(The) Omega - The Train of Deception Progresses

Satans plan is always to trick humanity into a wrong understanding of whom we are and who God is. He
accomplishes this through two lies: that we are divine and that we are immortal. Satan's use of these lies and of
occult mysticism is clear throughout history.

Take for example the ancient Babylonian religious system, in which mystics would work alongside Chaldean priests
on both religious and state matters. When King Nebuchadnezzar had his prophetic dream, he consulted such wise
men to seek an interpretation (Daniel 2:2). This system of pagan hierarchy was not only confined to Babylon, but
was the all-pervading system of most pagan cultures. Read how this ancient paganism still exists in modern
society
Religions steeped in mysticism, divination, and fortunetelling can be appealing, but they are also deceptive. This
pagan system even crept into the ranks of the Israelites and contaminated their religion, prompting the prophet
Jeremiah to warn his people, Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers,
nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon
(Jeremiah 27:9).
In the time of Jeremiah, diviners and false prophets were giving bad advice to the king of Israel. The nation was in
captivity under the Babylonians. God wanted the Israelites to cooperate with the King of Babylon so that they could
avoid being killed and tortured. God wanted His people to show that they understood the reason they were in
captivity: their rebellion against Him. It's always dangerous to listen to the advice of mystics because they don't really
speak for God.
The Age of Enlightenment in which we live today will prove to be an age of great spiritual darkness. The same
systems that deceived the masses throughout history exist today in modern cloaks. Governments and politicians

consult mediums and astrologers (like Reagan does in the video below), and make use of the same list of consultants
as the king of Babylon did
The spiritual formation movement is spreading rapidly throughout the Christian community. The concept of being
formed spiritually is not wrong in itself, but many practices that accompany the movement miss the mark. Often,
mystic rituals do not glorify the true God but can instead lead us into dangerous spritualism.I

The Catholic Church makes tradition above or equal to Scripture, but in actuality many of its traditions actually stem
from pagan sun worship. Its teachings, beliefs and practices come from Mithraisma form of paganism that existed
in Babylonian times.
These pagan practices are symbols of apostasy against God. Of this, the Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of
Catholicism says the following:
The missionary history of the [Catholic] Church clearly shows her adaptability to all races, all continents, all nations.
In her liturgy and her art, in her tradition and the forming of her doctrine, naturally enough she includes Jewish
elements, but also elements that are of pagan origin. In certain respects, she has copied her organization from that of
the Roman Empire, has preserved and made fruitful the philosophical intuitions of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle,
borrowed from both Barbarians and the Byzantine Roman Empirebut always remains herself, thoroughly digesting
all elements drawn from external sources...In her laws, her ceremonies, her festivals and her devotions, she makes
use of local customs after purifying them and "baptizing" them.
In the Antichrist Identified section, we discussed how the four beasts of Daniel 7, representing the four successive
world powers, took the religious rites and ceremonies from each preceding kingdom as it fell, so that Babylonian
traditions continued through the ages. Rome, the final kingdom, still clings to these pagan traditions today.
The Papacy claims that its system of worship has been handed down through tradition. They are absolutely correct.
But these are not the teachings of Jesus, but rather the traditions of Babylon.
Roman Catholic doctrines such as infant baptism, sprinkling during baptism, teachings on death and
immortality, tonsured and celibate priests with power over the dead, prayers to the dead and to relics,
repetitive prayers with the use of beads, doctrines on forgiveness of sins, teachings on hell, the mass, and
Sunday worship are doctrines actually derived directly from ancient Babylon, not the Bible.

When Constantine married paganism and Christianity, the door was opened for false doctrines to creep into the early
Christian Church, and they were gradually introduced into the system. The Church became divided into the Catholic
Church who accepted the pagan doctrines, and the true Christian Church who resisted Constantines indoctrination.
Like the successive strata of the earth covering one another, so layer after layer of forgeries and fabrications was
piled up in the Church.i
The church historian Philip Schaff says, "No church or sect in Christendom ever sank so low as the Latin church in
the tenth century."ii
Many of Rome's documents used to validate its authority and origin have been established as fakes. These unusable
sources include The Donation of Constantine, which claim to establish the papal domain and jurisdiction, and The
Decretals of Isidore, which were touted as establishing pontifical supremacy. According to J. A. Wylie's book The
History of Protestantism, the Greeks reproachfully named the fledgling Roman Church as "the native home of
inventions and falsifications of documents." iii These forgeries, nevertheless, succeeded in establishing Catholic
doctrines.
Catholic Sun Worship Symbols See the album
The Catholic Church has, in the past, tried to prohibit the reading and distribution of the Word of God. In fact, Pope
Paul IV listed the Scriptures under the Index of Prohibited Books in 1599. In 1462, Archbishop Adolphus broke up the
printing establishments of Gutenberg and Schoeffer in order to prevent Bible
circulation.i
When banning the Bible could not quench the Word, the Word was made void through
the doctrines of higher criticism. The authority of tradition was made more important
than Scripture. The Churchs teachings that are in direct opposition to the plain Thus

saith the Lord. Read about Catholic traditions that stem from pagan practices rather than the Word of God
Even today, Rome has not changed this stance:
The fact that Scripture and Tradition belong together accounts for two rules that direct the way the Church
approaches Gods revelation. The first of these rules is stated very simply by Vatican II in these words: It follows from
what has been said that the Church does not draw its knowledge of all that God has revealed from holy Scripture
alone. That is why both (Tradition and Scripture) must be accepted and respected with equal affection and honour.
Secondly, the unbreakable bond between Scripture and Tradition accounts for the fact that for Catholics, Tradition is
the context within which the Scriptures are interpreted, just as Tradition itself has to be understood and lived with
reference to Scripture.ii
Now if God commands me under pain of damnation to believe what He has taught, He is bound to give me the
means to know what He has taught. What is this means? "The Bible," say the Protestants. But we Catholics say, "No,
not the Bible, but the Church of God." iii
Jesus had a strong rebuke in John 5:46-47 for those who chose to question the validity of Scripture:
For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how
shall ye believe my words?

Encyclopedia of Terms, Customs, and People

Author: Amazing Discoveries

A
Antinomianism
Antinomianism is a belief in salvation through predestination. Antinomians believe that they are not obligated to follow
any moral or ethical laws because their salvation is secure despite any sin.
Antinomians believed that Christians are free from the laws (Greek nomos) of morality by virtue of God's grace.
Critics charged antinomians with licentious living. Apparently popular among Gnostic sects, antinomianism was
revived among the Anabaptists and by Johann Agricola, a one-time student of Martin Luther who retracted his
position after arguments with Luther and Luther's associate Philip Melanchthon. Antinomianism was held by
members of various sects during the British Commonwealth. i

Antinomianism in History
"Father of dispenationalism" John Nelson Darby believed in antinomianism, as did those in the movement he founded
the Plymouth Brethren:
The Plymouth Brethren originated in Dublin, Ireland, about the year 1830Darby, a clergyman in the Church of
England, renounced the Church, and assumed that all existing Church organizations are a detriment to Christianity,
and obstructive of regeneration and the spiritual life...Moreover, they were confirmed antinomians. Mr. Darby would

say that if any man had anything to do with the law of God, even to obey it, he was a sinner by that very act...Of
course they strenuously antagonize inwrought and personal holiness as an utter impossibility, since the old man has
a lease of the soul which does not expire till death. Yet they insist that they are perfectly holy in Christ "up there,"
while perfectly carnal and corrupt "down here" in their moral state...
Mr. Darby said to the writer, "Jesus does not walk about in heaven dropping off fingers and toes," it follows that every
believer once incorporated into Christ is absolutely sure of ultimate salvation. The certainty is forever beyond
contingencies. No act of sin, even murder, can remove us from our standing in Christ. Sin may obstruct communion,
and leave the soul in sadness and darkness for a season; but since, as Shakespeare says, "All is well that ends well"
sin in a believer is well since it ends in eternal life. ii

