Apprising Ministries has been laboring in articles like Roman Catholic Monasticism Begins With “Desert Fathers” to expose the actual origins of the corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) as perpetrated by Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster as so-called Spiritual Formation (SF) along with his friend and spiritual twin SBC minister Dallas Willard. It’s beyond question this spurious CSM is nothing more than refried Roman Catholic mysticism with its pietism and asceticism romanticized for those who are ignorant of Church history.

Then in pieces like Radical Apostates, Rick Warren And Peter Scazzero I’ve been showing you that the fad of CSM/SF is now spreading quickly through the mainstream of pretending to be Protestant evangelicalism. In fact, it’s just received a huge boost now that Leadership Network’s propped up Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren has pronounced his PDL blessing upon “evangelical” CSM guru Peter Scazzero at his Radicalis conference at Saddleback Church, whose mystical musings are already being used in the seeker-driven Willow Creek Association.

Here we point your attention to something called Monvee, which is billed as The Future Of Spiritual Formation. According to Tony Morgan, “pastor of Pastor of Ministries at West Ridge Church near Atlanta,” it seems monvee will Reshape Spiritual Formation. Now if you don’t know, Morgan is well-known in the Purpose Driven/Seeker Driven circles of Popes Of The Carolinas such as Perry Noble and his disciple Steven Furtick. At Morgan’s website you’ll see he’s worked with Noble:

For more than 10 years, Tony served on the senior leadership teams at NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC)… He’s also a strategist, coach, writer, speaker and consultant who equips leaders and churches to impact their communities for Christ. (Online source)

In fact, Morgan’s stature is such that he’s going to be featured in something called The Whiteboard Sessions—1 Day 7 Influential Leaders—in May along with Noble and Dr. Al Mohler:

The Whiteboard Sessions is a one-day conference on Friday, May 21, 2010 about ideas in ministry – ideas that will stretch our thinking and shape the church’s future. (Online source)

 Morgan tells us in his post about Monvee:

I had the opportunity to sit around a table at Panera and talk about the future of spiritual formation in local churches. I heard the vision from Mark Bankord, the Directional Leader and co-founder of Heartland Community Church in Rockford, Illinois, and Eric Parks, the Chief Creative Officer of monvee. (Online source)

He goes on to share that Monvee “recommends resources and practices to help people experience growth” and then we note carefully who Morgan mentions next as he says, “Oh…and it doesn’t hurt that guys like John Ortberg and Dallas Willard have been involved in shaping the solution.” I suggest you make the time to go through the information in Is Dallas Willard A Christian?, where you can also listen to the Fighting for the Faith program of Christian apologist Chris Rosebrough from Pirate Christian Radio.

Rosebrough breaks down a question and answer session called Smart People: Tough Questions with Dallas Willard hosted by John Ortberg at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church where Ortberg is pastor. In this program you’ll get a good look at the fetid fruit produced by prolonged practice of this CSM/SF. As one continues with the meditation in an altered state of consciousness called Contemplative/Centering Prayer, which is the main vehicle of CSM, what happens is that they eventually receive a distorted view of reality.

You’ll hear Christians who practice CSM refer to this experience as “transformation” where the Buddhist would call it satori i.e. enlightenment. We’ll talk more about that and Monvee another time, but for now, essentially this experience leads people into a fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:2 — men will be lovers of self. And that causes people to believe really stupid things such as the following from Dallas Willard from his own website where he teaches us that:

 if anyone is worthy of being saved, they will be saved. At that point many Christians get very anxious, saying that absolutely no one is worthy of being saved. The implication of that is that a person can be almost totally good, but miss the message about Jesus, and be sent to hell.

What kind of a God would do that? I am not going to stand in the way of anyone whom God wants to save. I am not going to say ‘he can’t save them.’ I am happy for God to save anyone he wants in any way he can. It is possible for someone who does not know Jesus to be saved. (Online source, emphasis mine)

Jesus says of men like Richard Foster and Dallas Willard — Leave them; they are blind guides.

See also:

DELUSIONS OF DALLAS WILLARD

CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY OF RICHARD FOSTER ROOTED IN THE EASTERN DESERT AND THOMAS MERTON

CALVINIST CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER?

TIM KELLER ALSO PROMOTING MYSTIC GURU PETER SCAZZERO?

RICK WARREN AND PETER SCAZZERO UP TO MONK-EE BUSINESS

DONALD WHITNEY AND EVANGELICAL CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY/MYSTICISM

MARTIN LUTHER ON SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES