In Christianity Today Promoting The Cult of Richard Foster you will see Apprising Ministries point out that the current September 2008 issue of CT features an interview embracing Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster as a teacher of proper Christian spirituality. Consider that a few pages later in the same issue there’s a puff piece on Emergent Church Guru Brian McLaren by Emerging Church theologian Scot McKnight and you should see that this postliberal cult will now be cemented within the mainstream of the evangelical community.

However, as you’ll see in Spiritual Formation: Just Say No, with an able assist from Foster’s spiritual twin Dallas Willard, under that guise neopagan so-called “spiritual disciplines” have now slithered into the heart of evangelicalism.  But the the truth is that the core practice of this Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), which is Contemplative/Centering Prayer, is actually a type of meditation that’s virtually identical to that practiced in Eastern religions such as Zen Buddhism and the transcendental meditation of Hinduism. And this kind of spurious spiritual formation, so-called “Christian” mysticism, which really developed in the antibiblical monastic traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism is now showing up in more and more evangelical youth groups.

Ingrid Schuleter begins this Crosstalk program discussing this fascination that some young evangelical Christians have with Roman Catholic mysticism. Here’s some more information from the website, which is part of VCY America:

Catholicism, however, isn’t the only area where mysticism is showing up. Crosstalk guest, Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries, noted that ever since the mid to late 90’s, emergent church teachings have been showing up in evangelicalism, and one of the key marks of these teachings is the subject of mysticism.

This Crosstalk will give you clues to watch for. You’ll see how mysticism in Christian churches is sometimes very subtle, while at other times, its supporters are very up front about such teachings and defend them.

This Crosstalk will give you clues to watch for. You’ll see how mysticism in Christian churches is sometimes very subtle, while at other times, its supporters are very up front about such teachings and defend them.

In the end, in spite of the biblical truth that man is totally depraved, the mysticism showing up in Christian churches today is merely the sign of a movement that is trying to link all religions together. (Online source)

You can find the link to listen to this program right here.

See also:

ABOUT RICHARD FOSTER

DELUSIONS OF DALLAS WILLARD

CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY/MYSTICISM AS METHODOLOGY FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION

ROB BELL RESOURCES FROM APPRISING MINISTRIES