The growing influence of what is called Spiritual Formation is currently slithering deeper into the American Christian Church. As the Lord allows funding and time Apprising Ministries will continue looking into this key issue of our time. Yes, there are ministries which go too far and see mystics under every rock—good place for them by the way—and are themselves often prone to jumping to unwarranted conclusions. This is commonly referred to by critics of discernment ministries as “guilt-by-association.”

That said, there is most definitely a legitimate form of using one’s associations to build a legitimate case of circumstantial evidence point to one’s “guilt.” This happens every day in this nation. For example, person A is suspected of being a drug dealer. He has no legitimate employment that anyone can see, he drives an luxury car, lives in an expensive neighborhood, is often seen in the company of known drug dealers, as well as being spotted regularly in areas known for drug traffic. The amount of circumstantial evidence here would certainly point toward this person’s guilt and therefore gives good reason for law enforcement officials to keep a very close eye on this person.

And it should be no different when it comes to association with people and/or their teachings that are promoting spurious “spiritual disciplines” that originated in pagan religions such as Hinduism and its various offshoots of Buddhism. For the fact is this neo-pagan Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) flowered within the antibiblical traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism and has absolutely zero place in the Body of Christ. CSM clearly was not practiced or taught by Jesus Christ, nor will you find CSM in the teachings of His Apostles, which is our New Testament.

This is the backdrop for my articles Something Not Right with Southern Baptist Convention Crossover ‘08 and Part 2, which concern some things that raise red flags for me as I read news pieces about the annual meeting of the SBC set for June 10 and 11 in Indianapolis, IN and the emphasis on prayer. I’m not going to go into detail here because my concerns are in the aforementioned pieces and the links within them. Suffice to say prayer isn’t the problem; it’s the type of prayer that may be the issue.

If we have people leading prayer who are also practitioners of corrupt Contemplative/Centering Prayer, which is actually transcendental meditation dressed up for the Christian, they also bring with them other spurious spiritual practices. Things like icons, labyrinths and prayer stations from apostate Roman Catholicism that have no place in what Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989) often referred to as “the historic orthodox Christian faith.” By the way, Dr. Martin was universally acknowledged as a top defender of Christianity whose doctorate happened to be in the Church Fathers of the first five centuries.

Now let’s look at a current story about prayer in the SBC and its annual convention from the Florida Baptist Witness (FBW) where we read:

signs and symbols will be posted throughout the convention center for a prayer journey. Believers can stop and pray at each station or pray as they walk along the prayer path at the convention center. (Online source, emphasis mine )

One could say this sounds a lot like the icons, labyrinths and prayer stations that I mentioned above. Next consider the embrace of teachings by false prophets in the postliberal cult of the Emergent Church, for example Emerging Church icon Rob Bell, who is right now being used in many SBC youth groups through his Nooma videos. I already showed those who want to know in Rob Bell in a Nutshell: Contemplative Mysticism that Bell advocates and practices CSM. Then in Contemplative Mysticism in the Southern Baptist Convention? AM showed that Dale Eakes, the man who is heading the prayer ministry for Crossover ’08, shows distinct influence of (at best) sympathy for CSM.

There’s more than enough evidence to warrant someone influential in the Slowly Becoming Catholic to look into this issue of CSM slithering into the SBC from its den in Hell; but, they won’t. You see, it’s safer to hide behind their idol of autonomy. But know this: The Lord knows why you are cowering in secret and simply whisper in the sanctity of your own offices. And as I close this for now, in the FBW article we’re also told about the upcoming Broken Before the Throne II, another SBC prayer pow wow in its “convention-wide prayer emphasis”:

Plans for a sequel to the West Virginia prayer conference initiated last year are in the works, Dan Biser told Baptist Press. “Broken Before the Throne II” is set for Oct. 11-17 at Westview Baptist Church in Martinsburg, W.Va.

Confirmed speakers include evangelism professor Roy Fish, author John Franklin, Bible teacher Al Wittinghill and evangelist Sammy Tippit. (Online source)

So I decided to check out “author John Franklin” and went over to his John Franklin Ministries website. And sure enough among his recommended “Revival Resources” we find revered SBC icon Henry Blackaby’s book promoting his highly subjective spiritual methodology Experiencing God. Pastor Bob DeWaay does a great job exposing Blackaby’s serious spiritual errors in Unbiblical Teachings on Prayer and Experiencing God. Then there’s Franklin recommending pragmatic prince John Maxwell and his Partners in Prayer.

In my view this is bad enough but there is no excuse for the following where we also have evangelical Protestant professor of prayer John Franklin telling us in the SBC that our prayer life will also be enriched by apostate Roman Catholics Brother Lawrence with his The Practice Of The Presence Of God and messed up mystic Madame Guyon with her Experiencing God Through Prayer.
(Online source)

As I said, there’s more than enough evidence of the influx of CSM into the rapidly apostatizing SBC. And if it isn’t stopped soon, as the late John Denver’s “god” used to assert in an earlier incarnation: “Say Goodnight, Gracie.”

See also:

SPIRITUAL FORMATION: JUST SAY NO

IS THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION ITSELF FILLING UP WITH “DEAD CHURCHES”?

RICK WARREN GUILTY FOR ENDORSING RICHARD FOSTER AND HIS REIMAGINED GNOSTIC MYSTICISM

SPIRITUAL FORMATION SURVEY AND CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER IN THE BAPTIST STATE CONVENTION OF NORTH CAROLINA (SBC)