02. Emergent Teachings & Teachers
It is interesting to note that there
are many CHRISTians who have a problem w/the Roman Catholic Church because of
their teaching that the pope is above the Word of God. Yet many of those same
Christians don’t have a problem w/the emerging church doing the same thing!
What you are left w/is truth that can only be experience emotionally & mystically as you’re in unity in community.
What you are left w/is truth that can only be experience emotionally & mystically as you’re in unity in community.
A. DECONSTRUCTION
Definition: an emergent concept, a type of literary
criticism that demonstrates multiple readings of a text specifically the Bible.
They teach that men in power determine history & they
are defining your reality for you. So if you go back & read their documents
you can’t believe what is says. So you need to go back & understand their
evil motives, & deconstruct them & then reconstruct it to what you
think is a better way.
In the book, A is forAbductive: The Language of the Emerging Church, Leonard Sweet, Brian
McLaren & Jerry Haselmayer
They state that Deconstruction is…
One of the most important philosophical/interpretive
concepts of postmodernity…
(Deconstruction) begins by questioning many of the
assumptions of traditional interpretation…
Traditional modern interpretation, then, is fond of
finding the one “true” meaning in a text, while deconstructionists do not give
any reading privileged status, but rather are interested in hearing the
interplay of many interpretations that arise w/in many different interpretive
communities.
The Emergents like to reinterpret the Word of God, much like
the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 03.01
The Word of God is Truth!
Jesus said
John 17.17 “17 “Sanctify
them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
Rob Bell explains how communities can make new interpretations
of the Bible...
Notice what Jesus says in the book of Matthew: ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
Notice what Jesus says in the book of Matthew: ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
What he is doing here is significant. He is giving his
followers the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible. He is giving
them permission to say, ‘Hey, we think we missed it before on that verse, &
we’ve recently come to the conclusion that this is what it actually means.’
If we take Jesus seriously & actually see it as our
responsibility to bind & loose, the implications are endless, serious,
& exhilarating.
The Bible is a communal book.
So we can unlock a new interpretation? 2Timothy 02.15
1890 Darby Translation: “cutting in a straight line the word of truth.”
Thayer-to
teach the truth correctly & directly
We don’t have the authority to
make new interpretations of the Bible.
The church was built on the
foundation laid by the apostles & prophets, w/Jesus as the cornerstone Ephesians
02.19-20
Now by way of reminder, we know
that the Scriptures are “…inspired by God…” (2Timothy 03.16) God-breathed
(θεόπνευστος theopneustos) Word of God.
Rob Bell-was the founder of Mars Hill Bible Church located in
Grandville, Michigan, which he pastored until 2012. He has authored many
controversial books, including New York Times bestsellers “Love Wins” &
“Velvet Elvis”. He had a popular short film series called Nooma (which comes
from the phonetic spelling of the Greek word pneuma meaning wind or spirit).
He attended Fuller Theological Seminary (Same as
RickWarren).
Phyllis Tickle & Calvin Miller both
have essentially said that the Bible is a lovely book of poetic literature but
not an authority in our lives.
Tony Jones,
an emergent blogger who repeatedly has minimized the authority of the Bible as
the Word of
God.
B. THE DIETY OF JESUS
Marcus Borg
formerly of the humanistic Jesus Seminar rejects essential
tenets of the biblical Christian faith (such as that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God, that He was born of a virgin, & that He was God).
Jesus almost certainly was not born of a virgin, did not think
of himself as the Son of God, & did not see his purpose as dying for the
sins of the world.
Many emergent leaders have shown admiration for the writings of MarcusBorg, such as Rob Bell, Calvin Miller, BrianMcLaren, Leonard Sweet & Walter Brueggemann (who helped write RichardFoster’s “Renovare SpiritualFormation Study Bible”).
In 1991, William Shannon (biographer of Buddhist-Catholic
monk & mystic Thomas Merton) said:
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 & 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 & fierce anger…This God does not exist.
Former Catholic priest Brennan Manning has been a major
influence in the Emergent Church. In his 2003 book Above All (foreword by singer
Michael W. Smith) he quotes William Shannon almost word for
word, regarding the atonement on p58-59:
Likewise the god whose moods alternate between graciousness &
fierce anger…the 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 & in
Jesus Christ. And if he is not the God of Jesus, he does not exist.
C. THE DOCTRINE OF
HELL
Rob Bell continues to
make the statements saying that we shouldn’t talk about Hell & judgment
because that wasn’t what Jesus talked about, yet Jesus talked about Hell more
than most other subjects! (Matthew 05.22; Matthew 05.29-30; Matthew 10.28;
Matthew 11.23;
Matthew 16.18;
Matthew 18.09;
Matthew 23.15;
Matthew 23.33;
Mark 09.43;
Mark 09.45;
Mark 09.47;
Luke 10.15;
Luke 12.05;
Luke 16.23)
In his book Love Wins-RobBell believes that ultimately all people will be saved, even those who
have rejected the claims of Christianity. He argues that people will be
persuaded by Gods love.
Rob Bell “Love Wins” pg. 115
Will everybody
be saved, or will some perish apart from God forever because of their choices?
Those are questions, or more accurately, those are tensions we are free to
leave fully intact. We don’t need to resolve them or answer them because we
can’t, & so we simply respect them, creating space for the freedom that
love requires.
Jesus’ story has been hijacked by a number of other
stories…that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous
place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment &
punishment in hell w/no chance for anything better.
This is misguided & toxic &
ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace,
forgiveness & joy that our works desperately needs to hear.
For more go on to You Tube to
see the Rob Bell interview w/ABC’s Martin Bashir in March 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg-qgmJ7nzA
Brain McLaren stated that
there is not a literal hell:
Tony (Campolo) & I might disagree in the details, but I think we are both trying to find an alternative to both traditional universalism & the narrow, exclusivist understanding of hell (that unless you explicitly accept & follow Jesus you are excluded from eternal life w/God & destined for hell).
We should consider the possibility that many, & perhaps even all of Jesus’ hell-fire or end-of-the-universe statements refer not to postmortem judgment but to the very historic consequences of rejecting his kingdom message of reconciliation & peacemaking. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 67-70 seem to many people to fulfill much of what we have traditionally understood as hell.
Wow! Does he not know or realize that Jesus said that Hell was postmortem & everlasting? Luke 12.05
Tony (Campolo) & I might disagree in the details, but I think we are both trying to find an alternative to both traditional universalism & the narrow, exclusivist understanding of hell (that unless you explicitly accept & follow Jesus you are excluded from eternal life w/God & destined for hell).
We should consider the possibility that many, & perhaps even all of Jesus’ hell-fire or end-of-the-universe statements refer not to postmortem judgment but to the very historic consequences of rejecting his kingdom message of reconciliation & peacemaking. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 67-70 seem to many people to fulfill much of what we have traditionally understood as hell.
Wow! Does he not know or realize that Jesus said that Hell was postmortem & everlasting? Luke 12.05
Brian McLaren has denied
the existence of Hell & he also called the death of Jesus false advertising
in a podcast interview w/Leif Hansen
Brian McLaren: This is one of
the huge problems w/the traditional understanding of hell. Because if the cross
is in line w/Jesus’ teaching then—I won’t say, the only, & I certainly
won’t say even the primary—but a primary meaning of the cross is that the
kingdom of God doesn’t come like the kingdoms of this world, by inflicting
violence & coercing people. But that the kingdom of God comes through
suffering & willing, voluntary sacrifice, right? But in an ironic way, the
doctrine of hell basically says, no, but that’s not really true. That in the
end, God gets His way through coercion & violence & intimidation &
domination, just like every other kingdom does. The cross isn’t the center
then. The cross is almost a distraction & false advertising for God.
Leif Hansen: O Brian that
was just so beautifully said! I was tempted to get on my soapbox there, because
as you & I know there are so many illustrations & examples you can give
that show why the traditional view of hell completely falls in the face of, it
is just antithetical to the cross. But the way that you put it there, I love
that, its false advertising, & here Jesus is saying, turn the other cheek,
love your enemy, forgive seven times seventy, return violence w/self
sacrificial love, but if we believe the traditional view of hell, its like,
well you got for a short amount of time, cause eventually, God’s going to get
them!
Brian McLaren: And I heard one
well-known Christian leader, who—I won’t mention his name, just to protect his
reputation. ‘Cause some people would use this against him. But I heard him say
it like this: The traditional understanding says that God asks of us something
God is incapable of Himself. God asks us to forgive people. But God is
incapable of forgiving. God can’t forgive unless He punishes somebody in place
of the person He was going to forgive. God doesn’t say to you—Forgive your
wife, & then go kick the dog to vent your anger. God asks you to actually
forgive. And there’s a certain sense that, a common understanding of the
atonement presents a God who is incapable of forgiving. Unless He kicks
somebody else.