Grace and the Law

It is true that salvation can be found only in God's grace through faith, and not by human action. However,
antinomianism brings with it a license to continue living in sin, which defies the purpose of salvation in our lives; that
is, to free us from sin. Roman 6:1-2 NKJV explains:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin
live any longer in it?
As Romans 3:20 tells us, the law's purpose is to show us that we are sinners who need God's grace. The law is like a
mirror that reflects to us our sin. The law gives us the knowledge of sinthe realization that we are sinners and need
a Saviour. If there is no law there is no sin (see Romans 5:13, 7:7; James 1:22-25). Martin Luther agrees, saying that
the person "who destroys the doctrine of the law, destroys at the same time political and social order. If you eject the
law from the church, there will no longer be any sin recognized as such in the world." iii
Antinomianism forgets that the law has a purpose in our lives today. However, the truth is that the Ten
Commandments, written by God's finger, still stand today. John Calvin gives this admonition:
We must not imagine that the coming of Christ has freed us from the authority of the law, for it is the eternal rule of a
devout and holy life, and must, therefore, be as unchangeable as the justice of God, which it embraced, is consistent
and uniform.iv
This entry is adapted from Professor Walter Veith's lecture They Have Made Void Thy Law Part 2.
Sources:
i John Milton, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (1643): 426.
ii Danielle Steele, The Theology of the So-Called Plymouth Brethren Examined and Refuted.
iii Michelet (ed.) and Hazlitt (trans.) The Life of Luther Written by Himself Second Edition Volume 4 (London: G. Bell,
1872): 315.
iv John Calvin, Commentary on the Harmony of the Gospels Volume 1: 277.

Antiochus Epiphanes
The Story of Antiochus IV Epiphanes
In 323 BC, Alexander the Great contracted a fever and died in Babylon. His empire was divided among his four
generals.i Seleucus Nicator, one of his generals, founded the Seleucid dynasty which ruled a large portion of western
Asia from 311 to 65 BC.

Among the kings of the Seleucid dynasty was Antiochus IV, Epiphanes (175 - 164 BC). He called himself the
Illustrious, but became known among the Jews as the Wicked. History would ignore him, except for what he did to
the Jews.
Benefiting from victories of previous kings, Antiochus controlled Jerusalem for a short time. During this time he
sought to wipe out Judaismdesecrating the Jewish temple, plundering Jerusalem, killing the men, and enslaving
the women and children. He proclaimed Jewish worship outlawed and forced idol worship on the people.

Abomination of Desolation?
Daniel 11:31 says this:
And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily
sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
Modern Jews believe this verse and Daniel 9:27 refer to Antiochus IV, because he did outlaw Jewish sacrifices and
desecrate the temple. The Jewish Encyclopedia says this about Epiphanes:
On Kislew (Nov.-Dec.) 25, 168, the abomination of desolation ...was set up on the altar of burnt offering in the
Temple, and the Jews required to make obeisance to it. This was probably the Olympian Zeus, or Baal Shamem.
Catholics also ascribe the title to Epiphanes. The book of 2 Maccabees detail the battles of Judas Maccabaeus, who
defeated the armies of Antiochus. 2 Maccabees 9 details an account of worms swarming in Antiochus' eyes and his
flesh rotting off while he was still alive. His own troops could not bear to come near him for the stink that exuded from
him. After writing a letter hoping to redeem himself, he died suffering agonies that indicated to Jewish freedom
fighters that God had taken vengeance on him.

However, Jesus Himself defined the abomination as the Roman siege of Jerusalem and full destruction of the
temple in AD 70 (See Matthew 24:2 and Mark 13:14-23).

Matthew 24:2King James Version (KJV)

And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down

Mark 13:14-23King James Version (KJV)

14

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not,
(let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
15

And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his
house:
16

And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

17

But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

18

And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

19

For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this
time, neither shall be.
20

And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he
hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
21

And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

22

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible,
even the elect.
23

But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

Since Antiochus died in 164 BC, his horrible desecration, which did not succeed in fully destroying the temple or
discontinuing Jewish worship cannot be the fulfillment of Daniels prophecy.
Antiochus Epiphanes cannot be the Antichrist, as he does not fulfill the identifying characteristics of the Antichrist, one
of which is that he must come out of the fourth kingdom. Antiochus came out of the third. The idea that Antiochus
Epiphanes is the Antichrist is a preterist doctrine that is completely unBiblical.
By Keith King.

Sources:
i "Alexander the Great," BBC: Historic Figures.
ii "Antiochus IV Epiphanes," Jewish Encyclopedia. ANTIOCHUS IV., EPIPHANES

Table of Contents

The Tobiads and Oniads.

Silver Coin of Antiochus IV. Obverse: Head of Antiochus as Zeus,

laureated. Reverse:
. Zeus seated on
throne, holding Nik.(After
Gardner, "Catalogue of Seleucid
Coins.")Tetradrachm of
Antiochus IV. Obverse: Head of
Antiochus as Zeus, laureated.
Reverse:
. Zeus seated on
"Catalogue of Seleucid Coins.")The Tobiads and Oniads.

throne, holding Nik.(After Gardner,

("the Illustrious"): King of Syria; reigned from 175 B.C.; died 164. He was a son of Antiochus the Great, and, after the
murder of his brother Seleucus, took possession of the Syrian throne which rightly belonged to his nephew
Demetrius. This Antiochus is styled in rabbinical sources
, "the wicked." Abundant information is extant
concerning the character of this monarch, who exercised great influence upon Jewish history and the development of
the Jewish religion. Since Jewish and heathen sources agree in their characterization of him, their portrayal is
evidently correct. Antiochus combined in himself the worst faults of the Greeks and the Romans, and but very few of
their good qualities. He was vainglorious and fond of display to the verge of eccentricity, liberal to extravagance; his
sojourn in Rome had taught him how to captivate the common people with an appearance of geniality, but in his heart
he had all a cruel tyrant's contempt for his fellow men. The attempt of modern phil-Hellenes to explain Antiochus'
attitude toward the Jews as an endeavor "to reform a stiff-necked people" receives no confirmation from the fact that
a Tacitus first formulated it. Antiochus had no wish to Hellenize his conquered subjects, but to denationalize them
entirely; his Aramean subjects were far from becoming Hellenes simply because they had surrendered their name
and some of their Semitic gods. His attempt to level all differences among the nations he ruled arose not from a
conviction of the superiority of Greek culture, the true essence of which he can scarcely be said to have appreciated,
but was simply a product of his eccentricity. The Jews themselves afforded Antiochus the first opportunity to interfere
in their domestic affairs. The struggle of the Tobiads against the high priest Onias III., originally a personal matter,
gradually assumed a religio-political phase. The conservatives siding with the legitimate high priest approached the
king of Egypt; for they relied more on that monarch than on Antiochus, sometimes nick-named ' (madman),
while the Tobiads well understood that Antiochus' favor was to be purchased with gold. The Tobiads caused the
deposition of Onias (173), and the appointment of their own partizan, Jason. In order to ingratiate himself with the
king, this new high priest established an arena for public games close by the Temple. But the king cared very much
more for gold than for the Hellenizing of Palestine, and a certain Menelaus made use of the fact so shrewdly that he
received the high-priesthood in place of Jason, in the year 171. But when false tidings came to Jerusalem that
Antiochus had died on a campaign in Egypt, Menelaus could not maintain himself in the city, and together with the
Tobiads fled to Egypt. On his return homeward, Antiochus came to Jerusalem to reinstate Menelaus, and then the
true character of the Hellenism that Antiochus desired was revealed to the Jews. He entered the Temple precincts,
not out of curiosity, but to plunder the treasury, and carried away valuable utensils, such as the golden candlestick
upon the altar and the showbread table, likewise of gold. This spoliationof the Sanctuary frustrated all the attempts of
Jason and the other Tobiads to Hellenize the people, for even the most well-disposed of Hellenizers among them felt
outraged at this desecration. They must have given vent to their sentiment very freely; for only thus can the policy of
extermination waged by Antiochus against the Jews and Judaism, two years later, 168, be explained. As long as he
was occupied with preparations for his expedition against Egypt, Antiochus had no time for Palestine; but when the

