CCEL (Christian Classics Ethereal Library) Remains on Contemplative Path

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

On October 2nd, Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) director Harry Plantinga posted a statement about contemplative prayer.1 The statement points readers to The Cloud of Unknowning, a primer on contemplative prayer and contemplative pioneer Thomas Keating. Because of the continued endorsement of contemplative by CCEL, we are reposting the following article:

The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) is a digital (online) library of hundreds of Christian books, most of which are older (classic) publications in the public domain (non-copyrighted). The CCEL is an outreach of Calvin College and is highly popular, used by thousands of people a year.

In July 2007, Lighthouse Trails reported that CCEL was promoting mystic Madame Guyon. It was Guyon who said: "Here [the contemplative state] everything is God. God is everywhere and in all things." The Christian History Institute said this of Guyon: "Modern critics say that Jeanne-Marie used self-hypnosis to achieve her 'spiritual' states and trances and point out that she used 'automatic writing' which suggests spiritualist practice. They wonder that she had so little to say about Christ (in proportion to the total number of words she wrote)." 1

On April 1, 2008, in the CCEL newsletter, Harry Plantinga, director of CCEL, stated that when he was growing up, there was more focus on "correct belief" (doctrine) than about "loving God" and that he found this to leave him wanting to know God, not just know about Him. He came to believe that the answer to this dilemma was in mysticism, stating that "Christian mysticism addresses that longing of the heart."

Plantinga quotes Webster's dictionary as saying that in mysticism it is "possible to achieve communion with God through contemplation and love without the medium of human reason." This definition is actually quite accurate in describing mysticism. "Without the medium of human reason" means without considering doctrine or theology. This is the conclusion that mystic Thomas Merton arrived at. Ray Yungen documents correspondence Merton had with a Sufi master. The two were discussing fana (eastern mysticism). Merton asked the Sufi leader what the Muslim view of salvation was. The Sufi answered that Islam "does not subscribe to the doctrine of atonement or the theory of redemption."2 Merton replied:

Personally, in matters where dogmatic beliefs differ, I think that controversy is of little value because it takes us away from the spiritual realities into the realm of words and ideas ... in words there are apt to be infinite complexities and subtleties which are beyond resolution.... But much more important is the sharing of the experience of divine light, ... It is here that the area of fruitful dialogue exists between Christianity and Islam.3

The meditation of advanced occultists is identical with the prayer of advanced mystics; it is no accident that both traditions use the same word for the highest reaches of their respective activities: contemplation (samadhi in yoga). (emphasis in original)4

Many Christian writers use terms such as pantheism or monism in an attempt to explain what New Agers believe; however, these words alone are rather limiting in conveying the big picture. The best explanation I have come across is from a book titled The Mission of Mysticism, which states:

[O]ccultism [New Ageism] is defined as the science of mystical evolution; it is the employment of the hidden (i.e., occult) mystical faculties of man to discern the hidden reality of nature; i.e., to see God as the all in all.(p. 6)"

These mystical faculties are the distinguishing mark of this movement--a mystical perception rather than simple belief or faith. A Christian writer once described this movement as a system of thought when, in fact, it is more aptly defined as a system of non-thought. Meditation teacher Ann Wise explained this by stating:

A man came to see me once saying that he had meditated for an hour a day every day for twelve years. Although he enjoyed the time he spent sitting, he felt he was missing something. From talking to other meditators, he felt that he must have been doing something wrong because he had none of the experiences that he had heard others describe. I measured his brainwaves while he was "meditating" and discovered that he had spent those twelve years simply thinking!5

This is why this particular style of meditation is commonly referred to as the silence. This is not silence as being in a quiet environment but inner silence as in an empty mind that opens up the mystical faculties. "The enemy of meditation is the mind,"6 wrote one New Age teacher. ... I challenge the Christian community to look at the facts surrounding the contemplative prayer movement and see its connection to New Age occultism and Eastern mysticism. Just because a writer is emotionally stirring, sincere, and uses biblical language does not necessarily mean he or she advocates sound, biblical truths.(A Time of Departing, pp. 14,16, 89)

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 14:12

Contemplative Spirituality and the Emerging Church Come to Kansas Through YouthFront and MNU

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Contemplative spirituality and the emerging church have come to Kansas and in no small way. First of all, the Christian university in Olathe, Kansas, MidAmerica Nazarene University, is introducing students to the writings of Brian McLaren, Shane Claiborne, Henri Nouwen, and Rob Bell, four of the strongest voices for contemplative emerging spirituality.1 In the required chapel services, speakers include Tony Jones, Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, Calvin Miller, and Leonard Sweet, all of whom teach mystical spiritual practices. A newer style of chapel has been introduced at MNU: "Morning Prayers." The description for the service reads: "It will be a contemplative, liturgical service, which will include the reading of the morning prayers, scriptures, hymns, and communion." 2 MNU is just one of a number of Nazarene Universities that has moved swiftly into the contemplative/emerging camp over the past few years.