This is outright blasphemy! What
both Brian
McLaren & Leif Hansen are stating is in direct contradiction to the
Word of God. This is what happens when you deconstruct the Word of God &
think out of the box.
What Brian McLaren has done is
to reconstruct the Word of God by twisting Scripture, & saying the exact
opposite of what Scripture says!
Doug Pagitt denies the
doctrine of hell in an interview on The Way of the Master Radio.
D. HOMOSEXUALITY
In a blog post (January 23, 2006), Brian McLaren suggested that we havea 5-year moratorium on this issue:
In a blog post (January 23, 2006), Brian McLaren suggested that we havea 5-year moratorium on this issue:
Perhaps we need a five-year moratorium on
making pronouncements. In the meantime, we’ll practice prayerful Christian
dialogue, listening respectfully, disagreeing agreeably. When decisions need to
be made, they’ll be admittedly provisional. We’ll keep our ears attuned to
scholars in biblical studies, theology, ethics, psychology, genetics,
sociology, & related fields. Then in five years, if we have clarity, we’ll
speak; if not, we’ll set another five years for ongoing reflection. After all,
many important issues in church history took centuries to figure out. Maybe
this moratorium would help us resist the “winds of doctrine” blowing furiously
from the left & right, so we can patiently wait for the wind of the Spirit
to set our course.
The Bible is clear about
homosexuality being a sin! We have had clarity for centuries on this issue (Leviticus 18.22;
Leviticus
20.13; Romans 01.26-27; 1Corinthians 06.09-10; 1Timothy 01.08-11; Jude 01.06-07)
The
only natural sexual relationship the Bible recognizes is a heterosexual one
between a man & a woman who are married to each other (Genesis 02.21-24; Matthew 19.04-06).
Seven years later, it was
reported that Brian McLaren officiated at the same sex wedding of his son
Trevor McLaren, who was married to Owen Ryan on Saturday, September 22.2012.
Jay Bakker (emergent, son
of Jim& Tammy Faye Bakker), on Sunday, 12May3, Mother’s Day, celebrated
Minnesota becoming the 12th state to redefine marriage by having
communion bread that was rainbow colored, baked by the wife of emergent blogger
TonyJones, who sent out online a picture of it.
I’d like to do, um if you all would communion today. And I want
to tell you who is welcomed at this table & who is not. Who is not welcome
at this table is no one. Who is welcomed at this table is everyone. Um, I grew
up going to churches where they were like “Now if you don’t believe in God
& you come up to this table, you are going to go to like the second level
of Hell.” You know, it’s really bad! Um, If you’re not ready to partake in
this, yeah I mean I can just imagine Jesus was saying, “Now listen guys, I’m
going to take this bread & I’m going to pour this wine. And if you guys are
not ready, I’m going to nail you, kind of like I’m going to get nailed
tomorrow, I’m going to nail you now!” No no no you know it’s not what happens. Yeah
I know its bad but what we have been doing for years is what is bad.
WOW! According to the inerrant Word of God, the Bible, Communion
is only for believers. Coming to the Lord’s Supper w/unconfessed sin brings
judgment on the guilty participants. 1Corinthians 11.27-29
Because today we do this in remembrance of people, what Christ
did, & what folks who followed in Christ’s footsteps did, but also w/in the
celebration of what’s happened here in the House, & w/what our hopes are to
happen tomorrow in the Senate. Now you say, Jay you’re getting political. But
yeah, (BLEEP) yeah, I’m getting’ political, um,
this is to celebrate our LGBTQ brothers & sisters who have not been, to do
in remembrance of those who maybe didn’t make it this far.
Rob Bell at The Forum at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco in
conversation w/The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw on Sunday, 17March13, when asked
his view on homosexual marriage, said that he is for it.
Dr. Jane Shaw: Let me bring you to a particular issue
that is of course one of the hot issues of the day, which is a question from
someone in the audience. “The public position of support among prominent
conservatives for same-sex marriage, marriage equality, has moved rapidly in
the past year, can you say where you are on this issue?”
Rob Bell: Yes. I am for
marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man & woman, a
woman & a woman, a man & a man.