Romans compelled him to forego his plans of conquest, his rage at the unexpected impediment was wreaked upon
the innocent Jews. An officer, Apollonius, was sent through the country with an armed troop, commissioned to slay
and destroy. He first entered Jerusalem amicably; then suddenly turning upon the defenseless city, he murdered,
plundered, and burnt through its length and breadth. The men were butchered, women and children sold into slavery,
and in order to give permanence to the work of desolation, the walls and numerous houses were torn down. The old
City of David was fortified anew by the Syrians, and made into a very strong fortress completely dominating the city.
Having thus made Jerusalem a Greek colony, the king's attention was next turned to the destruction of the national
religion. A royal decree proclaimed the abolition of the Jewish mode of worship; Sabbaths and festivals were not to be
observed; circumcision was not to be performed; the sacred books were to be surrendered and the Jews were
compelled to offer sacrifices to the idols that had been erected. The officers charged with carrying out these
commands did so with great rigor; a veritable inquisition was established with monthly sessions for investigation. The
possession of a sacred book or the performance of the rite of circumcision was punished with death. On Kislew
(Nov.-Dec.) 25, 168, the "abomination of desolation" (
, Dan. xi. 31, xii. 11) was set up on the altar of burnt
offering in the Temple, and the Jews required to make obeisance to it. This was probably the Olympian Zeus, or Baal
Shamem.See Abomination of Desolation.
Antiochus, however, had misunderstood the true character of Judaism, if he thought to exterminate it by force. His
tyranny aroused both the religious and the political consciousness of the Jews, which resulted in the revolution led by
the Maccabees. After the passive resistance of the asidim (pious ones), who, much to the surprise of the Hellenes,
suffered martyrdom by hundreds, the Hasmonean Mattathias organized open resistance in 167-166, which, through
the heroic achievements of his son and successor Judas the Maccabee in defeating two large and well-equipped
armies of Antiochus, grew to formidable proportions. Antiochus realized that a serious attempt must be made to put
down the rising, but was himself too busily occupied against the Parthians to take personal charge. Lysias, whom he
had left as regent in Syria, received instructions to send a large army against the Jews and exterminate them utterly.
But the generals Ptolemus, Nicanor, and Gorgias, whom Lysias despatched with large armies against Judah, were
defeated one after the other (166-165), and compelled to take refuge upon Philistine soil. Lysias himself (165) was
forced to flee to Antioch, having been completely routed by the victorious Jews. But although he began to gather new
forces, nothing was accomplished in the lifetime of Antiochus, who died shortly thereafter in Tab in Persia, 164.
Bibliography:

Holm, Griechische Gesch. iv.;

Flathe, Gesch. Makedoniens, ii.;

I. F. Hoffmann,Antiochus IV., Epiphanes (dissertation), Leipsic, 1873;

Ewald, History, v., index;

Grtz, Gesch. ii. b. index;

Schrer, Gesch. index;

Wellhausen, I. J. G. 2d ed., 235 et seq.;

Willrich, Juden und Griechen, pp. 64 et seq.;

idem, Judaica (see index).

B
Blasphemy
In the Bible, we see two definitions of blasphemy:

1. Claiming the power to forgive sins

The Jews understood blasphemy well, and because they did not accept Jesus as the Son of God or Messiah, they
accused Him of blaspheming. In Mark 2:6-11 and Luke 5:18-26, we read the story of the paralytic man who came to
Jesus through a hole in the roof to be healed.
The first thing Jesus said to Him was "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." Jesus must have known that that was the
man's deepest desire. Perhaps his illness was to do with some sin in his life, or perhaps he was just very concerned
about being accepted by God. Jesus read the man's heart, and forgave him his sins before he did anything else.
When the scribes sitting around heard him forgive this man's sins, they reasoned in their hearts, "Why does this man
thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" Jesus knew their thoughts and answered them,
declaring His power to forgive sins, "...that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,
(he saith to the sick of the palsy,) "I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed and go thy way into thine house" (Mark
2:10-11 emphasis added).
In this story we see the first definition of blasphemyclaiming the power to forgive sins. The Jews did not believe
Jesus had the power of God, but Jesus was not blaspheming because He really did have power to forgive sins.

2. Claiming to be God
In John 5:18, we read about another reason the Jews wanted to kill Jesus for blasphemy. "Therefore the Jews sought
the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making
himself equal with God." John 8:58-59 tells us this:
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took them up stones to cast at
him.
Later in John 10:30, Jesus declares "I and my Father are one." In verse 31, we read that the Jews "took up stones
again to stone him. Jesus answered them, 'Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those
words do ye stone me?' The Jews answered him, saying, 'For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy;
and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God (emphasis added).'"
Here we see the second definition of blasphemyclaiming to be God. Jesus again had not blasphemed when He
said He was one with the Father, for Jesus is God. But the Jews certainly thought Christ was blaspheming, and took
violent action in their misguided zeal for Jehovah. While thinking they were protecting God's honor, they were
rejecting His own Son.
By Wendy Goubej

The Bottomless Pit

The expression bottomless pit refers to the earth in a state of darkness and confusion. This is the condition the
earth will be in during the thousand years after Jesus Second Coming. Genesis 1:2 says that the earth was without
form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This word deep is translated from the Greek word
abussos. The same word is translated bottomless pit in Revelation 20:1-3.
Prophecy teaches that the earth will again be in a condition of abussos:
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no lightI beheld, and, lo,
the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down (Jeremiah 4:23,26).
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars
of GodI will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit (Isaiah 14:12-15).
For six thousand years Satan has been causing suffering and catastrophe on this planet. He has tempted and snared
millions, but during the millennium Satan and his angels will be the only living creatures to remain on the earth. They
will have to meditate on all the destruction and waste that they have caused. There will be no one left to tempt and
deceive because all those who did not choose to make Jesus their Saviour will be destroyed by the brightness of His
coming and remain dead until Jesus returns to recreate the earth.
Revelation 20:2-3,5 tells us this:
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
What John witnessed in this vision was symbolic. He saw an actual pit in vision but shutting up the dragon in the pit
was symbolic for binding Satan in chains of circumstance as his activities come to a halt. The earth will be in a state
of complete desolation and darkness until Jesus comes after the thousand years to recreate it (see Isaiah 65:17 and
Revelation 21:1-2).

