian world were the leaders in showing the way of prayer to Christ to many.
“Fire within” by T. Dubay is an excellent, in depth, theologically sound (ot’s a Catholic book, but main Protestant denominations, Evangelicals, Charismatics agree)book explaining the Christian way of contemplation.
I’ve been to Taize (http://www.taize.fr/en) few times. Nothing of New age there, rather people gathering to pray and sing the Scriptures at least 3 times a day.
Lectio Divina is for deepening one’s understanding of the Word of God.
“Mystical Rituals —labyrinths, contemplative prayer, lectio divina, breath prayer, yoga, Taize and other rituals.” - some misdiagnosed thoughts on these to put them together in one batch box like that.
I don’t know much about the emerging church, but it seems that if people are hungry for some depth, they will try to find it. The problem might be that in some Christian circles there are no fathers/teachers/pastors/leaders to teach people how to pray and commune with the living God.
Thank you.
I’m a bit confused. I didn’t realize The Purpose Driven Life was based on contemplative spirituality. I don’t see it, I guess. Do you mind helping me understand what to look for in these cases.
I grew up in the Christina denomination but have attend a non-denominational church off/on for the past few years. I don’t get the difference between the non-denominational and the inter-denominational. The church I attend has some Baptist and some Pentacostal leanings. I like that they are more open to their membership- everyone is truly welcomed. The Christian Church wasn’t like that. But to be honest, not having communion every Sunday and the healing services are things I have trouble with.
You seem very knowledgeable and serious in your endeavors and that is why I’m asking you this and asking it here instead of Shelfari groups.
Fran