Dr. Jane Shaw: Ok
Rob Bell: And I think that the ship has sailed &
I think that the church needs to just- this is the world we are living in,
& we need to affirm people wherever they are.
Dr. Jane Shaw: Great, good
E. CONTEMPLATIVE/SPIRITUAL
FORMATION
Also known as Contemplative Prayer, Contemplative Listening,
Contemplative Spirituality, Emerging Spirituality, Lectio Divina
When it comes to contemplative
spirituality, or Spiritual Formation, this is
literally an issue that is not just about 01 denomination. In fact, most of every
evangelical/Protestant denomination has been affected by contemplative/emerging
spirituality: Nazarene, Mennonite, Southern Baptist, Wesleyan, Calvary
Chapel, Reformed, Calvinist, Free Evangelical, Assemblies of God etc.
Contemplative prayer or mysticism has its roots in the Roman
Catholic Church, Celtic Orthodox Churches, & Anglican Churches.
From these influences, you will often see in an Emergent
Church the use of candles, liturgy, prayer beads, icons, incense,
robes, labyrinths, contemplative prayer, Lectio Divina & mysticism as all
part of their service.
Brian McLaren says it’s all about the experience
But it’s saying that I want to experience God, I’m
interested in coming to an experience here.
I like your emphasis there on experience, not just of the
other, but what you called before the practice of certain practices…Now this
will appeal to Catholics because we have such an emphasis upon sacraments,
rosaries, Contemplative Prayer. So I got a certain foot in the door w/Catholics.
They know they were taught this: that practices are important, not just
believing doctrine.
Peter Rollins who leads the Ikon Gathering in Northern Ireland,
which is now branching out to the USA. He is very influential in the Emergent
Church movement, said:
We at Ikon are developing a theology which derives from the mystics, a theology w/o theology to complement our religion w/o religion.
We at Ikon are developing a theology which derives from the mystics, a theology w/o theology to complement our religion w/o religion.
Basically he says there is no substance to their faith, just
mystery. They derive all this mainly the Roman Catholic Church mystics.
He has formed a group of collectives, who they describe
themselves as Iconic, Apocalyptic, Heretical, Emerging & Failing.
Many see this as being more religious & spiritual, but its
dangerous
Leonard Sweet
Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center.
Mysticism, once cast to the sidelines of the Christian tradition, is now situated in postmodernist culture near the center.
It seems that in every form of mysticism, whether its Jewish
Kabbalah, or eastern mysticism like Hinduism or Buddhism, or that found in the
Roman Catholic Church, they all have 03 stages they are searching after &
trying to accomplish.
01. Detachment-minds & feelings emptied out so that we become blank tablets
02. Illumination-now this supposedly blank tablet is filled up w/information & illumination & words coming from a deity, & that should lead to...
03 Union-the mystical experience w/God or whatever deity you believe in
They believe that the key tool to get union w/God is through contemplative prayer.
01. Detachment-minds & feelings emptied out so that we become blank tablets
02. Illumination-now this supposedly blank tablet is filled up w/information & illumination & words coming from a deity, & that should lead to...
03 Union-the mystical experience w/God or whatever deity you believe in
They believe that the key tool to get union w/God is through contemplative prayer.
Contemplative Prayer does not mean to deeply think &
contemplate while you pray! This is what most thinks it means.
But it actually means the opposite; it means to empty the mind through repetition.
But it actually means the opposite; it means to empty the mind through repetition.
Tony Jones, talking about the contemplative book The Cloudof the Unknowing said:
The basic method promoted in The Cloud is to move beyond thinking into a place of utter stillness w/The Lord...the believer must first achieve a state of silence & contemplation, & then God works in the believers heart.
The basic method promoted in The Cloud is to move beyond thinking into a place of utter stillness w/The Lord...the believer must first achieve a state of silence & contemplation, & then God works in the believers heart.
How do you empty your mind? It’s difficult to
get to the place where you stop thinking. So the key that is promoted is by
using a mantra.
A mantra is a word or phrase that is
repeated & means to be freed from thought.
To understand Spiritual Formation or Contemplative
Prayer all we need to do is look at the writings of Richard Foster.
Richard Foster wrote the widely
popular Celebration of Discipline book, which is a book about centering
prayer.