C
Confession

A modern confessional at the Church of the Holy Name in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Source:...
Confession, also called Penance or Reconciliation, is a practice of the Catholic Church in which a person confesses
sin to a priest. The priest then gives absolution of the sin, on the condition of some kind of response, such as
repeating prayers.
According to the book Symbols of Catholicism, there are three "necessary steps to obtaining absolution." They are as
follows:
1. Act of Contrition Showing sorrow for committing the sin
2. Act of Confession Telling the priest about the nature of the sin
3. Act of Satisfaction Doing penance, such as saying prayers i
These three steps and the nature of confession were confirmed by the Catholic Council of Trent's 14th session:
If anyone denies that for the full and perfect remission of sins three acts are required on the part of the
penitent...namely, contrition, confession and satisfaction, which are called the three parts of penance...let him be
anathema. If anyone denies that sacramental confession was instituted by divine law or is necessary for salvation; or
says that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, which the Catholic Church always observed from the
beginning and still observes, is at variance with the institution and command of Christ and is a human contrivance, let
him be anathema.ii

Finding Forgiveness
According to St. Alphonsus Liguori, the Catholic priest holds the power to conquer sin:
The priest has the power of the keys, or the power of delivering sinners from Hell, of making them worthy of Paradise,
and of changing them from slaves of Satan into children of God. And God Himself is obligated to abide by the
judgment of His priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon. iii
Contrast Liguori's words with those of James 5:15-16:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall
be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.

James was not saying that priestly absolution brings freedom from sin. He was not even saying that we should
confess our sins only to a priest. Rather, he tells us to confide in one another, so that we can pray for and encourage
one another.
Unfortunately, the error of confession goes beyond who we should confess our sins to. James' description of
confession as an act of accountability and growth is completely different than the Roman Catholic notion that
confession to a priest is the path to forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 reminds us that it is to God we must confess, and that He
"is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Despite what was written during the Council of Trent or by St. Liguori, Catholic penance does not bring about
forgiveness from sins. There is nothing our actions or the words of a priest can do to bring salvation:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9, emphasis added).
When the Bible tells us to confess our faults one to another (James 5:16), it is not advocating the priestly
confessional as practiced by the Catholic Church, nor is it promoting only private confession to God while maintaining
a faade of perfection. Unfortunately, in our day and age, this type of confession is common. We admit our sin to
ourselves privatelysometimes going to God to ask for forgivenessbut then we go about in society with our human
pride intact.
When we admit our faults in a public way, we are humbled. Humility is a good thing, and asking for forgiveness from
those we have hurt can be very freeing for everyone. Accountability is something that needs to be a part of the
Christian experience. This is where confession comes into play. While random, public outbursts of confession are not
necessarily the best medium, we can find spiritual growth and deep human relationships when we confess to a likeminded individual who holds us accountable to Biblical standards.
Sources:
i Dom Robert Le Gall, Symbols of Catholicism, (New York: Barnes & Noble, 2003): 61.
ii Rev. H. J. Schroeder (trans.), "Canons Concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of Penance," The Canons and
Decrees of the Council of Trent (Illinois: TAN Books, 1978): 102-103.
iii St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Dignities and Duties of the Priest (1927).

I
Indulgences

Catholicism teaches that you can be forgiven in advance for your sinseven to this day. ...
"Indulgence" is a Roman Catholic term that is not found in the Bible. The Vatican defines an indulgence as "the taking
away of the temporal punishment due to sin." i
The Roman Catholic Church defines "temporal punishment" as suffering in the fires of purgatory for venial (lesser)
sins. According to the Catholic Church, mortal sin is sin only Jesus can pay for. Venial sins are lesser sins we must
pay for in purgatory as a means of purification before we can enter heaven.
Through performing certain rituals or works according to specific Vatican rules, and paying money, a Catholic may
obtain an indulgence to shorten the time spent in purgatory. The amount of temporal punishment that is taken away is
determined by the value of the act.ii According to the Catholic Church, the primary purpose for granting indulgences is
to "help the faithful expiate their sins." iii
The Pope is said to have the authority to give these indulgences to Catholics from a treasury of merit. This invisible
treasury contains the infinite merits of Christ, as well as the merits of Mary and the saints. According to Catholic
catechism, Catholics can attain "their own salvation and at the same time cooperate in saving their brothers." iv

History of Indulgences
This tradition began in the Middle Ages when Pope Urban II promised a plenary indulgence to anyone who would
participate in the Crusades. At first, only the sins of the living could be taken away, but in 1477 Pope Sixtus IV
declared they could be applied to the souls in purgatory as well.
Revenues from the sale of indulgences helped finance the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This public
selling of indulgences outraged Martin Luther and sparked the Reformation in 1517. As the use of indulgences
spread, there were many abuses including the "collection of unlawful profits which blasphemously took away the
good name of indulgences."v As a result, Vatican Council II had to set up twenty new rules for granting indulgences,
such as rule 17:
The faithful who use with devotion an object of piety (crucifix, cross, rosary, scapular, or medal) after it has been duly
blessed by any priest, can gain a partial indulgence. But, if this object of piety is blessed by the Pope or any bishop,
the faithful who use it with devotion can also gain a plenary indulgence on the feast of the Apostle Peter and Paul,
provided they make a confession of faith using any approved formula. vi

The Roman Catholic Church takes indulgences very seriously:

Since the power of granting indulgences was conferred by Christ on the Church...it condemns with anathema those
who assert that they are useless or deny that there is in the Church the power of granting them. vii
Indulgences are played down by some Catholics, but the practice is still occurring. Read about indulgences in a
popular Catholic encyclopedia, find out what Pope Benedict XVI has to say about indulgences, or learn about special
indulgences given to priests at the Vatican.

The Truth
Roman Catholicism teaches that Jesus Christ completely paid the eternal punishment for sin, but then states a
temporal punishment still remains to be paid by indulgences. This would be like a father completely paying off the
outstanding debt of his daughter's car loan and the bank insisting the monthly payments must continue.
Those who understand and believe the Gospel know that salvation is a free gift from God. Scriptures clearly state
that salvation is by grace not by works (Ephesians 2:8-10). Grace means a free gift. No one can earn or become
worthy of salvation. It is given only through faith.
Indulgences are works of humanity which nullify and oppose God's method of salvation. When Jesus Christ is exalted
as the all-sufficient Saviour, He destroys the deceptive works of the devil. Jesus "appeared in order to take away all
sins. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for
our iniquities, the chastening for our well being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed" (1 John 3:5; 1
Peter 2:4, Isaiah 53:5).
This entry is adapted from Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries' brochure Indulgences: Can Good Works and Rituals
Really Save You? by Mike Gendron.
Sources:
i Austin Flannery, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (New York: Costello Publishing,
1988): 70.
ii Ibid: 74-75.
iii Ibid: 71.
iv "Paragraph 1477," The Catechism of the Catholic Church (New York: Doubleday, 1995): 412.
v Austin Flannery, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (New York: Costello Publishing,
1988): 71.
vi Austin Flannery, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents (New York: Costello Publishing,
1988): 77-78.
vii Rev. H. J. Schroeder (trans.), "Decree Concerning Indulgences," The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent
(Illinois: TAN Books, 1978): 253.

The Inquisition
The Inquisition is an institution of the Catholic Church by which it has protected itself against incorrect teaching or
doctrine. It is based on two ideas: 1) that religious belief is an objective gift of God, not something open for individual
interpretation, and 2) that the Church is a sovereign society based on revelation whose duty it is to protect God's
deposit of faith.i

Medieval Inquisitions (1184-1860)

What is most commonly known as The Inquisition is a series of official tribunals that
occurred for the trying of heretics from 1184 until 1860. Before this time, there had been
unofficial inquisitions dating back even as far as the apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:20). But in
Medieval Europe in the late 1000s and the beginning of the 1100s, new beliefs sprang up
that began to threaten the sanctity of the Catholic Church. Pope Innocent III initiated the
first of the Inquisitions,ii which were official tribunals held by Pope-appointed clergy officials
to hear cases regarding heresy, and make judgments. These tribunals included witnesses
and testimony, and were held in conjunction with the local bishop and parish priests.
At first, all of the punishments for heretics convicted in the inquisitions were dealt out by the
Church, and included such things as pilgrimage, fines, the wearing of colored crosses, or
excommunication. Later, however, the governing officials were given opportunity to punish
convicted heretics, and burning at the stake became a popular form of punishment. While
at first staunchly opposed to such extreme measures, the Church embraced torture as a
viable punishment twenty years after the Inquisition began, and even went so far as to
condone torture as a method of eliciting a confession to heresy iii (see The Bloody History of
Papal Rome A Timeline).

The Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834)

After the Medieval Inquisition of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella asked Pope Gregory IX to bring the Inquisition to Spain to root out the Jews, the Muslims, and eventually the
spread of Protestantism. The Spanish Inquisition, which ran from 1478-1834, is the most well known and brutal of the
Inquisitions, partially due to the involvement of the monarchy. Many people were savagely tortured or burned at the
stake, although numbers are impossible to estimate. iv

The Portuguese Inquisition (1536-1821)

After seeing the effects in Spain, Portugal's King Joao followed suit, asking the Pope for an Inquisition that would end
up targeting Jews, Muslims, and Hindus.v

The Roman Inquisition (1542-1860)

The last documented Inquisition was the Roman Inquisition, which targeted heresy in Italy itself, with effects also in
Southern France. It was fairly tame compared to the previous three eras.
The Inquisitions affected Italy, Southern France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Bohemia, and even
portions of England.vi Each era of the Inquisition targeted different groups, including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and
Catharists. Sorcerers, witches, and those who branched off into twisted versions of Catholicism were also subject to
trials. It is impossible to estimate how many were tried or killed in the Inquisitions, as reports range from thousands
killed to millions killed.
Since its restoration by Pope John Paul II in 1981, the name for the office of the inquisition is the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, or more simply the Holy Office. It is made up of cardinals and bishops, and is primarily
involved in the judging of doctrines, practices, and ideas, rather than individuals. vii Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
originally presided over the "Holy Office." Since Ratzingers appointment as Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, Cardinal
William Levada has been Prefect of the Congregation.
On March 12, 2000, Pope John Paul II delivered a speech in which he apologized on behalf of the Catholic Church
for the Inquisition, and the injustices perpetrated during that time. viii
Sources:
i Kevin Knight, Inquisition, New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.
ii The Inquisition, Jewish Virtual Library.
iii Kevin Knight, Inquisition, New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.
iv Kristin Kreger, The Spanish Inquisition, WebCron.
v Portuguese Inquisition, All Experts Encyclopedia.
vi Kevin Knight, Inquisition, New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.
vii Kevin Knight The Roman Congregations, New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.
viii Pope John Paul II Makes Unprecedented Apology for Sins of Catholic Church, CNN.com transcripts.

L
Lent
Lent is generally a 40-day period of fasting and prayer observed by many Catholics and Protestants just before the
Easter season.

When did it start?

The beginning of Lent is rather obscure, but by 339 AD, St. Athanasius urges this fast upon the people of Alexandria
by telling them they will be a laughing stock if they dont practice this universally observed fast. i

What does Lent celebrate or commemorate?

During Lent, Catholics remember Jesus 40-day fast in the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil. The fast
often focuses on what can be given up for Lent, as a means of sharing in Christs deprivation in the wilderness. The
giving up is supposed to be followed by putting something positive in its place, so Lent is traditionally a time of prayer,
helping the poor, and fasting. The benefits are summarized in Pope Benedicts message for Lent in 2009:
The Sacred Scriptures and the entire Christian tradition teach that fasting is a great help to avoid sin and all that
leads to it...Since all of us are weighed down by sin and its consequences, fasting is proposed to us as an instrument
to restore friendship with God.ii

Is Lent Biblical?
The Roman Church has added so many traditions to the Gospel that the basic Bible message is often buried. There
is no Scripture anywhere in the Bible that commands the observance of Lent. We can learn many beneficial lessons
from studying Christs temptation in the wildernessone of the most important is the fact that He defeated Satan by
quoting the Bible. Jesus was powerful before the enemy because He knew and trusted the Scripture.
The principle of seeking God via fasting is certainly a Biblical one. One example of this is in Ezra 8:21:
Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from
Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions (NKJV).
Humbling ourselves and seeking the right way from God is always a good thing to do.
We should not fast simply because a church calendar says so. Instead, we should be really seeking God with our
hearts and listening to His Word. Mark 7:9 and Colossians 2:8 both warn of the danger of following purely human
traditions.
While being mindful of the fact that it is not a God-ordained fast, if some wish to use the time of Lent as a portion of
the year in which they draw nearer to God through prayer, and fasting, this can be of some use. However, the actual
dates of Lent need not be observed strictly, as they are not Biblical.
Many Christians do benefit from taking time throughout the year for extra prayer and fasting. Some Christians fast
one day a week in order to remember their need for God's sustenance and work in their lives. Some churches
designate certain times of the year for corporate prayer and fasting. These practices can be beneficial to us
individually and corporately as we draw together to seek God's face, but we need not be tied to dates set by the
Roman Catholic Church for a ritual or traditional fast. As Mark 7:13 tells us, we are not to follow human tradition.
For more about fasting, see also the Fast of Tammuz and Ramadan. By Keith King.
Sources:
i Kevin Knight, "Lent," New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.
ii Pope Benedict XVi, "Message of His Holiness Benedict XVi for Lent 2009," Vatican.va.

M
Mithra
The chief god of Persia was the sun god, Ahura-Mazda, who later became known as Mithra (also Mithras). Under the
name Mithra he became the most important god in Rome.

The Iranian sun god Mithra killing the bull. This scene is alluded to in Zoroastrian...
Historian Will Durant says this about the worship of Ahura-Mazda:
For a while, under Darius II (521-486), [the worship of Ahura-Mazda] became the spiritual expression of a nation at its
height...Underneath the official worship of Ahura-Mazda, the cult of Mithra and Anaitagod of the sun and goddess
of vegetation and fertility, generation and sexcontinued to find devotees; and in the days of Artaxeres II (404-359
BC) their names began to appear again in the royal inscriptions. Thereafter Mithra grew powerfully in favor and
Ahura-Mazda faded away until, in the first centuries of our era, the cult of Mithra as a divine youth of beautiful
countenancewith a radian halo over his head as a symbol of his ancient identity with the sunspread throughout
the Roman Empire, and shared in giving Christmas to Christianity. Christmas was originally a solar festival,
celebrating, at the winter solstice, the lengthening of the day and the triumph of the sun over his enemies. It became
a Mithra, and finally a Christian, holy day. i
The leading gods of ancient Persia were Mithra, the sun god; Anaita, the nature goddess, and her lover Haoma, who
rose to life again. Later, the dying-rising Haoma became transformed into the dying-rising Mithra, the saviour god.
Learn more about the history of Mithraism
Satan twisted God's plan of salvation. He infused pagan religions with a mythical version to pervert the beauty and
meaning of God's plan and to cause people to misunderstand the true Saviour and His sacrifice when it actually
came. Mithra worship was a carefully contrived counterfeit of Christianity, which Satan has been using to confuse
minds over the centuries.

Mithraism in Catholicism
In the fourth century AD, Mithraic and Ishtar elements of worship were incorporated into Christian worship, into what
became the Roman Catholic Church:
Mithra was always shown with a solar halo around his head; so portraits and statues of Christ, Mary, and the saints
also had halos around their heads.
Because Mithra was worshiped on the first day of the week, which the Persians and Romans called the sun day,
Sunday sacrednesswhich is nowhere to be found in the Biblecame into the Christian Church. Read more about
how our culture is infused with Mithraism
Mithra, the sun, died and rose to life each year on December 25 when the sun was lowest in the sky. Because of
this, the birth of Christ began to be celebrated on that date, although it is clear from facts in the Bible that He was
born in the fall. Learn more about Christmas' pagan roots
Adapted from Vance Ferrell, Christmas, Easter, and HalloweenWhere Do They Come From? (Altamont, TN:
Harvestime Books, 2003).
Sources:
Will Durant, The Story of Civilization Volume 1 (MJF Books, 1993).

