Contemplative Prayer - Subtle Promotion

In this article, we want to look at contemplative spirituality’s subtle promotion. In other words, we will examine how this error creeps in and takes minds captive unawares. To illustrate the point, we will use the document found at the Alabama Baptist Convention website.

In the very first paragraph, the document quotes Contemplative Mystic, Richard Foster:

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem.”

That’s actually a pretty good observation. I would agree with its fundamental premise but I would disagree with the statement as a whole (but more on my disagreement a little later). Most ministers, even most confessing Christians, might look around and say, “Hey, he sure nailed that one.” This basic agreement on a major observation automatically lends validity and credibility to its spokesman. A powerful sentence draws us in, and the following sentence illuminates more specifically the severity of the problem. The unsuspecting, undiscerning Christian will read on willingly because, after all, “It’s about time someone uttered the very same thoughts I was thinking with regard to the Christian religion as we know it today.” Those who are completely unfamiliar with Richard Foster will buy into a whole lot more than the snake oil he’s selling because Mr. Foster is one that has mastered quite readily, manipulation by and through his words. In his form and format, he typically uses only one or two power sentences (two in the case above), and then slithers beside the slippery slope in order to catch the undiscerning in a fall. We will see that in a moment because the specifics he mentioned in the second sentence to reinforce the first, will be lost by the third or fourth sentence. The hook was powerful enough to grab its reader, so once apprehended, he can virtually say anything he wants.   Keep Reading...

Contemplative Prayer - Sinful Practice

Contemplative Prayer - Sullied Perspectives

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FROM MYSTICISM TO THE GOSPEL

Contemplative Prayer in a Nutshell - Mindless Mystical Gazing
Neither Christ nor the apostles ever instructed the believers to use mystic contemplation, centering, or mantras, as a way of prayer and deeper spirituality. New Testament prayer is active, logical, worshipful, and heartfelt communication with God based on His Word and the concrete needs of the believer. Conversely the core aspect of contemplative prayer is contemplation. Contemplation (theoria in Greek) is not a Biblical word or practice. In the western world it originates with Plato, the Greek philosopher, 4th century B.C. The Eastern Church Fathers transferred it directly into the Church both as a word and practice. The Platonic concept of contemplation was further developed by Neoplatonists in the 3rd century A. D. Contemplation in philosophical/pagan way implies pondering on philosophical ideas or gazing at something with an empty mind having the aim to achieve oneness with god. The Desert Fathers of the Eastern Church, who were monks living in the Sinai Peninsula or lower Egypt desert, employed Platonic and Neoplatonic concepts of contemplation. Among them was Evagrius a heretic who claimed that the human mind was divine, as he was a devotee of platonic philosophy. Thomas Merton and Henry Nouwen both Roman Catholic apostates widely accepted among the Evangelicals, drew a lot of their “spirituality” from the Desert Fathers and Buddhist/Hindu religions. On the other hand, the Quaker mystic Richard Foster, among other things, relies heavily on Merton. So we see how Eastern Orthodox mysticism including Hindu/Buddhist practices, through Foster, Merton, and Nouwen, came to the forefront as the new “spirituality” for Evangelicals. Contemplative prayer takes over theological seminaries, churches, and leadership training programs by a landslide.

From Mysticism to the Gospel
 

As we shall see in the E. Orthodox mysticism section of this essay, the prayer of the heart of the Eastern Church leads to the same altered state of consciousness as Raja Yoga, and Bhakti Hinduism. Key features of contemplative prayer are emptying of the mind, sometimes breathing techniques, mantras, which suggests that the person should come to a mental state beyond words, emotions, and thoughts, waiting on God “to speak”. The most used mantra is the Jesus Prayer. Objects are used for focusing, such as icons, candles, pictures of Jesus, or even pictures with family members. Those objects have theurgic significance when used as aids of spirituality. Theurgy is the attachment of spiritual powers to material objects used by early Neoplatonists, as well as in the magical arts of medieval Europe. Read all 120 pages HERE

HT: Pyromaniac