He says that the purpose of meditative prayer is to create a
“spiritual space” or “inner sanctuary” through “specific meditation exercises”
Throughout the book, Richard Foster references several
mystics in the book as people that we are to learn more from for Spiritual
Formation/Contemplative Prayer: Madame Guyon, St. Teresa of Avila, Francisde Sales, Henri Nouwen (who believed men can be saved apart from
faith in Christ), & Thomas Merton.
Richard
Foster Meditative Prayer p17.
He breaks down the contemplative prayer process into 03 steps.
He says:
The first step is sometimes called “centering down.” Others have
used the term re-collection; that is, a re-collecting of ourselves until we are
unified or whole. The idea is to let go of all competing distractions until we
are truly centered, until we are truly present where we are.
So by practicing visualization methods it will help us “center
down”.
In Step 02 of meditation, Richard Foster tells us that mystic Richard Rolle experienced “physical
sensations” (Kundalini) during meditation which perhaps we may or may not
experience as well (p18).
Richard Rolle
(1290/1300–late September 1349) was an English religious writer, Bible
translator, & hermit.
Step 03 of meditation according to Richard Foster, is that
of “listening”
to God. Once the meditative exercises have been implemented & the “spiritual
ecstasy” is reached, this entered realm is where the voice of God can be heard
(p. 23).
Brennan Manning in his book The Signature of Jesus promotes the
dangerous practice of centering prayer, which involves
chanting “a sacred word” to empty the mind & allegedly enter into silent
experiential communion w/God w/in:
…the first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer...enter into the great silence of God. Alone in that silence, the noise w/in will subside & the Voice of Love will be heard...Choose a single, sacred word...repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, & often (pp. 212, 215, 218).
…the first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer...enter into the great silence of God. Alone in that silence, the noise w/in will subside & the Voice of Love will be heard...Choose a single, sacred word...repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, & often (pp. 212, 215, 218).
Brennan Manning promoted silent
meditation.
-He once spent 06 months in isolation in a cave in Spain,
& he used to meditate in silence each day.
-He used to come to Colorado & spend about 08 days a
year at a Jesuit retreat center, & during that time he would only speak about
45 minutes each day.
-His spiritual director was a Dominican nun.
Brennan Manning claimed to receive visions & special messages from God through his meditative practices.
Brennan Manning claimed to receive visions & special messages from God through his meditative practices.
Lectio Divina is
Latin for Divine Reading. It is a Benedictine practice of reading the Bible,
meditation & prayer. Lectio Divina is intended to promote
communion w/God & increase ones knowledge of the Word of God.
Richard Foster
talks about the practice of Lectio Divina in his books.
Lectio Divina is
being promoted in many Christian settings as a Christian, Biblical practice.
Contemplative mysticism pioneer Thomas Keating explains what Lectio Divina is not.
…Lectio Divina is not the same as reading the scriptures
for the purpose of private edification, encouragement, or getting acquainted w/the
many-sided aspects of revelation, & especially w/Jesus Christ, the
Incarnate Word of God. Lectio Divina is rather a way or formula for furthering
these objectives. http://www.crossroadshikers.org/LectioDevina.htm
Thomas Keating than explains what Lectio
Divina is:
The monastic form of Lectio Divina is a more ancient method
& was practiced by the Mothers & Fathers of the Desert & later in
monasteries both East & West. It is oriented more toward contemplative
prayer than the scholastic form, especially when the latter developed into what
we call today discursive meditation, conceived as moving from one thought to
another or as one stage in a series of steps. That method is a good way of
praying provided you don't get stuck there & fail to move on to
contemplative prayer. One of the purposes of the method of Centering Prayer is
to help people to detach themselves from the exclusive use of discursive
meditation, which became the predominant method of prayer in recent centuries,
even in cloisters.
People are being persuaded to believe that by repeating phrases &
words of Scripture over & over again will lead them to a deeper knowledge
God.
They believe that since it is Scripture being repeated (&
not just any words), then this authenticates the practice & that this
reading is sacred because it is the using the Bible.
But Richard Foster himself says that Lectio Divina has nothing
to do w/Scripture.
Lectio Divina includes more than the Bible. There are the lives
of the saints & the writings which have proceeded from their profound
[mystical] experiences”
Richard Foster,
a proponent of meditation says that meditation has nothing to do w/which words
are repeated over & over; it is the repetition itself that puts one into an
altered state.
So whether you say Jesus, Abba, Buddha, or OM, they all have the
same effect.