P
Paschal Mystery
The Pope often talks of the paschal mystery. What is the paschal mystery, and is it based upon Christian or pagan
ideas?

What is the Paschal Mystery?

Pope Benedict XVI says this:
The Paschal Mystery we relive in the Easter Triduum is not just a memory but a current reality...If we are prepared to
suffer and die with Him...His life becomes our life. It is upon this certainty that our Christian lives are built. i
Catholicism encourages believers to relive Christs suffering by observing the pious exercises of the paschal mystery.
In an article entitled, Spirit is present in the Paschal Mystery, the Vatican says this:
I the Holy Spirit's masterpiece is the paschal mystery of the Lord Jesus, a mystery of suffering and glory, through
the gift of the Spirit Christ's disciples can also suffer and make the cross the path to light... ii
Religious exercises are practiced during this time, such as reciting the Rosary, repeating the Our Father prayer, or
going around the Stations of the Cross. These practices relive the paschal mystery of Christs trial, suffering, and
deatheventually celebrating the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Essential to these ritual observances is the mass
to reenact Christs suffering and death at Calvary.

Are these Rituals Biblical?

We will search in vain to find any reference to the paschal mystery in the Bible. What we do find is Pauls statement in
1 Timothy 3:16:
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The word paschal (made to refer to the Easter season) originally referred to the Passover. When the early Gentile
converts saw Rome persecuting the Jews, they changed the observance of Christs death from the Passover to a
time celebrating the goddess of fertility at the spring equinox, which became Easter. iii

Easter Mass
The mass is filled with pagan mysticism, as the writers of Pagan Christianity note:
The mystique associated with the Eucharist was due to the influence of the pagan mystery religions, which were
clouded with superstition. With this influence, the Christians began to ascribe sacred overtones to the bread and the
cup. They were viewed as holy objects in and of themselves
Because the Lords Supper became a sacred ritual, it required a sacred person to administer it. Enter now the priest
offering the sacrifice of the Mass. He was believed to have the power to call God down from heaven and confine Him
to a piece of bread.iv
Ancient pagans not only worshiped many gods (representing forces of nature) but desired to gain control over these
forces by using magic rituals. Subtle paganism still thrives even in modern society. Christian religion may become
pagan as we begin to depend on magic instead of the reality of Jesus Himself. This can happen in any
denomination, Catholic or Protestant.
The real mystery is that Christ became a man to suffer, die, and rise again for us. This historical event on Calvary
makes it possible to be right with God by faith in what Christ has done. We fall into the trap of paganism by detouring
from historical truth to magical rites. It is not paschal mystery rituals that save, but Christ Himself:
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8, NKJV).
By Keith King.
Sources:
i Pope Benedict XVI (address given April 4, 2006).
ii Spirit is present in the Paschal Mystery, (June 10, 1998).
iii Douglas Harper, "Easter," Online Etymology Dictionary.
iv Frank Viola and George Barna, Pagan Christianity (Tyndale House Publishers, 2008): 194.

Purgatory
Purgatory is a Catholic doctrine established at the eighth session of the Council of Florence on November 22, 1439. It
was also decreed at the Council of Trent on December 4, 1563:
...the holy council commands the bishops that they strive diligently to the end that the sound doctrine of purgatory,
transmitted and received buy the Father and sacred councils, be believed and maintained by the faithful of Christ,
and be everywhere taught and preached.i
The Catholic Encyclopedia tells us that purgatory "is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who,
departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to
their transgressions."ii
Catholic teaching says that purgatory is a place of purification. This cleansing occurs because salvation does not
actually purify God's people enough that they can enter heaven:
All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation;
but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heavenThe
Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment
of the damned.iii
This doctrine is not Scriptural, but instead has pagan origins. Historian Alexander Hislop tells us that every pagan
system from the Egyptians to the Greeks includes a belief in purgatory. He says that, "in every system, therefore,
except that of the Bible, the doctrine of a purgatory after death, and prayers for the dead, has always been found to
occupy a placePaganism leaves hope after death for sinners, who, at the time their departure, were consciously
unfit for the abodes of the blest. For this purpose a middle state has been feigned, in which, by means of purgatorial
pains, guilt unremoved in time may in a future world be purged away." iv Read more about purgatory and paganism
from Alexander Hislop, or read our article on hell and purgatory.
The Bible says nothing about purgatory, or about the concept that our souls continue to livein another place
immediately after we die, which is reinforced by belief in purgatory. However, it does tell us that only through Christ
can we be saved; there is no other way to get to God (John 14:6). His sacrifice is enough to purify us from all our sins
big or small (1 John 1:7-9). There is no need for further purification after death. Our own works or suffering,
whether here or in an afterlife, can never bring about our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Sources:
i Rev. H. J. Schroeder (trans.), "Twenty-Fifth Session: Decree Concerning Purgatory," The Canons and Decrees of
the Council of Trent (Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books, 1978): 214.
ii Kevin Knight, "Purgatory," New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia.
iii "Article 12 Part III: The Final Purification, or Purgatory," Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd Edition.
iv Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons (Ontario: Chick Publications): 2.

Q
Quakerism
Members of the Religious Society of Friends (also called Quakers or Friends), participate in an "Alternative
Christianity." The Society, which began in 1660, has a Christian background, and highlights important values such as
non-violence and God's love for all people. However, many key elements of Quaker doctrine stray from true
Christianity.

Pluralism
According to one pamphlet about Quakerism, Facts about Friends, "Quakers have always taught that the Light of
Christ has been given to all people everywhere...Friends are prepared to receive insights from wheresoever they may
come and agree that there are things to be learned from contact with other religions." i
The Canadian Quaker website tells us this:
We in Canadian Yearly Meeting still do not go to church or have a paid ministry. But we do pay attention to the
ministry of others, to the teachings of other religious groups, and to recorded religious experiences, biblical or
otherwise. Our own experience is basic, but in our search for Truth we accept insights from many sources. ii
This type of pluralism is dangerous and detracts from the truths found in Scripture.

Tolerance of Sin

Quakers in Britain....
Quakers highly value peace, and believe that tolerance is one way to maintain that peace.
The Society of Friends is divided into "meetings" (similar to congregations) around the world. Because the Bible is not
the final authority on moral issues in Quakerism, different meetings have different views on many topics. However, in
most nations, same sex marriage and homosexuality have been accepted.

