Contemplative Prayer part 3

I have recently found some material that is being circulated in churches that are moving toward the use of contemplative or centering prayer. It is to be used as a manual of sorts to teach pastors, other leaders and perhaps even lay people how to do this type of prayer. As I read the handout, I was filled with a sense of dread at the knowledge that this misinformation was being used to deceive God fearing, upright leaders in a church somewhere. I can’t for the life of me figure out why churches are so anxious to adopt a prayer method that is not Biblical.

The first paragraph starts like this: We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words. But this is only one expression. In the Christian tradition Contemplative Prayer is considered to be the pure gift of God.
Anyone who thinks of prayer as thoughts or feelings doesn’t know what prayer really is. Prayer is talking to God pure and simple. We have an outline for the way in which we should talk to God in Matthew 6:9-13, and in Luke 11: 1-4. Jesus never said that prayer was a gift. Nowhere in the scripture is this intimated. There are many things in “Christian tradition” that in fact have no basis in scripture, such as labyrinth walking, papal authority, and a host of other things that I won’t go into here. As for prayer being a gift from God, I can’t find anything in scripture that would indicate that this is the case.

The paragraph goes on. It is the opening of mind and heart – our whole being – to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, and emotions. Through grace we open our awareness to God whom we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing – closer than consciousness itself. How is it that somehow we can be privy to the “mystery of God” by chanting a mantra? How is it that so many are allowing themselves to be deceived into practicing a method of prayer that is not even mentioned in the Bible? Are they saying that we cannot really know God in His fullness unless we practice contemplative prayer? Are they saying that there is special knowledge to be learned about God by emptying your mind and allowing whatever to enter? Sounds like Gnosticism to me.

The material goes on to say that, Centering prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of Contemplative Prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift. This is a hoot. Toward the end of the instructions there are things listed of what Centering Prayer supposedly is and is not. The first item is, It is not a technique but a way of cultivating a relationship with God. Wow. It’s a method but not a technique. Hmmm. Maybe somebody can help me with that one.

This material also goes on to talk about how Contemplative Prayer is inspired by so many great spiritual writers, and the book The Cloud of Unknowing, whose author is anonymous. One of the writers they mention is Thomas Merton. Zen, according to Merton, offers us the pure act of seeing, pure consciousness. It is this, Merton writes, that is the real meaning of knowledge in meditation and contemplation leading to salvation in Christ.”
“The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion . . . It is beyond words. We are already one.” -Thomas Merton
And in the last public utterance of his life, delivered on the day of his death in Bangkok, Merton said: “And I believe that by openness to Buddhism, to Hinduism, and to these great Asian traditions, we stand a wonderful chance of learning more about the potentiality of our own traditions, because they have gone, from the natural point of view, so much deeper into this than we have.” Quote from the book, “Lost Christianity” by Jacob Needleman, p.112.
How is it that so called Evangelical Christians are taking heed of the teachings of a man that had come to the conclusion that Buddhism was on an even plain with Christianity?

Another one mentioned in the “manual” is Teresa of Avila. Some items pertaining to St. Teresa - Quoting a short biography by Caroline T. Marshall on the life of St. Teresa of Avila:
“After a prolonged sickness that almost led to her death, Teresa was introduced to the Third Spiritual Primer, by Francisco de Osura, a Franciscan. De Osura followed a tradition of Christian mysticism that had been deeply influenced by the Sufi mystics of Islam. In this system emphasis is placed on prayer in which the worshipper detaches himself from everything except God. A sort of spiritual intuition, which is combined from memory, will, and understanding, enables the supplicant to receive a direct experience of God, who then illumines the soul with knowledge of Himself. De Osura’s inspiration was to be the foundation of Teresa’s mystical and spiritual life.” (Emphasis mine)
Is it possible that there is spiritual deception in the origins of Islam and other religions influenced by mysticism?