It’s the repetition that is effective, not the words.
Richard Foster
tells his readers to study Thomas Merton for a deeper
understanding of meditation, saying that Thomas Merton’s book, Contemplative Prayer is a “powerful analysis of the central nature of contemplative
prayer.”
Spiritual formation
is contemplative
spirituality. Many churches, universities & colleges are bringing
in Spiritual
Formation. In fact, many churches now have a Spiritual Formation pastor
or director on staff.
Brennan Manning also encourages the
use of mantras & emptying the mind in The Ragamuffin Gospel.
He instructs Christians to repeat an 08 word mantra (“The
Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing”) for 10 minutes.
He says on p.196:
The first step toward rejuvenation begins w/accepting where you are & exposing your poverty, frailty, & emptiness to the love that is everything. Don’t try to feel anything, think anything, or do anything...Don’t force prayer. Simply relax in the presence of the God you half believe in & ask for a touch of folly.
The first step toward rejuvenation begins w/accepting where you are & exposing your poverty, frailty, & emptiness to the love that is everything. Don’t try to feel anything, think anything, or do anything...Don’t force prayer. Simply relax in the presence of the God you half believe in & ask for a touch of folly.
Most New Agers who meditate know that this spiritual ecstatic
state is an altered state of consciousness where everything is supposed to be
unified & made 01 w/God.
Paul tells us that we were hostile to God in our minds,
doing evil but it was the death of Jesus that unified us w/God! It was nothing
that we did! Colossians
01.21-23
Christians will even use the name Jesus or a Biblical
phrase, but they are doing what Jesus said not to do! Matthew 06.07
This is exactly what the New Agers do & it’s called Transcendental
Meditation (TM).
The Bible tells us that we are not to be like the world but
be separate from it. 2Corinthians 06.14-18; Ephesians 05.11-13
Our reconciliation has nothing to do w/works, rituals, or even
mystical experiences. It is Christ’s life in the converted believer that transforms
him.
Paul says that we are reconciled to God only through the
death of His son. Romans 05.10
Shane Hipps (Mars Hill) has talked about this w/the
congregation at Mars Hill (Rob Bell’s former church) about this type of
meditation
All of this originated w/the Roman Catholic Desert Fathers,
as they picked up local pagan beliefs.
The early church fathers never would approve of this, & it’s never commanded in the Bible.
It’s not Biblical!! The Bible is to always be our authority & guide!
The early church fathers never would approve of this, & it’s never commanded in the Bible.
It’s not Biblical!! The Bible is to always be our authority & guide!
Dallas Willard (who was a Southern Baptist pastor) was a big
proponent of this. In fact his book Divine Conspiracy was instrumental in getting many people into the Emergent
Church.
Rick Warren said this on twitter about Dallas Willard after his
death.
A great saint, Dallas Willard, had gone on to
heaven…Angels are rejoicing.
In Contemplative Prayer, you are often
encouraged to walk in a labyrinth, where there is 01 path
leading to the center so that while your walking you’re to be praying contemplatively,
centering yourself. There often will be stations along the way through the
labyrinth.
The Big Book of Christian Mysticism by Carl McColeman
It is important to note that throughout the history of Christianity, Christian mystics have displayed an unusual openness to the wisdom of non-Christian philosophy & religion. In other words, Christian mysticism seems from the beginning to have had an intuitive recognition of the way in which mysticism is a form of unity that transcends religious difference.
The 20th Century may go down in history as the great age of interreligious spirituality...
And many others expressing their Christian faith in ways that reveal the influence of wisdom traditions such as Suffism, Vedanta, or Zen.
-Suffism=Muslim mysticism
-Vedanta=Hindu mysticism
-Zen=Buddhist mysticism
It is important to note that throughout the history of Christianity, Christian mystics have displayed an unusual openness to the wisdom of non-Christian philosophy & religion. In other words, Christian mysticism seems from the beginning to have had an intuitive recognition of the way in which mysticism is a form of unity that transcends religious difference.
The 20th Century may go down in history as the great age of interreligious spirituality...
And many others expressing their Christian faith in ways that reveal the influence of wisdom traditions such as Suffism, Vedanta, or Zen.
-Suffism=Muslim mysticism
-Vedanta=Hindu mysticism
-Zen=Buddhist mysticism
Carl McColeman is saying that those who do contemplative prayer express
their Christian faith by the influence of non-Christian faiths...that’s
impossible!