Secondly is a Kansas-based Christian organization called YouthFront, a national youth ministry training organization that has gone in the contemplative/emerging direction. Books being promoted by YouthFront include those by emerging leaders Scot McKnight and Tony Jones, and YouthFront's president Mike King. King is the author of Presence-Centered Youth Ministry (also promoted by YouthFront), and in his book, he presents the classic contemplative/emerging teachings. The majority of the quotes and references in the book are by contemplatives such as Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning, Ignatius Loyola, and Brother Lawrence as well as emerging church leaders such as Tony Campolo, Robert Webber, Mike Yaconelli, Phyllis Tickle and more. In a chapter titled "Prayer Practices for Presence-Centered Youth Ministry, King advises readers to practice exercises such as breath prayers, prayer ropes, Ignatius exercises, silence and solitude, making the sign of the cross, praying with icons, and more.

Not surprisingly, Mark Ostreicher, of Youth Specialties, placed his endorsement on the back cover of King's book. Youth Specialties is a leader in bringing contemplative/emerging beliefs to tens of thousands of youth across North America.

YouthFront has had a significant influence in Kansas through their YouthFront Camps, where young people are "trained." Kansas City magazine chose YouthFront Camps as "a 2008 Family Favorite in their 'reader-approved choices for the favorite family-friendly places in the Kansas City area.'"3 It is alarming to know that families in Kansas are trusting their children to mystics.

In addition to training youth, YouthFront also trains youth workers who come from many different churches. Part of this training involves participation in events such as the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention, a pro-contemplative, pro-emergent convention which speakers list includes names such as Mark Yaconelli, Jim Burns, Greg Stier, Phyllis Tickle, Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo, and many others in the contemplative/emergent camp.

This past summer Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) partnered with YouthFront to teach a youth spirituality and formation course.4 The following link is to a blog posting written by someone who witnessed what was taking place with teens at YouthFront: http://revolutioninjesusland.com/index.php/2008/07/30/youthfront.

Kansas is also the home of the highly prolific IHOP (International House of Prayer) with contemplative proponent Mike Bickle. With the influence of MidAmerica Nazarene University, YouthFront, and IHOP, it looks like contemplative prayer and the emerging church have planted their feet down solid on Kansas soil.

Related Stories:

Those Who Resist

Nazarene Superintendent Praises "A Time of Departing" But Denomination's Schools Sinking into Contemplative

This article or excerpt was posted on September 28, 2008@ 3:19 am .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

ACSI (Association of Christian Schools) Searches for New President - Will This One Be a Contemplative?

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

The ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) has announced that Ken Smitherman, president of ACSI, will be retiring next August. 1 Lighthouse Trails has issued two reports on ACSI this year regarding their leanings toward contemplative through their Spiritual Formation program. Our first report stated that contemplative books are being recommended and offered to ACSI's 5300 member schools. In addition, ACSI told attendees of the Early Education Conference on April 19, 2008 to read Henri Nouwen's book, In the Name of Jesus for preparation for the conference. Our second report stated that ACSI is recommending to its member schools Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian. McLaren, who has made many public statements that attempt to derail biblical Christianity, is part of the emerging church movement. (see 1st report)

In this latter report, we explained that in addition to the McLaren recommendation, ACSI president Ken Smitherman speaks favorably of emerging leader and mysticism proponent Rob Bell's book, Velvet Elvis. The report also stated that Smitherman defends his embracing of mystical spirituality (for this documentation, see our 2nd report).