I found the following quote on the web, and thought it was appropriate.
However the Bible clearly states as we have seen that human disciplines, techniques etc. are not the appropriate way to approach God, gain salvation, or to gain spiritual incite or power. Instead of human effort God has provided another way -which is through the atoning and finished work of His Son the Messiah who is the sacrificial Lamb of God, who we may approach by faith and is based on historical and biblical revelation.


That pretty well sums up my feelings on the matter. I posted earlier that one of my fears is that Contemplative Prayer is not a path into the throne room of God. That it indeed leads someplace else. The church seems to be in the process of ignoring the finished work of Jesus on the cross, and trying to make their own path to God.

A New Low

It is unbelievable how low people can go. Check this out and see for yourself.

Labyrinths: What's the Deal?

How many of you have heard of using a labyrinth in a church setting? This is a practice that seems to be gaining popularity in current evangelical circles. Youth Specialties (a very popular evangelical resource center), promotes this practice at their conventions and on their website. From the description below, this practice seems to be very humanistic if not downright pagan. I found the following list at this website.

Labyrinths Top Ten List

10. It is a Right Brain task involving creativity and imagery. There is no logic or maze trickery.

9. You can experience an ancient archetype symbolic of wholeness and life's journey. The seven circuits symbolize the variety of parts that make up the whole human.

8. Allows you to be a part of human history...people all over the world have been walking these patterns for over 3,500 years.

7. When the labyrinth is an outside one, it is a wonderful opportunit to connect with nature and Mother Earth, allowing you to realize how sacred & precious everything is.

6. It is a walking meditation promoting relaxation, deeper breathing & release of stress.

5. Mysteriously works with the chakra system and chi meridians used by Chinese acupuncturist throughout ages for healing and balancing the organs & body.

4. It is a way to get in touch with the inner self; the self that knows you best.

3. Gives you the opportunity to express your personal needs to yourself.

2. Gives you the opportunity to listen and search for your own answers. To be self-dependent, self-responsible and connected to your inner source.

1. It is a gift of self-care you give to yourself and share with others.

I'm sure David Letterman would be very impressed with such a great top ten list. I mean after all, isn't this the way every Christian lives out their walk with the Lord every day?

I am aware that this practice has been in use in the Catholic church for a very long time. It's exact beginnings are unknown. The practice goes back at least 3500 years, and has been used in Asian, European, and North Amereican cultures in times past.

Tim Challies is much more adept at putting into words how I feel about this. Here is a link to his blog with a much more articulate explanation of the percieved problems with labyrinths, as well as a great discussion following his post.

And We Want Mood Lighting In Church?

The following is an excerpt from the current issue of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Cuban Crazy Man: Brother "Pedro"


Liberated by Christ from a life of crime, "Pedro" (not his real name) began street preaching and witnessing in the parks of Cuba. This is illegal. He began passing out tracts and sharing about new life in Christ. Cubans are so thirsty to hear about God they woud even kneel with Pedro in public and pray.
The Cuban police put Pedro in jain, but then he continued to preach to the prisoners and to his jailers. He told them: "You keep me from talking about Someone who has transformed my life. You know who I was; a delinquent who was always in prison, but Christ has freed me. How could I not tell what He has done for me? And if you have brought me here to this jail, it is because you also need Jesus."
Since the jailers could not shut Pedro up, they let him go back into the street, telling him not to preach publicly. But he did not obey them and continued to preach.
The Cuban communist government, realizing the emptiness of atheism is not enough to combat Christianity, has built statues of idols and images relating to witchcraft at the entrances of towns. This dark religion is called "Santeria." Witches who live in the area are supported by the government under the guise of "national culture." In the city of Holguin, Pedro Preached about the worthlessness of these statues, sharing about the Living God. Later Pedro left Holguin on a train and began preaching illegally in other cities.
In the city of Villa Clara, he was thrown in jail. The police called back to the police station in Holguin, Pedro's former jail. The authorities in Holguin warned them, "This guy caused us more damage inside jail than out in freedom because he wouldn't stop preaching!"
Pedro continually gives out Christian tracts. His favorite locations are police stations. He goes in to talk to them about Christ. Some of these policemen later come to him and secretly ask for a Bible, telling him they need what he is talking about. Nothing stops Pedro They call him crazy.
There are now 10,000 illegal house churches in Cuba. Christian workers like Pedro have found a new freedom. A freedom no government can grant or deny.