You can’t have the preaching of the cross w/religions that
reject the cross & say that man is God.
Light & darkness don’t mix! (2Corinthians 06.14-18)
Brian McLaren endorses this book!
Before I heard about the Big Book of Christian Mysticism, I had been thinking about how such a book has been needed for a long time. Now, having read it. I’m glad we waited for Carl McColman to come along & write it. It’s accessible, well-informed, balanced, broad...just what we needed.
Before I heard about the Big Book of Christian Mysticism, I had been thinking about how such a book has been needed for a long time. Now, having read it. I’m glad we waited for Carl McColman to come along & write it. It’s accessible, well-informed, balanced, broad...just what we needed.
Rick Warren said in his book, Purpose Driven Church,
that RichardFoster & Dallas Willard are the main players
in the Spiritual Formation movement.
Rick Warren goes on to say that this Spiritual Formation
movement is a vital wake up call for the church! Instead it’s seducing many &
leading them to Hell!
The problem is that the Spiritual Formation movement draws on
the same mystical techniques as found in the New Age movement, (X. mantra-like
prayers, breath prayers).
Tony Campolo, an emerging/contemplative evangelical in
his book Speaking My Mind said that
mysticism unites religions (pp. 149-150):
Beyond these models of reconciliation, a theology of
mysticism provides some hope for common ground between Christianity &
Islam. Both religions have w/in their histories examples of ecstatic union w/God,
which seems at odds w/their own spiritual traditions but have much in common w/each
other,
I do not know what to make of the Muslim mystics, especially those who have come to be known as the Sufi’s. What do they experience in their mystical experience? Could they have encountered the same God we do in our Christian mysticism?
I do not know what to make of the Muslim mystics, especially those who have come to be known as the Sufi’s. What do they experience in their mystical experience? Could they have encountered the same God we do in our Christian mysticism?
The answer to Tony Campolo’s question is No! The Bible
says that if you don’t have the Son you don’t have the Father. 1John 02.22
Islam believes that Allah has no son (Surah 04.171; Surah 05.75;
Surah 112.01-04) & that Jesus was
not crucified, Judas was.
Surah 04.171
“O people of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught
concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a
messenger of Allah, & His word which He conveyed unto Mary, & a spirit
from Him. So believe in Allah & His messengers, & say not
“Three”-Cease! (it is) better for you! –Allah is only One God. Far is it
removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son. His is all that
is in the heavens & all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as
Defender.”
Surah 05.75 “The
Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger, messengers (the like of
whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a saintly woman. And they
both used to eat (earthly) food. See how We make the revelation clear for them,
& see how they are turned away!”
Surah 112.01-04
“Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the eternally Besought of all! He begetteth
not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.”
The Qur’an states that Jesus was never crucified:
Surah 04.156
“they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was
shown to them”
…And that Jesus was substituted on the cross by Judas.
Surah 04.157-158
“That they said (in boast), “We killed
Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”;- but they killed him
not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, & those who
differ therein are full of doubts, w/no (certain) knowledge, but only
conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-Nay, Allah raised
him up unto Himself; & Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;”
(also in Gospel of Barnabas)
Not only do we have Islamic influences integrating into the
emergent church, but also Hinduism.
What most know & recognize as the position of yoga
hands up in receptivity, is used & encouraged in contemplative prayer w/the
idea that your mind goes blank.
In yoga, you use the postures so that you can meet up w/a
Hindu deity, while in contemplative
it’s supposed to get you closer to God.
The poses in yoga are taken from Hindu deities.
Rob Bell on yoga
In yoga, one of the central tenets of yoga is your breath
needs to remain the same. Its not how flexible you are, its not whether you can
do the poses, its not how much you can bend yourself, its can you keep your
breath…consistent…through whatever your doing…& the yoga masters say that this
is how it is when you follow Jesus & surrender to God. Is it your breath
being consistent, it’s your connection to God, regardless of the pose you find
yourself in, that’s integrating the divine into the daily.
