Christine set up the table last Sunday after the service at First Baptist NYC. Susan Young joined her, and they made a strong team for God's glory! Several of the members of FBCNYC stopped by our witnessing table, including a deacon from First Baptist. Christine called me afterwards to let me know God brought over many lost people, and they had some great conversations about salvation, giving away many Bibles. She said it was a busy day and a joy to make a stand for the name of Jesus and offer the Gospel to people.
Susan Young is attending a Discernment conference now in California and is definitely "on fire" when it comes to defending the faith against apostasy (Jude 3). Susan compiled a fact sheet against the errors of the emerging church and contemplative prayer. Here is an excerpt:
Many Emerging Churches...are borrowing various liturgies from the past including adopting meditation which are called Contemplative Prayer, Centering Prayer, and various modifications of these.
Mysticism has been defined in various ways. John MacArthur describes it by saying that “The mystic disdains rational understanding and seeks truth instead through the feelings, the imagination, personal visions, inner voices, private illumination, or other purely subjective means.” (John MacArthur, Reckless Faith, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1994, p. 27). Although there may be cases where this is true in Contemplative Prayer, it is more similar to Buddhist meditation which recognizes the Absolute within and seeks to become one with it (Him). The path to altered consciousness (mysticism) usually involves three steps:
1. Purgation – self-examination and penitence
2. Illumination – altered consciousness, visions, inner voices
3. Union with God – “the mystical ecstasy in which, for a brief indescribable moment, all barriers seemed to be swept away and new insight supernaturally imparted as one gave himself over fully to the Infinite One.” (Georgia Harkness, Mysticism, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1973, p. 32).
Contemplative Prayer
Richard Foster, a Quaker minister, was one of the first to introduce the concept when he wrote in Celebration of Discipline, “Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind in order to fill it” (1978 edition, p. 15). “The constant theme of the mystic is that union with God is possible through contemplative prayer, and that union with God is found within us. St. Teresa of Ávila states, “As I could not make reflection with my understanding I contrived to picture Christ within me.” (Ibid., p. 25) She is quoted as also saying, “Settle yourself in solitude and you will come upon Him in yourself.”(Ibid., p. 96) Such statements show why the mystics were accused of pantheism. Silence is a noted feature of contemplation. Catherine de Haeck Doherty writes, “All in me is silent and… I am immersed in the silence of God.” (Ibid., p. 102) Francis de Dales notes, “by means of imagination we confine our mind within the mystery on which we meditate.” (Ibid., p. 25) Imagination is highly important to the mystics. As Teresa informs us, this is not an endeavor that comes from their understanding. Mystics are hung out in thin air, so to speak, and must make contact with God through imagination rather than through the rational use of their minds. The power of such experience becomes evident as Foster tells us, “We are to live in a perpetual, inward, listening silence so that God is the source of our words and actions.” (Ibid., p. 166)” http://www.svchapel.org/Resources/Articles/print_articles.asp?id=108#_edn1
The following section is from an article entitled “Contemplative Prayer and the Evangelical Church” by Ray Yungen who is a good friend and competent researcher into the New Age and Mysticism.
First of all, New Agers, occultists and those practicing Eastern religion regard contemplative prayer as part of their own movement. The following are examples from New Age, Eastern thought and occultic books and magazines:
Those who have practiced Transcendental Meditation may be surprised to learn that Christianity has its own time-honored form of mantra meditation. The technique, called Centering Prayer, draws on the spiritual exercises of the Desert Fathers, the English devotional classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, and the famous Jesus Prayer… Reliance on a mantric centering device has a long history in the mystical canon of Christianity. (As Above So Below: Paths to Spiritual Renewal in Daily Life by Ronald S. Miller and the Editors of New Age Journal, 1992, pp. 52-53.)
Contemplative Living by Joan Duncan Oliver, an Omega Institute Mind, Body, Spirit book endorsing several contemplative authors: Father Thomas Keating, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. Omega Institute is the nation’s largest holistic, New Age learning center. (Contemplative Living by Joan Duncan Oliver, 2000, p. 113.)
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 … occultism 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. (The Mission of Mysticism by Richard Kirby, 1979, p. 7.)
Kundalini has long been known in Taoist, Hindu, and Buddhist spirituality…. Since this energy [Kundalini energy] is also at work today in numerous persons who are devoting themselves to contemplative prayer, this book is an important contribution to the renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition. (Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality: A Pathway to Growth and Healing by Philip St. Romain. 1995 .This excerpt is in the Foreword by Thomas Keating, p. 7.)
Major proponents of the contemplative prayer movement have been or are aligned with Eastern religion. Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton, considered by many to have been devout Christians, have intermingled their form of Christianity with Zen, Buddhism and Sufism. In Henri Nouwen’s own book, Pray to Live (p.19-28) he describes Merton as being heavily influenced by Hindu monks.
[Thomas] Merton had encountered Zen Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism and Vedanta many years prior to his Asian journey. Merton was able to uncover the stream where the wisdom of East and West merge and flow together, beyond dogma, in the depths of inner experience…. Merton embraced the spiritual philosophies of the East and integrated this wisdom into (his) own life through direct practice. (Yoga Journal magazine, January/February by Michael Torris, 1999.)
[T]he author shows a wonderful openness to the gifts of Buddhism, Hinduism and Moslem religion. He discovers their great wisdom for the spiritual life of the Christian and does not hesitate to bring that wisdom home. (Disciplines For Christian Living by Thomas Ryan 1993 .This excerpt written in the Foreword by Henri Nouwen, p. 2.)
This mystical stream [contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality.… It is no accident that the most active frontier between Christian and Eastern religions today is between contemplative Christian monks and their Eastern equivalents. Some forms of Eastern meditation informally have been incorporated or adapted into the practice of many Christian monks, and increasingly by other Christians. (Spiritual Friend by Tilden Edwards, pp. 18-19.)
The methods of contemplative prayer are the same as those used in Eastern religion. According to The New Age Movement and The Biblical Worldview, meditation, chanting mantras, body disciplines, guided imagery, religious mysticism, self-realization and at-one-ment are all part of New Age and Eastern practices.
The techniques Benson teaches — silence, appropriate body posture and above all, emptying the mind through repetition of prayer—have been the practices of mystics in all the great world religions. And they form the basis on which most modern spiritual directors guide those who want to draw closer to God.… Silence is the language God speaks … says Thomas Keating who taught “centering prayer” to more than 31,000 people last year. Keating suggests that those who pray repeat some “sacred word,” like God or Jesus. (Newsweek, January 6, 1992, article called, “Talking to God,” p. 44.)
The twentieth century, which has seen so many revolutions, is now witnessing the rise of a new mysticism within Christianity. …For the new mysticism has learned much from the great religions of Asia. It has felt the impact of yoga and Zen and the monasticism of Tibet. It pays attention to posture and breathing; it knows about the music of the mantra and the silence of samadhi.… Now what I say of Zen is true also of Christian mysticism. It also leads to an altered state of consciousness where all is one in God. (The Mystical Way: Silent Music and the Wounded Stag by William Johnston, 1993, Foreword, p. 336.)
Do not reflect on the meaning of the word; thinking and reflecting must cease, as all mystical writers insist. (Contemplation: A Christian Path by Willigis Jager, 1994, p. 31.)
The repetition [of a word or phrase] can in fact be soothing and very freeing, helping us, as Nouwen says, “to empty out our crowded interior life and create the quiet space where we can dwell with God.” (When The Soul Listens: Finding Rest and Direction in Contemplative Prayer by Jan Johnson, p. 93.)
Some very popular authors in the evangelical church have latched on to contemplative prayer as a way to go deeper with God. Richard Foster and Brennan Manning hold workshops and speak in churches, seminaries and youth gatherings all across the country:
Christians … have developed two fundamental expressions of Unceasing Prayer. The first … is usually called aspiratory prayer or breath prayer. The most famous of the breath prayers is the Jesus Prayer. It is also possible to discover your own individual breath prayer…. Begin praying your breath prayer as often as possible. (Prayer: Finding The Heart’s True Home by Richard Foster, p. 122. On pages 156-159 Foster discusses contemplative prayer in depth.)