*end excerpt*

If you want more information on what people like Pedro are doing about spreading the gospel boldly under conditions that would cause most of us to curl up in a ball and cry for mommy, then click here.

Pastors Should Read Their Bible Again!

I ran across a rather alarming poll that Tower to Truth Ministries had in a recent newsletter. It makes me wonder what direction the church is going. The survey consists of 7,441 mainline protestant ministers on three major questions.
QUESTION: Do you accept Jesus' physical resurrection as a fact?
51% of Methodist pastors said NO
35% of Episcopalian preists said NO
33% of American Baptist pastors said NO
30% of Presbyterian pastors said NO
13% of American Lutheran pastors said NO
QUESTION: Do you believe the virgin birth of Jesus?
60% of Methodist pastors said NO
49% of Presbyterian pastors said NO
44% of Episcopalian priests said NO
34% of American Baptist pastors said NO
19% of American Lutheran pastors said NO
QUESTION: Do you believe the Scriptures are the inerrant word of God in faith, history and secular matters?
95% of Episcopalians priests said NO
87% of Methodist pastors said NO
67% of American Baptist pastors said NO
77% of American Lutheran pastors said NO
"My people have been lost sheep, Their SHEPHERDS have led them astray"- Jeremiah 50:6. "If the blind leads the blind both will fall into a ditch"- Matthew 15:14.

One Way To the Father

My son recently posted to his Xanga site some things about what I would consider to be basic truths that are easily discernible in the Bible, and how they seem to relate to one rather well known figure in our time. The figure is none other than Mother Teresa. All he did was to post some quotes from her such as:

"We never try to convert those who receive [aid from Missionaries of Charity] to Christianity but in our work we bear witness to the love of God's presence and if Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, or agnostics become for this better men -- simply better -- we will be satisfied. It matters to the individual what church he belongs to. If that individual thinks and believes that this is the only way to God for her or him, this is the way God comes into their life -- his life. If he does not know any other way and if he has no doubt so that he does not need to search then this is his way to salvation."
She also said, "I love all religions. ... If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there." [On another occasion, she again demonstrated her false gospel that 'there are many ways to God': "All is God -- Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, etc., all have access to the same God."

(All is God? Sounds like pantheism to me.)

And then he asked how this jibes with John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It was amazing the amount of venom that came from people he thought were his friends.

It would seem that Mother Teresa held to a universalist view concerning our eternal salvation, while Jesus from the quote above in John 14:6 would seem not to hold to such a view. How do you reconcile these two statements? Can you really get to heaven just because you have faith in whatever you want to have faith in? Was Jesus just blowing smoke when he said he was the only way to the Father? If a non-Christian can get to heaven their own way, then why did Jesus die on the cross?

I know that the subject of Mother Teresa is supposed to be "holy ground", but I see some real problems here. Indeed it does not matter who does not believe Christ is the only way to the Father no matter how many good works they have done. Click here to learn more about the supposed good works Mother Teresa did.

My problem is not even as much with Mother Teresa as it is with the mindset of society in general. The postmodern way of thinking seems to say that there are many truths. That truth is what you want it to be. We as a society are steeped in moral relativism. We have been taught from early on that what is true for you may not be true for me. And since there are no absolutes, then even the teachings of Christ have been called into question by some "evangelical" church leaders. They want to expand what it means to be orthodox. (I guess 2000 years of biblical teaching and learning just couldn't get it right for these guys.) So now we have guys like Brian McLaren trying to create a different orthodoxy.

Sorry, but I'll take the old orthodoxy anytime. When I see video footage taken at Mr. McLarens church and there is a symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun god over the front of the auditorium, it gives me reason for pause. It is a strange perversion to call yourself Christian, and hold to pagan symbols as part of your worship. What they are worshiping is not the god of the Bible.

Emergent Church

Someone I know recently read the book "A Generous Orthodoxy" by Brian McLaren. He was really excited about the book. He started talking about this whole Emergent Church movement, and how it was going to change the way people did church. I have not as of this writing read the book myself. But it sparked my interest in what is being call the Emergent Church because I began to hear about the Emergent Church or Postmodern movement from other sources as well. That is when I began check out what others were saying about the Postmodern movement. I can honestly say I approached this issue with an open mind and heart. I had no preconceived notions about it, because I knew nothing about it.

I am no expert by any means. But I have discovered some things that have caused me concern about what is happening with this movement. One such thing that has bothered me is the mindset that doesn't want to give all authority to the Bible for all people. On his website, Brian McLaren was asked a question regarding the inerrancy of the Bible. Mr. McLaren's response was "I believe the Bible is uniquely authoritative for Christians." http://www.anewkindofchristian.com/archives/000406.html What about the Bible being authoritative for non-Christians? I sent an email to Brian McLaren and asked him what he meant by this statement, I never received an answer.

I also found an article about the Emergent Church by PBS, it included video of worship at the church Brian McLaren pastors, Cedar Ridge Community Church. There is a video link on the website that shows some of the worship as it occurs. If you look carefully at the video, 25 seconds into it, you see a large winged symbol over the platform/altar area of the sanctuary. I researched the symbol it looks unusually similar to the symbol used for the Egyptian sun god Ra! Click on the PBS link above to see the video. Click here to see what I found on the web about the symbol that appears in their sanctuary.

If you are interested here is a link to a book review of "A Generous Orthodoxy"

Contemplative Prayer part 2

I have decided to read Ray Yungens book again "A Time Of Departing" because there are things that really need to be brought out into the open about what is happening in the Christian community. It seems that there is nowadays a practice that is becoming more and more common in evangelical circles, non-evangelical (such as Episcopal, Methodist etc..) and has become common in the Catholic church as well. I am speaking of contemplative or breath prayer. The following is an excerpt from Ray Yungens book.

In the early Middle Ages, there lived a group of hermits in the wilderness areas of the Middle East. They were known to history as the desert fathers. They dwelt in small isolated communities for the purpose of devoting their lives completely to God without distraction.The contemplative movement traces its roots back to these monks. They were the first ones who first promoted the mantra as a prayer tool. One meditation scholar made this connection when he said:

The meditation practices and rules for living of these earliest Christian monks
bear strong similarity to those of their Hindu and Buddhist renunciate brethren
several kingdoms to the East....the meditative techniques they adopted for finding
their God suggest either a borrowing from the East or a spontaneous rediscovery.

The desert fathers believed as long as the desire for God was sincere - anything could be utilized to reach God. If a method worked for Hindus to reach their gods, then Christian mantras could be used to reach Jesus. Do you see the reasoning here? Non-Christian sources as avenues to spiritual growth, are perfectly legitimate in the Christian life, and if Christians only practice their Christianity based on the Bible, they will impoverish their spirituality. This was the thinking of the desert fathers. So now as a result we now have contemplative prayer. Please take heart to what Jesus Christ expressly warned His disciples in Matthew 6:7:"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do." It should be apparent that mantra meditation or sacred word prayer qualifies as "vain repetition" and clearly fits an accurate description of the point Jesus was making here.
**end excerpt**