With regard to the ACSI's search for a new president, their website states that this person must have an "understanding of spiritual formation." Those the ACSI turns to for their own "understanding" of spiritual formation include Brian McLaren, Dallas Willard, J.P. Moreland, and other contemplative figures.2 What's more, two of their conferences in 2008 took place at a contemplative Catholic Retreat Center in Colorado.3

We hope that ACSI will put in the place of president someone who understands the dangers of the contemplative prayer and emerging church movements and someone who will seek to uphold the Word of God at all costs. This is an organization that works with and serves thousands of Christian schools worldwide representing 1.2 million students. If they present contemplative spirituality as an acceptable and beneficial belief system, the spiritual damage to countless students will be devastating. Please pray that the ACSI search committee will make every attempt to understand these dangers before making their selection. On their website, they state:

The next president of ACSI will face many opportunities and challenges. The Presidential Search Committee is committed to prayer and invites you to join us as we seek the Lord's guidance and wisdom for the selection of the next president whose godliness, giftedness, and vision will lead our diverse community into the future.

The Silence: Everyone is Talking About It

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Different than finding a quiet place away from noise and distractions, the silence is referring to a stillness of the mind.

To silence the mind is an extremely difficult task. How hard it is to keep the mind from thinking, thinking, thinking, forever thinking, forever producing thoughts in a never ending stream. Our Hindu masters in India have a saying: one thorn is removed by another. By this they mean that you will be wise to use one thought to rid yourself of all the other thoughts that crowd into your mind. One thought, one image, one phrase or sentence or word that your mind can be made to fasten on. Anthony de Mello, Sadhana: A Way to God (St. Louis, the Institute of Jesuit Resources, 1978), p. 28.

Student Concerned Over Biola's Contemplative/Emerging Focus

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Lighthouse Trails has written a number of articles in the past three years regarding Biola University, once a trusted and respected evangelical Christian school. Today, they are helping to lead the way in bringing contemplative mysticism and the emerging church into the Christian faith. Last week, Lighthouse Trails was contacted by a student at Biola, who shared deep concerns over what is being taught in class. This student shared many instances where the new spirituality is being taught to students there, and those students who oppose it are in a minority and are often reprimanded in one form or another when they speak up. Because we do not want to reveal the identity of this student, we will not be posting the letter, but the student has asked us to help get the word out about what is taking place at Biola.

Biola has been introducing students to contemplative spirituality through their Institute of Spiritual Formation and the Talbot School of Theology for some time. Speakers at their Christian Spirituality & Soul Care have included contemplatives Dallas Willard, Ruth Haley Barton, and others in the same camp.2

The Journal of Spiritual Formation is one example of the continued spread of contemplative in Biola. The peer-reviewed journal began this past spring and will include the writings of contemplative authors.

Professors and other staff at Biola admit that they are influenced by contemplative writers. Matthew Hooper, Associate Dean of Campus Life, says Henri Nouwen is one of the people who has most influenced his life. 3 In the book of Nouwen's that Hooper lists, The Way of the Heart, Nouwen advises his readers: "The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart ... This way of simple prayer ... opens us to God is active presence." It is Nouwen who said he was uncomfortable with those who say Jesus is the only way of salvation (Sabbatical Journey).

J.P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot (Biola) School of Theology, has written about contemplative and emerging philosophy in his book, The Kingdom Triangle (see our book review). In that book, Moreland says that spiritual formation is one of three essential components needed in Christianity. Moreland discusses the "true self" and the "false self." He echoes Thomas Merton and Martin Buber, both who had strong mystical propensities, and who believed we could attain to our true self (a perfect self) through mystical practices. Moreland encourages the writings (and practices) of St. Ignatius Loyola, saying such practices will help us to "cultivate the ability to discern the divine components" within us. And like most contemplatives, Moreland touts Henri Nouwen. Please understand the premise of the "true self" and the "false self" is: man is divine.

Katie Tuttle, Director of Commuter Life at Biola, names Nouwen, Brother Lawrence, and Brennan Manning as those who have most influenced her.4

And the list goes on as to professors and staff at Biola who are persuaded that contemplative is a legitimate Christian theology. It must be understood that where there is contemplative, there is emerging spirituality. They are connected at the hip, and the basic premises of each are the same: interspirituality, panentheism, and pantheism. In addition, the "Kingdom" theology and eschatology are also identical (see Faith Undone).

The letter we received from the Biola student addresses Biola's Intercultural Studies Program.

The student told us that in one course of this program, "Integration Seminar: Gospel and Culture," the following textbooks are used:

Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns for Theology and Missions by Dean Fleming

Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent J. Donovan (a Roman Catholic priest)

The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends by Michael Pocock

Theology in the Context of World Christianity by Timothy Tennent.

