Apprising Ministries continues to tell you the truth about an infestation of ne0-Gnostic corruption called Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), which is now pandemic within mainstream evangelicalism through its foolish embrace of the sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church with its quasi-universalism in a new version of postmodern Progressive Christian theology under their spiritual circus “big tent” of empty Emergence Christianity.

You need to understand that this spurious CSM—the refried Roman Catholic mysticism “discovered” by Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster, and now perpetrated within the mainstream of evangelicalism as supposed Spiritual Formation with an able assist from his spiritual twin SBC minister Dallas Willard, was a core doctrine in the EC right from its hatching in Hell.

For a couple of years now, in pieces like Rob Bell In A Nutshell: Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism and Through Rob Bell “The Great Enlightened Ones” Tell Us Man Has Divine Greatness as well as Shane Hipps And Rob Bell Teaching Heresy, I’ve told you that rock star EC pastor Rob Bell is heavily involved in this neo-Gnosticism. Study the fetid fruit of those who practice this spurious CSM, e.g. like Bell and the unholy EC trinity of apostates, Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian McLaren, universalist Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt, and his friend Tony Jones, the progressive “theologian in residence” at Solomon’s Porch, and invariably you will see them begin to teach the doctrine of universalism; case in point Rob Bell Out Of The Closet For Universalism.

Now consider that for many in the younger sectors of mainstream evangelicalism Rob Bell has actually taken on mythic proportions; so what you’re about to read fom Bell should be of serious concern. The following was provided to AM from a source who was present on February 18th, 2011 during Pastor’s Day event at Point Loma Nazarene University:

(Online source)

In an October 2009 sermon called I will say it again, and again, and again Rob Bell shares this mythology:

It’s interesting how many traditions (pause) When you read the great enlightened ones; meditation, centering prayer, reflection—in every tradition you can find the mystics—and what’s always at the heart of the spiritual lives, the everyday lives of the great ones was always a period of time.

Whether it’s prayers, chanting, meditation, reflection, study—whatever you call it—what is it essentially; it’s taking time to breathe. Because when you’ve been breathing, (slight pause) in a proper sort of way, you’re far better equipped to handle what life throws your way. (5:41-6:23)

If one doesn’t recognize here that Bell is praising “the mystics” for their supposedly superior spiritual understanding, which is but a reimagined Gnosticism, I personally believe it’s simply because they just do not wish to see. As Lighthouse Trails Research points out in Rob Bell Comes Out of the Closet for Universalism – Yet Speaks at Nazarene University:

You may be thinking that what Rob Bell believes and teaches has nothing to do with you or your church, but what about your children and grandchildren? What about their youth groups, Christian high schools,  colleges, and seminaries? Bell may be there, either with his Nooma films or Velvet Elvis. And now Love Wins? Or he may have even spoken at their schools. For instance, a week ago, Bell spoke at Point Loma Nazarene University at their annual Pastor’s Day event. This isn’t too much of a surprise to Lighthouse Trails though. Nazarene universities have become a playing field for the emerging church…

Mainstream evangelical Christianity is going universalistic! Right before our very eyes. Is Rob Bell right that being born-again is unnecessary to enter the kingdom of God?… If emerging figures would stop and think about it, the Bible is a complete antithesis of what they teach. Jesus Christ of the Bible would definitely not fit into the emerging definition of “Jesus.” (Online source)

The following bit of myth from Rob Bell (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3-4) leaves no doubt for the reasonable that practicing corrupt Counter Reformation contemplative mysticism has now led him deep into delusion. However, Bell is right about one thing; there will be a marked increase of those practicing this myopic mysticism within apostatizing evangelicalism as Jesus continues sending 1 Peter 4:17 judgments upon the church visible:

Dean Nelson: You said one time that you practice “militant mysticism.”

Rob Bell: It’s a nice juxtaposition of terms, isn’t it? It’s very, very, very important that we preserve the sense that at the heart of our interaction with God, there is a profound mystery we’ve got to respect, and that…sometimes what happens is that whole systems of theology and thought and philosophy build up, pretty much have God as A, B, C, D, Roman numeral I, II, III, IV, and you kill all the wonder and mystery that actually animates and gives us life…

Nelson: Time Magazine, a year or two ago, called you the next Billy Graham. And then you’ve got a pastor at another Mars Hill church calling you a heretic.