According to a March, 2010, London Times article, Quakers have been calling for legal recognition of religious same
sex marriage ceremonies in Britain. iii Similarly, an Australian news service tells us this:
Australian Quakers, meeting in their annual meeting in Adelaide today, called on the Federal Government to amend
the Marriage Act to give full and equal legal recognition to all marriages, regardless of the sexual orientation and
gender of the partners.
"Australian Quakers celebrated our first same sex marriage in 2007 and seeking legal recognition for such unions is
consistent with our long held spiritual belief in the equality of all people", said Lyndsay Farrall, Presiding Clerk of
Australia Yearly Meeting.iv
The Bible is painfully clear about two things regarding this issue:
1. That we are to love everyone, especially those that society rejects (see James 1:27, Mark 12:31, Matthew 5:4345).
2. That homosexuality is an abomination to God (see Leviticus 18:22, 20:13). It rejects the way that He designed man
and woman, His plan for their lives, and the system of relationships that He created us to exist in (Romans 1:26-27
NKJV).
It is our responsibility to accept all people and love them without judgment, but not to condone or encourage sinful
behavior. Read one story of how Jesus practiced this type of love

Experiential Religion
Quakerism is not about beliefs, but rather about a lifestyle of experiencing God. Friends believe that "Religious
knowledge, like the appreciation of beauty, is not attained by a logical process of thought but by experience and
feeling."v
The Facts about Friends pamphlet explains the concept this way:
One of the most important messages that Quakers have to offer is that religion, or belief, is experiential. It is not just a
matter of accepting words or practices but of experiencing God for oneself. vi
This doctrine of experiential religion spills over into the view Quakers have on the inspiration of Scripture, the
necessity and call of the Church, and the divinity and kingship of Jesus Christ.
The Religious Society of Friends was set up in part to provide a place where, "A human being can have direct
communion with God, without the intervention of another human being (a minister), an institution (the church), or a
book (the Bible)."vii Within the Society, "the centrality of Jesus is paramount, although his sovereignty is not
unanimously upheld."viii
Friends hold that the words of the Bible should not be taken as the final revelation of God. The Books had been
written by men who were acting under the power of the Holy Spirit and it was necessary to read the words in the
power of the same spirit and to listen to what the Spirit then spoke in your heart. The words were active agents in the
sense that, when read in the Spirit at the appropriate time, they would spring to life for the reader and take the reader
forward on his or her spiritual journey. ix
Richard Foster and Dallas Willard, both leaders in the evangelical spiritual formation movement and the Renovar
network, are Quakers.x

Sources:
i Ted Hoare, Facts about Friends.
ii Margaret Springer, The Religious Society of Friends: An Introduction (1996).
iii Mary Bowers, "Peers vote for church civil partnership ceremonies," London Times (March 3, 2010).
iv "Quakers call for legal recognition of same sex marriages," (January 11, 2010).
v Ted Hoare, Facts about Friends.
vi Ibid.
vii Margaret Springer, The Religious Society of Friends: An Introduction (1996).
viii Ted Hoare, Facts about Friends.
ix Ibid.
x Keith Matthews, How is it With Your Soul?, Sojourners (November-December 2003).

R
Ramadan
One of the Five Pillars of Islam is the observance of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar
a period of religious fasting and meditation on the Quran.

When did Ramadan begin historically as a fast

period?
The origin of Ramadan is somewhat obscure, but Islamic tradition tells us the Prophet Mohammed received the
teachings of the Quran on Lailat al-Qadr, or the Night of Power (610 AD), which is believed to have occurred during
the last ten days of the month of Ramadan. The entire month became a fast period, and one of the Five Pillars of
Islam.

What is the purpose of Ramadans fasting?

Islam sees fasting as a means of great blessing, as in the following quotation:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his
reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. Whoever prays during the nights in Ramadan with faith and
seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. And he who passes Lailat al-Qadr in prayer with faith
and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven (Bukhari, Muslim). i

Is the fast of Ramadan Biblical?

Those who are seeking a purely Bible-based faith will not find Ramadan mentioned in Scripture. It originates from the
reverencing of the Quran from the prophet Mohammed. Jonah 3:5-10 tells of the fasting and repentance of the
people of Nineveh when they were warned by the prophet Jonah of the approach of Gods Judgment. Nineveh was a
pagan city, and yet their fasting and repentance did lead to God giving them another chance.
The true God is very merciful and understanding. Peter declares this in Acts 10:34-36:
In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is
accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus ChristHe is
Lord of all (NKJV).
One of the sad facts about Ramadan is that Muslims do not recognize Jesus Christ as Lord of allHe is merely one
of many prophets. Instead, Islam recognizes the prophet Mohammed as the last great prophet.
It is not Biblical to practice fasting during the month of Ramadan in order to have past sins forgiven. Forgiveness is
achieved by confessing our sins to God, not by fasting (see 1 John 1:9).
According to Matthew 6:16-18, fasting can become an exercise that will bring us closer to God. But we must not trust
the fast itself to bring us Gods favor. We are saved by Gods grace in Christ, not by fasting. What a great and loving
God we have!
For more about fasting, see also Lent and the Fast of Tammuz. By Keith King.
Sources:
i "Ramadan," Islam 101.

The Rosary
The rosary is a tool for Catholic prayer. Similar to the mantra beads used in Eastern religions, the rosary is a string of
beads which represent various prayers that need to be recited. The "Hail Mary" and "Our Father" prayers are
repeated the most often.

History of the Rosary

The Catholic New Advent Encylopedia says this about how the ritual of the rosary began:

...when the Albigensian heresy was devastating the country of Toulouse, St. Dominic earnestly besought the help of
Our Lady [Mary] and was instructed by her, so tradition asserts, to preach the Rosary among the people as an
antidote to heresy and sin. From that time forward this manner of prayer was "most wonderfully published abroad and
developed by St. Dominic whom different Supreme Pontiffs have in various past ages of their apostolic letters
declared to be the institutor and author of the same devotion." That many popes have so spoken is undoubtedly true,
and amongst the rest we have a series of encyclicals, beginning in 1883, issued by Pope Leo XIII, which, while

commending this devotion to the faithful in the most earnest terms, assumes the institution of the Rosary by St.
Dominic to be a fact historically established. i
The Catholic encyclopedia and other sources suggest a more organic introduction of the rosary into Catholicism, and
do not deny its inherent connections with Eastern meditation practices.
In more recent history, Popes Pius XI, John Paul I, and John Paul II, among others, have commended and even
commanded the use of the rosary in prayer.

The Rosary and Spiritualism

Catholics disagree with Protestants who say that rosary recitations are "vain repetitions" as condemned in Matthew 6.
Their argument is that "the spirit of the exercise lies in the meditation upon the fundamental mysteries of our faith," in
which the words prayed in the rosary "form only a sort of half-conscious accompaniment." ii
Half-conscious repetition of words is common in Eastern meditation and is a dangerous practice that opens the mind
up to spiritualistic experiences. "Buddhists and Hindus practice the repetition of a word or phrase in their attempts to
empty their minds and reach higher states of consciousness that reveal their own divinity (emphasis in original).iii
Read more about the dangers of repetitive mantras, and learn healthy ways to pray and seek God

The Rosary and Mary Worship

Another key element of the rosary is the veneration of Mary. Without Mary, Catholics believe the rosary loses its
power:
The Rosary thus joins the human race to God through Mary whom God chose from all time for the specific purposes
of mother and intercessor.iv
According to Catholic tradition, three young Portuguese children were visited by an apparition of Mary several times
throughout the early 1900s. They were told to pray for forgiveness for "sins committed against the Immaculate Heart
of Mary." Mary is reported to have also said to them, "I am the Lady of the Rosary, I desire here a chapel in my honor
to be built, that people continue to recite the Rosary every day." v
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states this:
The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship...The liturgical feasts dedicated to the
Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an "epitome of the whole Gospel," expresses this devotion to
the Virgin Mary.vi
Rosary praying is an unBiblical, and even pagan, practice that pulls people farther away from God rather than
drawing them closer. Instead of glorifying God, it exalts Mary, who, although an important historical figure, has no
power to answer prayers. Mary should never be worshiped or regarded as anything more than a humble human who
was willing to be used by God during her life for His purpose and glory.
Sources:

i Kevin Knight, "The Rosary," New Advent Encyclopedia.

ii Ibid.
iii Roger Oakland, Faith Undone (Silverton, OR: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2007): 113-114.
iv Holy Cross Family Ministries, "Rosary: Explanation and History"
v "Apparitions at Fatima," The Holy Rosary.
vi "Devotion to the Blessed Mary," Catachism of the Catholic Church (Liguori Publications, 1994): 253.

