Apprising Ministries labors in the still developing mission field of online apologetics and discernment ministry monitoring Intel along the Internet Front, among other things. What many don’t seem to realize is information moves at warp speed on the Net; but at the same time, much of what I show you here each day won’t find its way down into your local church for some time.

Part of my job is to help you be come apprised of error and to help you get ready to battle it. I’ve been warning you about the 1 Peter 4:17 judgments coming upon the church visible now that mainstream evangelicalism has embraced the sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church. ^[1]

I’ve also reminded you that at its rotten core the EC contained the practice of corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM)—and its crown jewel Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP), which is itself a form of meditation in an altered state of consciousness. The “key mentors” within being Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster along with his spiritual twin Dallas Willard.

By the way, at last check Willard was an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. Due to a growing dry and dead orthodoxy within mainstream evangelicalism, sparks from this spurious CSM at the heart of Foster-Willardism, have now fanned into flame among its younger sectors after years of EC teachings being used in Young Adult and Youth Ministries.

Unfortunately, evangelical leaders remained silent while EC leaders began to be published in evangelical publishing houses, which then opened the door for this neo-Gnostic mysticism right into the heart of the Christian community. You need to know that as a direct result of this our time is going to be one of growing confusion as spiritual darkness falls upon apostatizing evangelicalism.

Sadly, more of the visible church than you may even know has already moved away from the proper Christian spirituality of sola Scriptura; people are drifting into a highly subjective murky mysticism where one decides truth about God by what they “feel” He is saying. As this infection progresses you will notice increasing dueling revelations caused by all of these private words allegedly being received from God.

Well, guess what; this is now beginning to happen within broader evangelicalism as we’re witnessing an increase of what are essentially Protholics—a professing Protestant who also affirms tenets of Roman Catholicism, particularly its mystical practices. One of these would be the person who wrote something for Extra, which is “a free weekly online supplement to LifeWay Sunday School resources.”

Now just to be clear, I’m talking about “LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.” ^[2] Below is how the June 13th lesson plan for something called Leadership meeting suggestions originally read (click to enlarge):

Suddenly it vanished, but as you can see, we have Lifeway of the largest ostensibly Protestant denomination in the U.S. encouraging its own Sunday School teachers to teach Southern Baptists the Counter Reformation spiritual practice of Lectio Divina (LD). The problem we run into the the trap of terminology as they say LD:

is a way to meditate on a Scripture passage by reading it several times… Before leading the group in this practice, go online and read more about this ancient way of experiencing God through His Word.

Lead the group using these steps or steps you have adapted from reading about lectio divina… Explore ideas for using lectio divina in your class. Explore ideas for using lectio in your person Bible study. Explore using lectio as you prepare to teach.
(Online source, bold mine)

That’s a recommendation of LD; and the way Satan works is to include some truth to sweeten his lie; and yes, I’m saying the devil was ultimately behind this foolishness. Scripture is read “several times” as one practices LD, but there’s much more involved. As I just told you in Alabama Baptist Convention (SBC) Encourages You To Learn Lectio Divina From Apostate Tony Jones LD involves CCP.

In fact, LD is preparation for it; see for yourself from no less an authority than the late Roman Catholic monk and supposed “Spiritual Master” M. Basil Pennington, a fellow Trappist with his good friend and Golden Buddha of CSM Thomas Merton (1915-1968). In his book Lectio Divina Pennington, who has likely forgotten more about LD than the Lifeway writer would ever know, says:

For the past twenty-five years we have been sharing Centering Prayer in all parts of the world. In all our prayer workshops we have always included lectio. For the monk and nun, lectio and contemplation, Centering Prayer, are all part of one reality. ^[3]

Contemplative Outreach, of which Pennington’s close friend and fellow Roman Catholic monk Thomas Keating “is a founding member and the spiritual guide,” confirms this:

(Online source)

Finally, we consider Benedict XVI Promotes Biblical Meditation: Ancient Practice Could Bring Renewal to Church where we’re told this spiritual Benedict Arnold informs us that he “believes that the recovery” of “the practice of lectio divina,” is going to usher in some kind of a ”new spiritual springtime for the Church.” Well, he must just be ecstatic right now.

“If this practice is promoted with efficacy, I am convinced that it will produce a new spiritual springtime in the Church,” stated the Holy Father. To promote “lectio divina,” Benedict XVI suggested “new methods, attentively pondered, adapted to the times.”…”lectio divina” became a mainstay of religious life. The monastic rules of Sts. Pacomius, Augustine, Basil and Benedict made the practice of diving reading, together with manual work and participation in liturgical life, the triple base of monastic life.

The systematization of “lectio divina” in four steps dates back to the 12th century, explained the Holy Father. Around 1150, Guido, a Carthusian monk, wrote a book entitled “The Monks’ Ladder,” where “he set out the theory of the four rungs: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation,” according to the Pope. “This is the ladder by which the monks ascend from earth to heaven.” (Online source)

As I close this, for now, we hit the heart of the matter: Pietistic mystic practices like Lectio Divina cannot be made “safe” because they didn’t originate with Protestants; and we don’t get to redefine these practices of apostate Roman Catholicism. Yet this is exactly what is causing such growing confusion withiin the church visible right now as we watch this rebirth of pietism slither in.

I’ll leave you with the below from Christian apologist Bob DeWaay who’ll help you to understand that our spiritual practices are not neutral:

If we could come by any means, then tarot cards, Ouija boards, crystal balls, psychic powers, etc. could all legitimately be used to contact God. Since certain techniques are forbidden, then the claim that humans can come to God by any means whatsoever is unbiblical. Therefore, we conclude that God has restricted the means of coming to Him and worshipping Him.

There are restrictions. The question is, “Who determines them?” The options are that individuals determine them for themselves, church traditions determine the restrictions, or the Scriptures determine the restrictions. I argue that if individuals determine the restrictions for themselves, there are no restrictions.

I [have] argued that methods are not neutral: either humans can come to the true God by any means that they see fit or God restricts the means by which we can come to Him. This was proven by the fact that various forms of divination are forbidden where divination is defined as any technique used to gain secret information that God has not chosen to reveal.
(Online source)

The wise will cease any more involvement with these practices of CSM; for those who don’t will receive spiritual deception that they won’t be able to stop because, in some very real way, it is sent from God (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

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End Notes:

BACK TO POST 1 — For example, this is why EC rock star pastor Rob Bell can argue for the heresy of Christian Universalism in his Love Winsmythology and still be considered an evangelical.

BACK TO POST 2 — http://www.lifeway.com/Article/About-Us, accessed 7/25.

BACK TO POST 3 — M.Basil Pennington, Lectio Divina: Renewing the Ancient Practice of Praying the Scriptures [New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1998] , ix. emphasis mine.

BACK TO POST 4 — http://tiny.cc/kk3qz, accessed 7/25.

See also:

PROMOTING CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY/MYSTICISM OK IN SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM AT ED YOUNG’S SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH (SBC)

IN TOUCH MAGAZINE OF CHARLES STANLEY PROMOTING CONTEMPLATIVE NEW MONASTICISM