Bell: Well, uh, if I were to read the gospels for the first time, and I was stuck in a motel room, and I opened up a Bible and I read the story of Jesus for the first time, and then somebody asked me, “Well, what’s this story about?” One of the things I might say is, “Huh, seems like the sinners and the tax collectors and the prostitutes loved this guy, but it seems like the religious establishment was scared to death of him.” (laughter) So, uh, that’s what I think about that. (laughter and applause). I don’t know what, um, ok, let me give you concrete answers: In the Sermon on the Mount…no, in Matthew 18 actually, Jesus says if you have a problem with your brother or sister you go to them.

Nelson: How often does that happen?

Bell: It’s never happened. So, I would say to publicly slander and spread untruth about a fellow brother or sister without first going to them and saying, “I’m going to devote a great deal of energy to destroying you. Let’s make sure I have everything right.” To me, there is a violation of one of the basic things Jesus outlined. To me, then, you also have a community that would be OK with this, and then would almost see that as a symbol of devotion to Jesus. Um, I don’t understand that. I think it’s needed that we sort of take ideas and pull them apart, and philosophies and theologies and things like that…That’s the first thing that comes to mind. The second thing is 300 million people in Africa will die of HIV/AIDS…less than half of the world lives on less than two American dollars a day…so when we’re faced with the kind of suffering we have in the world…you wake up in the morning, and the very best use of your energies is tearing apart other believers…you begin to wonder if some Christians need to be saved. So, then thirdly, I’m not saying anything new. The historic, orthodox Christian stream is very wise and diverse. That’s part of its strength. It has lots of room…so if this is somehow an accusation of some new, sort of radical heresy, then no, that is ignorance…so to be honest with you, it has nothing to do with my life. I don’t debate. I don’t respond to hate emails. Hopefully you’ve never heard me say something unkind…sort of the fact that there is some sort of Christian echo chamber out there and people are quite riled by this…somewhere in Australia someone is doing seminars against me, and I was like, “Well, I’m putting somebody’s kids through college…it’s fascinating.

Nelson: Why do stories matter? Why is story telling important?

Bell: Because the ultimate mystery is the divine meeting us in space and time. The ultimate hope is God with us in space and time. And that requires an unfolding…so what we say is not there is some sort of vague, ambiguous…what we believe in this actual unfolding of history…we are not alone, and we’re going to be OK. And so, a story unfolds in time. That’s basically different than an abstract God is A, God is B, God is C…that could be anywhere, but a story unfolds in space and time. What we want to know is are we alone or is there a presence very near us? Is this going somewhere or is it truly meaningless? The story you are telling drives everything. Here is an example: If your story begins in Genesis 3 with people being really bad, then your gospel will be, “We have to deal with the sin thing.” And if it begins with the world is bad and people are bad then the highest…is figuring out how to evacuate and go somewhere else. If your story begins in Genesis 1, it begins with a poem of creation…and God has said, “I made this big, beautiful world and I put you in it. Now you go make something big and beautiful…” If your story begins in Genesis 1 and 2, well that’s a fundamentally different story. Then no longer is the fundamental problem getting rid of sin. The gospel then is restoration and redemption and renewal and return to how God always intended this. So then, deeply, your gospel is not how to get out of here, it’s “How can we invite God here?” Whether or not you find sustainable energy…if you believe this place is going to be torched and we’re going to go somewhere else, then why work to make this the kind of world…but Jesus says, “Your will be done on earth and it is in heaven.” But big stories matter because they reflect the larger story we believe is being told.

(At this point Dean Nelson tells the audience that Rob Bell would take a few questions. However, since he had already asked the “heretic question,” anyone else with questions of that nature should “bugger off.”)

Audience question: (unable to hear question due to low audio)

Bell: There will be a massive return to the mystics in the next ten years, because people will realize that’s not crazy. There’s a whole world of understanding and wisdom about meeting God in the everyday routines of life…and I think that’s what you will see more and more as we are desperate for guidance…

See also:

IS ROB BELL EVANGELICAL?

DID ROB BELL FORGET THE CROSS?

ROB BELL ABSOLUTELY WRONG ABOUT SCRIPTURE

THE DANIEL PLAN OF RICK WARREN ENCOURAGES UNBIBLICAL MEDITATION

MEDITATING ON CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER

CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER AS “CHRISTIAN” MEDITATION

WHAT IS A “CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALIST?”