In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

To better understand what is meant by "contextualization, please read this excerpt from Roger Oakland's Faith Undone: Contextual Theology - Falling From Truth Through the Emerging Church

If you are a student at Biola, please contact Lighthouse Trails if you would like to receive a free copy of Faith Undone.


Previous Reports on Biola University

Biola - Gone off the deep end?

The Shape of Things to Come: Biola University Embraces Contemplative Spirituality

Just How Far Has Biola University Gone Into Contemplative?

Respected Ministries Say OK to Contemplative J.P. Moreland

This article or excerpt was posted on September 3, 2008@ 2:33 pm .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Divination Finds Further Expression in the Evangelical Church

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Eastern Regional Watch Ministries

Divination? Divination is condemned Scripture (Deut. 18:9-14; 2 Kings 17:17-18) and therefore a very negative term. But, divination in the evangelical Church? Has Plumbline crossed over the line or gone out of kilter on this topic? To put it in current parlance, this must be way "outside the box." Nevertheless ... I think you will come to agree that divination is definitely "inside the box," alive and well in many of our churches.

It will be necessary to define divination very carefully. In this issue I have invited Pastor Bob DeWaay to do this "heavy lifting" and focus on a correct, biblical definition of divination. In this introductory article I will try to give some historical context to the current expressions now making the rounds in churches. It is all basically one phenomena with minor differences and mutations.

Divination generally refers to attempts to learn "hidden things" that cannot be known by normal means. Divination falls into two broad categories: mechanical and internal. Mechanical divination uses physical means to acquire hidden knowledge. Examples of this include such things as gazing into crystal balls, examining the livers or other internal organs of animals, interpreting the way arrows land after being thrown into the air, and reading Tarot cards. The internal category, sometimes called "soothsaying," involves conjuring up a spiritual entity during a trance or an altered state of consciousness. Sometimes this spirit entity will appear as a person, no longer living, who returns and speaks words of wisdom. Sometimes the spirit who is "called up" speaks "through" a medium. In Acts 16:16 the slave girl had a "spirit of divination." (It is interesting to note that, because there was often trickery involved, in the first century the word used for divination was also broadly used for the act of ventriloquism.)

Whatever the category or method used, divination is an attempt to ferret out hidden (occult) information. The incursion of divination into the Church is of the internal rather than the mechanical category and its focal points are the visualization techniques employed in "inner-healing" and imaginative prayer.Click here to read this entire article.

For more on Divination, click here.

This article or excerpt was posted on August 30, 2008@ 9:49 am .

From: http://www.erwm.com

Pepperdine University "Bible Lectures" Go Contemplative!

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Pepperdine University is a Christian school located in California. Since the 1940s, Pepperdine University has been presenting their "Bible Lectures" series. This year the university presented the "65th Annual Bible Lectures," a four-day event. On three of the four days, a session titled "An Introduction to Contemplative Prayer" was given.1 The three workshops were titled: Through Imaging Prayer (guided imagery), Lectio Divina, and The Process of Examen (Ignatius exercises).

Jackie Halstead, an assistant professor at Abilene Christian University Texas was the presenter. Halstead has a special interest in spiritual formation. Abilene University is listed on the Lighthouse Trails "Colleges that Promote Contemplative." 2 The school uses textbooks by several emergent and contemplative figures and has a strong spiritual formation program. Some of the authors representing textbooks used in classes are: Doug Pagitt, Henri Nouwen, Tony Jones, Lauren Winner, Richard Foster, Walter Brueggemann, Robert Webber, and Duffy Robbins, all of whom are contemplative/emerging proponents. Abilene is also using a book (in UNIV 203: Prof. Tate) by New Age Gerald Jampolsky (a proponent of A Course in Miracles, the New Age "bible"). Abilene's spiritual formation section lists several emerging/contemplative resources for students including The Ooze, Worship Leader magazine, and Willow Creek. 3

Part of the reason Pepperdine University is going in this direction may have to do with its Provost, Darryl Tippens("chief academic officer" of Pepperdine University), who lists the following people as those he admires: Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Soren Kierkegaard, Kathleen Norris, and Anne Lamott (all promoters of mysticism). In Tippens own book, Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life, Tippens references Thomas Merton a number of times and encourages the use of contemplative practices such as lectio divina, going into the silence (the outcome of mantric-style practices), attending "silent retreats," and repeating the Jesus Prayer. Tippens book is riddled with favorable quoting or referencing of contemplative authors; some of those are Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, Marjorie Thompson (Soul Feast), Kathleen Norris, Donald Miller, Julian of Norwich, and Flannery O' Conner. These all have contemplative propensities. With a line up like this, there is no question that Tippens resonates with the contemplative prayer movement. Unfortunately, this will have a profound (in the negative sense) impact in the oveall spiritual outlook at Pepperdine University. The Introduction to Contemplative Prayer at Pepperdine's Bible Lectures this past spring is proof of that.

To understand the spirituality that Tippens is promoting, a look at Marjorie Thompson's book, Soul Feast (which Tippens says will "greatly enrich one's understanding and practice" (of contemplative silence) is vital (please click here to read our book review of Soul Feast).

This article or excerpt was posted on August 24, 2008@ 1:11 pm .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Beware of This Doctrine of Demons

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Olive Tree Views

By Heidi Swander

It's called "contemplative" or "centering" prayer and if you haven't heard about it yet, chances are unfortunately good that you will soon. It's invading churches like a virus in which submicroscopic pathogens contaminate the body many hours or days before the victim is aware of its presence.

Contemplative prayer is one of a number of ancient mystical practices or spiritual disciplines, as their proponents refer to them, which are being encouraged at an alarming rate by evangelical churches. It is all part of something called Spiritual Formation and the Emergent Church, a movement that as John MacArthur states in his book, The Truth War, is subtly changing the beliefs and doctrines of the evangelical church as we know it.

In its pure form, contemplative prayer is practiced by sitting still, quieting, and concentrating on your breathing and repeating a word of choice (maybe the name Jesus, for instance) over and over again. You're to concentrate on that word and your breathing, and work to eliminate all thoughts from your mind. Over a period of maybe 20 minutes -- and with practice -- you can enter into "the silence." Your mind is blank. You have, in fact, hypnotized yourself. And it is in "the silence" where "God" allegedly speaks to you. Click here to read this entire article.

This article or excerpt was posted on August 12, 2008@ 1:03 pm .

From: http://www.olivetreeviews.org

Richard Foster "Retirement Party" - Stepping Back at Renovare

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

On July 31, 2008, a Retirement Party was held for Richard Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline. According to correspondence with a Renovare (Foster's organization) Coordinator, Foster is "stepping back from active leadership at RENOVARE," in order to "spend more time writing."

First published in 1978, Celebration of Discipline has had a massive influence on Christianity. Unfortunately, the influence has helped to saturate the church with mystical contemplative prayer.

Foster said in the book, that we "should all without shame enroll as apprentices in the school of contemplative prayer." (p. 13, 1978 ed.) In other books and writings he makes it very clear that this "contemplative prayer" is the eastern style mantra meditation to which mystic monk Thomas Merton adhered. In fact, Foster once told Ray Yungen (author of A Time of Departing) that Thomas Merton tried to awaken God's people.

Thomas Merton, who said he was impregnated with Sufism and wanted to "become as good a Buddhist" as he could be, believed that "God's people" lacked one thing ... mysticism and this is to what they needed "awakening." Of Merton, Foster says: "Thomas Merton has perhaps done more than any other twentieth-century figure to make the life of prayer widely known and understood." (Spiritual Classics, p. 17)

Listed under "excellent books on spirituality," in some editions of Celebration of Discipline, Foster says of Tilden Edwards' book, Spiritual Friend that it helps "clear away the confusion and invites us to see that we do not have to live the spiritual life in isolation." And yet, Tilden Edwards, founder of the Christian/Buddhist Shalem Institute in Washington, DC, said that contemplative spirituality was the "Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality" (A Time of Departing, p. 49).

In Celebration of Discipline, Foster says "we must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation" (COD, p.13.) He says the "masters of meditation beckon us." Just prior to that remark, he favorably quotes Carl Jung and Thomas Merton.

Celebration of Discipline has helped to pave the way for Thomas Merton's pantheistic belief system. It has opened the door for other Christian authors, speakers, and pastors to bring contemplative spirituality into the lives of millions of people.

Countless ministers and ministries are promoting and endorsing Celebration of Discipline. If they really knew what Foster's "celebration" was all about, we think many of them would race away from the teachings of Merton and Foster and back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

*****

For links and endnote material to this article, click here.

For more information on Richard Foster and his other books.