In Celebration Of Discipline by Richard Foster 1998, Foster makes several recommendations of books that are “helpful” to read. He heartily endorses Tilden Edward’s book, Spiritual Friend. Here are some quotes from that book, page 18 and 19—“This mystical stream [contemplative prayer and other monastic traditions] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality (and to that of Sufis Moslems); this exchange,
together with the more popular Eastern impact in the West through transcendental meditation, Hatha Yoga, the martial arts, and through many available courses on Eastern religions in universities, has aided a recent rediscovery of Christian mystical tradition.… Thomas Merton in many ways helped pave the way for recent serious Christian investigation of these potential Eastern contributions.” Page 72—“The new ecumenism involved here is not between Christian and Christian but between Christians and the grace of other intuitively deep religious traditions.”
A simple method of contemplative prayer (often called centering prayer …) has four steps … choose a single sacred word … repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, often.… During a conference on contemplative prayer, the question was put to Thomas Merton: “How can we best help people (not just Christians) to attain union with God?” His answer was very clear: “We must tell them that they are already united with God. Contemplative prayer is nothing other than coming into consciousness of what is already there.” (Signature of Jesus by Brennan Manning, p. 218, 211.)
In Discipleship Journal Issue 100, 1997, page 78, in an interview, Brennan Manning recommends William O’ Shannon’s book, Silence on Fire and Thomas Keating’s book on centering prayer, Open Mind, Open Heart. In Silence on Fire, O’ Shannon blasts the Christian, biblical God. Page 109, 110— “This is a typical patriarchal notion of God. He is the God of Noah who sees people deep in sin, repents that He made them and resolves to destroy them. He is the God of the desert who sends snakes to bite His people because they murmured against Him. He is the God of David who practically decimates a people.… 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 whose moods alternate between graciousness and fierce anger. This God does not exist.”
It is important to note here that the purpose of contemplative prayer is to enter an altered state of consciousness in order to find one’s true self, thus finding God. This true self relates to the belief that man is basically good. Christian proponents of contemplative prayer teach that all human beings have a divine center and that all, not just born again believers, should practice contemplative prayer.
[T]he God who dwells in our inner sanctuary is the same as the one who dwells in the inner sanctuary of each human being. ( Here and Now by Henri Nouwen, p. 22.)
Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center. Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster, 1998, beginning of chapter two—a quote by Thomas Kelly.
[Even people] who have yet to turn their lives over to Jesus Christ—can and should practice them. [spiritual disciplines]. (Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, p. 2.)
[I]f I find Christ, I will find my true self and if I find my true self, I will find Christ. (Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning, p.125. )
Matthew 15: 18, 19 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart: and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies.
Mark 7: 21,22 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man..”
The Bible also clearly warns against repetitive prayer and also tells us we cannot find God unmediated.
Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
I Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
The following are the titles of several popular books and a list of people the authors make reference and recommendation to in those books:
Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning: Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Paul Tillich, Teilhard de Chardin, Carl Jung, M. Basil Pennington, Anthony De Mello.
Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning: Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Carl Jung, Morton Kelsey, Rainer Maria Rilke, Blaise Pascal, Simon Tugwell, David Seamands, John Bradshaw, Meister Eckhart, Leo Tolstoy, Anthony De Mello, Scott Peck.
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard Foster: Thomas Merton, Madam Guyon, Catherine de Haeck Doherty (Christian Spirituality of the East for Western Man), Sue Monk Kidd.
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster: Thomas Merton, Carl Jung, Leo Tolstoy, mystic Richard Rolle, Thomas Kelly, Morton Kelsey, Evelyn Underhill, Meister Eckhart, Blaise Pascal, Lao–tse of China, Tilden Edwards.
The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen: Thomas Merton, Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu, Teilhard de Chardin, Willigis Jager.
It is ironic that in this century more Christians have died for their faith in other countries than have died in past centuries combined. Many of these Christians have departed from Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism to meet their executioners. What would these martyrs of the faith say to us if they could speak of our current Western practice of intermingling Christianity with Eastern religion and the occult?