Dr. John MacArthur & Doug Pagitt debated whether yoga
was dangerous to those in the Christian faith on CNN segment called “Does God Approve of Yoga?”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVdLZlBYseg
Ken Wilber, a Buddhist pantheistic philosopher. He does Buddhist
meditation methods, & has heavily influenced Brian McLaren. Ken Wilber
is a new ager who teaches new age teachings that man is divine, all things are divine,
all is one, & all is God
Brain McLaren “Generous Orthodoxy” Why Am I Emergent,
ch19
I am trying (w/Ken Wilber’s help) to make clear that I
believe there is something above & beyond the current alternatives of
modern fundamentalism/absolutism & pluralistic relativism…
This ‘above & beyond’ is, I believe the way of Jesus,
which is the way of love & embrace. It integrates what has gone before so
that something new can emerge.
Brian McLaren says that he got the idea of being Emergent from Ken Wilber.
Emergent is essentially panentheism (which
means God is in all things, which is New Age).
So since God is in
everything, now He is trying to emerge from it. So
what is emerging? It’s God! So if God is emerging, then the future is
bright, everything is going to be better.
We affirm our divinity by doing what is worthy of gods…
Robert Schuller affirms our divinity, yet does not deny
our humanity…isn’t that what the gospel is?
The hymn writer who taught us to sing “Amazing Grace” was
all too ready to call himself a “wretch”…Forgetting our divinity…
Erich Fromm, one of the most popular psychoanalysts of
our time, recognized the diabolical social consequences that can come about
when a person loses sight of his/her own divinity.
Robert Schuller The host of Hour of Power & pastor at The
Crystal Cathedral, specifically flew to Rome & met w/the pope to get his “blessing
on the building plans for his Crystal Cathedral” (Foundation, March-April,
1990), & in February 2012 The Crystal Cathedral was sold to the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Orange to be used as a new cathedral.
When Pope John Paul II visited to Los Angeles in 1987, he
said, “It’s time for Protestants to go to
the shepherd [i.e. the pope] & say, ‘what do we have to do to come home?’”
(Calvary Contender, Nov. 15, 1987)
Erich Fromm was a godless atheist
It’s a different Gospel!
That’s Satan’s lie in the garden!
In Max Lucado’s book, Cure for theCommon Life, he talks about the “divine spark” that is in every person.
His book is about “living in your sweet spot.”
In Chapter 01, Max Lucado tells his readers to “heed that
inner music,” & then he quotes from mystic Martin Buber’s book, The Way of Man (which is book on Jewish
mysticism)! Martin Buber is pantheistic (believing that all is god).
This is right in line w/what many of the Emergent
Church leaders teach that there is a “divine spark” or a “a spark of
divinity” w/in the soul of every person.
Throughout his book, Max Lucado quotes other mystics
& contemplatives: i.e. Thomas Merton, St. Thomas Aquinas, RichardFoster & Eugene Peterson (author of the
heretical mistranslation of the Bible: The Message).
Thomas Merton once said:
It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human
race…now I realize what we all are…If only they could all see themselves as
they really are…I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down &
worship each other…At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which
is untouched by sin & by illusions, a point of pure truth…This little
point…is the pure glory of God in us. It is in everybody.
This is blatant New Age teaching!
John Piperhas been promoting contemplative authors as early as the late 1990’s. In John Piper’s
1997 book “A Hunger For God,” John
Piper positively referenced Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Roman
Catholic priests & monks, the Desert Fathers & other early
church mystics to support his position on modern fasting practices among
Christians.
Tim Keller as far back as 1998 has been encouraging people to
read contemplative
authors. Take for example what he said in a talk that was given during
a leadership training session at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City
on 05Oct 98, (23:27-23:57):
…we’ve got at least two other streams of that are filled w/good,
helpful material on meditation–the Catholic stream & the Quaker stream that
are not primarily based on meditating on the Scripture.
But just to give you an example, I read a book by a
Quaker—ah actually the book is great, except for one part. Some of you have
heard of him. His name is Richard Foster. He wrote the book called Celebration
of Discipline.
Here is a screen shot of Tim
Keller’s church where on his church’s website, Redeemer Presbyterian Church,
there is listed a couple of Contemplative reading: Jan Johnson & Lectio
Divina. http://www.redeemer.com/connect/prayer/resources.html
Here is a shot of the church
recommending Lectio Divina. http://www.redeemer.com/connect/prayer/lectio_divina.html
One of the other signs that a
church is becoming Emergent is their changing view about Israel in Bible
prophecy. Many in the Emergent Church have become very hostile against Israel,
& have taken up the Social Gospel cause of the so-called “Palestinians”.
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