More on Celebration of Discipline

This article or excerpt was posted on August 10, 2008@ 11:12 pm .

From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

Chrysalis Walk to Emmaus

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Miscellaneous News Source

by Hungry Hearts Ministries

What is Chrysalis?

Chrysalis is the youth and young adult version of its parent movement, Walk to Emmaus. Chrysalis walks (or retreats) are called "flights" for 10th through 12th graders and "journeys" for young adults ages 19 through 24. Participants in the 72 hour retreats must be sponsored by alumni of previous retreats.

Walk to Emmaus is an adaptation of a Roman Catholic movement, Cursillo de Cristianidad, which means "little course in Christianity." This movement, designed to empower persons to "Christianize their environment," originated in Spain in 1948.

During the 1960s and 1970s Episcopalians, Lutherans and several non-denominational groups offered Cursillo. The first Cursillo weekend in the Episcopal Church was conducted in the early 1960's with help from Roman Catholic sponsors in the Diocese of Iowa. The doctrine taught in Cursillo was traditional Catholicism. In 1978, The Upper Room, which is the Spiritual Formation unit of the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, adapted the program for a primarily Protestant audience and began to offer it under the name The Upper Room Cursillo. The name was later changed to the more ecumenical Upper Room Walk to Emmaus. Click here to read more.

This article or excerpt was posted on July 29, 2008@ 11:46 pm .

From:

The Cloud of Unknowing: A Book by an Anonymous Monk

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

In 1974, Father William Meninger, a Trappist monk and retreat master at St. Josephs Abbey in Spencer, Mass. found a dusty little book in the abbey library, The Cloud of Unknowing. As he read it he was delighted to discover that this anonymous 14th century book presented contemplative meditation as a teachable, spiritual process enabling the ordinary person to enter and receive a direct experience of union with God." --Some History of The Cloud of Unknowing

Do not reflect on the meaning of the word; thinking and reflecting must cease, as all mystical writers insist. Simply "sound" the word silently, letting go of all feelings and thoughts.1

Take just a little word, of one syllable rather than of two ... With this word you are to strike down every kind of thought under the cloud of forgetting.2

Lilly Endowment Continues to Back Contemplative/Emerging Movement

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

The Lilly Endowment will be awarding about 120 grants of approximately $45,000 each in their 2008 National Clergy Renewal Program. Senior vice president of religion at the Endowment says this award offers a time of renewal for pastors and other clergy members to "explore the roots of their religious traditions, write poetry, [and] practice contemplative prayer." 1 This Lighthouse Trails report will show that the Lilly Endowment has been a conduit for helping to finance and propagate contemplative spirituality and the emerging church for many years.

While the National Clergy Renewal Program is "open to all Christian congregations," most of the 132 recipients from the 2007 awards are from denominations that strongly promote contemplative spirituality. There were 18 denominations represented; these include: Episcopal, PCUSA, ELCA, United Methodist, UCC (United Congregational Church), American Baptist, Evangelical Covenant, Disciples of Christ, RCA (Reformed Church of America), Roman Catholic Church. Of this group, there were over 110 grants awarded (totaling nearly 5 million dollars). The remaining twenty or so grants were divided among a handful of other denominations including: Mennonite churches (a growing proponent for contemplative through North America), Southern Baptist, and Evangelical Presbyterian. The 2006 denominational make-up of award recipients was very similar. 2

Lilly has a long history of financially aiding those with the contemplative/emerging message. In the late 1990s, Lilly awarded a grant to Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project (a partnership between Youth Specialties and San Francisco Theological Seminary - both strong proponents for contemplative spirituality). Then in 2001 the Endowment, presented the organization with a larger grant, that of $691,000 (see Faith Undone for more on this, p. 36).

In addition, Lilly funded Project on Congregations of Intentional Practice, an emerging-type project with Diane Butler Bass.3

New Age sympathizer Parker Palmer (friend and inspiration to emerging leader, Len Sweet) also enjoyed the benefits of Lilly Endowment grants. 4

Indirectly, contemplative/emerging church advocate Rick Warren has also benefited from Lilly. In an article by Kjos Ministries titled "Social Change and Communitarian Systems," it explains:

The Lilly Endowment "a private foundation...that supports community development, education and religion," has also helped fund the [Peter] Drucker Foundation. But more recently, it has shown its support for Baptist leadership and pastoral training.... [An] article, "Golden Gate Seminary Receives $300,000 Lilly Endowment Grant" tells us that the funds would provide "hardware, software, renovations and training needed to fully integrate up-to-date technology" with the seminary's training program.