Many Christians will say that there is a difference between Eastern and Christian mysticism. On the surface this seems logical. What really makes a practice Christian? The answer is simple, did Jesus sanction it? A Christian is a pupil of Christ. That means you follow the teachings of Christ. Nowhere in scripture does Jesus teach this method of prayer. And I don't think that our Lord is one to hold any good thing out from us. If this is supposedly such a great way to commune with the Father, then why didn't Jesus outline this methodology instead of the prayer he gave in Matthew chapter six? The answer is that contemplative prayer is not Biblical in nature. God does not leave it up to well meaning people to invent their own Christianity. He has set before us certain models for our approach to the throne. Your intent has nothing to do with it. Just look at the story of Cain and Able. Cain thought he could please God in the way he wanted to, but God was very displeased when Cain wanted to bring a cleaner, less gross sacrifice to Him.

It is my prayer that God will be glorified in the manner that He should be glorified. That our approach to the throne will be done properly and reverently. After all, He is the king of the universe. You don't make up your own method of going before the throne. The approach that contemplative prayer takes, doesn't even lead into the throne room. It leads someplace else.

Contemplative Prayer

I have been reading some rather disturbing things about the contemplative prayer movement in the church. Many Christians are practicing this prayer methodology and it is growing by leaps and bounds in popularity. The Catholic church in particular seems to relish in the pursuit of of this practice. Indeed the Pope himself has advocated that even the laity should pray using these methods. It is started by emptying your mind by repeating a single word over and over again til nothing is there. This is referred to by many as the "silence". Many will say that the Christian version of this prayer method does not have its roots in eastern thought. It is very strange though that the methodology and end result are very similar whether the practitioner is Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, or any other religion. The person praying in this manner often ends up in an altered state of consciousness. Why then is this practice so bad? There are three main reasons-

• It is not found in the Bible.
• It correlates with occult methods (i.e., mantra, vain repetition).
• It is sympathetic with Eastern mystical perceptions (God in everything; all is One-Pantheism).

Nowhere in the Bible are any instructions found that would lead us to believe that we should pray by emptying our minds. To do so is to invite strange spirits into your consciousness. When we pray we should focus on Christ and what he has done for us through the work on the cross. Not focus on nothing.

There are many respected so called Christian authors out there who advocate this prayer method. People like Bill Hybles of Willow Creek Community Church, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and author of the best seller Forty Days of Purpose. There is a best selling Christian book out there called Celebration of Discipline that advocates contemplative or breath prayer as it is sometimes called. Here is an excerpt from the book that you see at the top of this post that I am currently reading. This account is from one Ron Comer, pastor of Eastside Christian Fellowship in Salem Oregon, when he read the book Celebration of Discipline.

One day I decided to lock myself in my office and not come out until I knew I had met God. I took from my shelf a book by Richard Foster called Celebration of Discipline. I had briefly read it years before but did not give much attention to its practical application. Now, as I began to read, I was intrigued by the freshness of Foster's approach. It seemed so freeing to come before God and just empty me of myself. I knew God could not fill me if self was in the way.

I laid the book on the floor and got on my knees. I began to step through Foster's teachings of how to come before God. I emptied my mind of all thought and began to repeat sacred words that brought praise to God. I found myself repeating the same words over and over. After a period of about two hours, I began to feel a release from all my cares. As contrary as it seems, my body began to feel an energy that was both exciting and relaxing. My mind was at peace and my spirit open to any experience God would share with me. I began to slip into a euphoric, mystical state. Suddenly, I was struck by five powerful words that penetrated every sense of my existence. The words were firm but loving. My inner spirit had never heard such clarity. The five words were, "This is not from Me!"

Immediately upon hearing these words I began to grieve at all I was doing, and I repented - feeling polluted and foolish. I quickly realized I had not been enjoying God but had opened my mind and heart to a seducing spirit. God ended this episode by confirming in my spirit I needed to stay alert and discerning for deceptive spirits that were amazingly good at emulating the Spirit of God and masquerading as angels of light.

Is this the kind of prayer the church really wants to involve itself in? I vote no.