This grant [$300,000] makes all the more sense in light of a new partnership between Golden Gate Seminary and Saddleback Church. The Baptist seminary will build a new branch on the Saddleback campus to train church leaders to use the digital data tracking technology needed to meet and monitor community needs around the world.5

Lilly funded Alan Roxburgh (mentor to Brian McLaren). Lilly also gave $15,000 to the Eastern Mennonite Seminary to build a labyrinth. Meanwhile, another Mennonite seminary (MBBS) puts on a contemplative course, also sponsored by Lilly, called Ministry Quest. And what do these Lilly projects all have in common? Spiritual formation and contemplative spirituality.... [I]n 2001, Goshen College was among the first 20 colleges to receive a five-year grant [from Lilly Endowment]. The Goshen grant is called the CALL project, which sponsored a Brian McLaren visit to the college. 8

Focus on the Family: Helping to Bring About a Generation of Parent Mystics?

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

A Lighthouse Trails Commentary

Next February, CCN (Church Communication Network) is presenting Beth Moore and Gary Thomas in a special Focus on the Family conference called Focus on Marriage. This is coming on the heels of a statement recently made by Focus on the Family that they only "occasionally" reference contemplative speakers such as Gary Thomas and Beth Moore and should not be accused of promoting contemplative spirituality. For Focus on the Family to say they only occasionally reference contemplative authors, all the while knowing they are about to present an entire conference with those same authors is not being up front. Such doublespeak should not be so. Beth Moore participated in the contemplative Be Still DVD and then later, through a ministry letter (see article below), acknowledged that she sees nothing wrong with the DVD or its subject matter. In addition, in her book When Godly People Do Ungodly Things, Moore touts contemplative favorite Brennan Manning as having been "one of the most remarkable books" (p. 290) she has ever read. Gary Thomas tells readers to repeat a word for 20 minutes to enter the silence (Sacred Pathways) and points readers (throughout his book Sacred Marriage) to a woman who promotes and instructs on tantric sex.

One of Gary Thomas' books that Focus on the Family sells, promotes (and defends) is Sacred Parenting. Thomas devotes an entire chapter to contemplative spirituality, calling it the "active discipline" of "true listening," and says it is the way we can "seize heaven and invite God's presence into our lives" (pp. 58-59). In that chapter, Thomas names two people who he says brought about the "biggest change in my prayer life" as "a result of reading" their material: contemplative mystic Teresa of Avila and Frank Buchman. Buchman was the initiator of Moral Re-Armament, now called Initiatives of Change, an organization working towards inter-faith globalization. Buchman was a controversial figure, partly due to his 1930s public statements showing admiration for Adolph Hitler's leadership skills and stand against communism. Buchman was of the belief that if the world could find the right leader, even if he was a dictator, if he believed in God, he could change the whole world overnight. And according to cult expert Dave Hunt, Buchman was involved in both mysticism and the occult:

MRA founder Frank Buchman ... embraced new revelations through occult guidance [and] helped to set the stage for the New Age movement.... He inspired thousands on all continents to meditate ... decades before Maharishi Mahesh Yogi left India. (Hunt, Adaptation of Occult Invasion, 1998)

Lighthouse Trails ... assertion that Focus on the Family is "promoting" Contemplative Prayer and Spirituality is neither fair nor accurate. It is true that we have occasionally referenced speakers and authors who deal with subjects of this nature - individuals such as Richard Foster, Gary Thomas, Larry Crabb, and Beth Moore. But this, in our opinion, is not the same thing as "promoting" contemplative prayer. The truth of the matter is that we have far too much else on our plate to become involved in any such activity. The heart of our outreach is practical family ministry.

Is General Baptist Ministries Going Toward Contemplative?

Category: * Contemplative
  Source:  Editors at Lighthouse Trails

Is the General Baptist Ministries (General Association of General Baptists) going toward contemplative spirituality? The General Baptist denomination has been around since the late 1800s, with presently over 800 churches and over 70,000 members. Their Statement of Faith lays out a biblical plan of salvation and the Christian faith. But the movement appears to be leaning toward contemplative spirituality.

On the organization's main website, it reads:

General Baptists are moving forward under the theme of "No Church Left Behind." To leave no church behind, our efforts will be centered in "Gaining Agenda