S
Saint
Christians do not always agree on the definition or usage of the term saint. The Catholic Church, for example, uses
this term to refer to a person officially recognized and venerated for having attained heaven after an exceptionally
holy life. They teach that people who have not lived a good life can gain merit from these saints so that they too can
enter heaven. Read a news story about a recently-canonized Catholic saint
There are several problems with this definition. First, the Bible teaches that when we die we do not go straight to
heaven but rather rest in the grave until the resurrection. If we have been faithful, we will be raised at Jesus Second
Coming and go to heaven with the living faithful (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). No dead
person could give us any protection whatsoever, because the dead are still waiting unknowingly their graves.
Second, the Bible does not teach that we can gain any merit whatsoever by other peoples good works. Everyone will
gain the reward of their own works when Jesus comes again:
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Revelation
22:12).
Also, we are rewarded for our works, but not saved by them. No one will be saved by the good they have done, or
especially not the good anyone else has done (see Titus 3:5-7). What, then, is the Biblical definition of a saint? Here
are two places where the Bible uses the word:
They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD (Psalm 106:16).
Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you (Philippians 4:21).
This first text in Psalms calls Aaron the priest a saint. Aaron was anything but perfect, as the Biblical account of his
life shows (see, for example, Exodus 32). Although Aaron was a sinner, he was considered a saint because he
trusted in the merits of Gods Son, the Lamb who would one day come to be sacrificed to save us from our sins.
Aaron was a true follower of God and lived his life to bring honor and glory to God. He knew that he could obtain
mercy and pardon for his sins if he confessed them and relied upon God for salvation. Aaron went to his death in the
hope of being resurrected one day and spending eternity with the Lord.

The second text, in Philippians, tells us to salute every saint in Christ Jesus. Paul is simply referring to those who
also believe in God. We know that no one except Jesus has lived a perfect life. The Bible says, we are all as an
unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
The Bible also tells us that those that overcome, keep the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus will
enter the kingdom of heaven (see Revelation 2, 3, and 14). These are the saints that the Bible talks about. They are
not saints because of what they have done themselves but because they are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and
have overcome sin through faith in Jesus.

Sanctification
Sanctification is essential for salvation. The definition of sanctification is to set apart as holy; consecrate, to make
free from sin.
For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your
sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (1 Thessalonians 4:2-3).
Sanctification God's work to transform our characters, so that we can keep His law. It is the ability to Walk in the
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). This transformation of character can only be
obtained by faith and acceptance of Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins:
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).
We cannot obtain sanctification unless we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour and have His Holy Spirit dwelling in
us. Then by faith and the surrender of our will to Him our characters are transformed through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
The Bible says we must believe the truth because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:13). What is the truth? Jesus said, I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). He also said, Sanctify them through
thy truth: thy word is truth (John 17:17).
We must have a personal relationship with Jesus and this is obtained through the study and acceptance of Gods
Word, the Bible. The Holy Spirit helps understand Gods Word and convicts us that we are sinners in need of a
Saviour. We are then pointed to Jesus who is our forgiveness if
we
confess our sins. Then, through His power, we undertake the
change of character that enables us to keep Gods law.
When
wants

we ask God to work in us, we begin to grow into the people He

us to be.

This
this
then

is a work of a lifetime. It is not instantaneous. Jesus described

by giving us the example of how corn grows: first the blade,
the ear, after that the full corn in the ear (Mark 4:28).

Paul also describes this transformation in 2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. This glass is
the mirror that James refers to in James 1:23-25:
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he
beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into
the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall
be blessed in his deed.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all involved in this work of sanctification for us:
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2).
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting
consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work (2
Thessalonians 2:16-17).
God is more than willing and able to perform this work of sanctification in our lives. What is our part in all this? We
must keep our eyes on Jesus and not allow Satan to distract us with the things of this world or our own past failures
and difficulties. We must remain on the path where our feet can walk in safety. This is simply done by Gods word at
work in our lives. The Psalmist wrote, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).
We may claim the promises of our faithful and merciful God everyday.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it (1
Thessalonians 5:23-24).

The Fast of Tammuz (17th of Tammuz)

The Cleveland Jewish News says, Tammuz, for whom the month was named, was, in Babylonian mythology, the son
of the god Ishtar. He was supposed to descend into the underworld in the middle of summer and reappear the
following spring. The myth is generally regarded as representing the spirit of vegetation, or possibly the sun, which
sets each day earlier after the summer solstice. i
Despite these pagan roots, the fourth month of the Jewish sacred calendar is called Tammuz. The 17th of Tammuz is
the day of a special fast, which begins a mourning period that extends to the 9th day of fifth month, Av.

When did this fast start?

The 17th of Tammuz links to the fast of the fourth month mentioned in Zechariah 8:19, and has been observed
since the time of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. It became more of a mandatory fast after a revolt in
135 AD was squelched by the Romans.
A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion states this:
The three weeks from the Fast of Tammuz to the Ninth of Av (Tisha Be-Av) are weeks of mourning during which no
marriages are celebrated and observant Jews do not listen to music...the Fast of Tammuz lasts only from early
morning until sunset, unlike the fasts of Tisha Be-Av and Yom Kippur which last from sunset to sunset. ii

What does it celebrate or commemorate?

The Mishnah, or transcription of the Jewish oral tradition, describes five woes that occurred on the 17th of Tammuz:
On the seventeenth of Tammuz the stone tables were broken [by Moses when he saw the Israelites worshipping the
golden calf], and the daily offering ceased [when the Babylonians destroyed the first Temple], and the city was broken
up [by the Romans], and Apostemus burnt the law, and he set up an image in the Temple. iii

Is this fast Biblical?

Smiths Bible Dictionary tells us, One fast only was appointed by the law, that on the day of Atonement. iv Other fasts
are identified in Zechariah 7:1-7 and 8:19 by the months they were observed. So the fast of Tammuz is not an official
Bible fast. In fact, in Ezekiel 8:13-14 the act of weeping for Tammuz is one of the greater abominations God points
out to the prophet.

Why Fast?
The fast of Tammuz commemorates many sad events in Jewish history. Rabbi Yehudah Prero tells us, We are
assured that if we properly appreciate the enormity of our loss, we merit to share in the joy of seeing Jerusalem

reestablished in all its glory. v

Motivation is extremely important when fasting. In Isaiah 58 the Lord tells the prophet that the fast that I have
chosen is to care for the oppressed and needy, rather than a day for a man to afflict his soul. The act of fasting is
supported by the Bible, such as in Matthew 6:16-18 when Jesus says whennot ifyou fast. Jesus upholds fasting
as a means of seeking the Father in your own life, not as an empty ritual, nor a public display of reverence.
The truly sad thing about the fast of Tammuz is that the Jewish people failed to recognize their Messiah when He
came. This fact remains hidden to them.
No one finds salvation by means of fasting. In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul tells us we are saved by Gods grace freely
given to us, and which we accept by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. After this, we can do the good works
God has planned for us, because we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.
For more about fasting, see Lent and Ramadan. By Keith King.
Sources:
i Herb Geduld, 17th of Tammuz a minor holiday, major impact, Cleveland Jewish News.
ii Louis Jacobs, A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion (Oxford University Press, 1999).
iii Joseph Barclay, "Taanit 4:6," The Talmud (1878).
iv Fasts, Smiths Bible Dictionary Pyramid edition (February 1967): 188.
v Yehudah Prero, "The 17th of Tammuz: a Hopeful Mourning," Torah.org.

Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is the Catholic belief that when a priest blesses the bread and wine of the Eucharist, it becomes
Christ's literal body and blood. Catholicism teaches that Christ taught His disciples about transubstantiation, and then
gave them the power to transform the bread and wine into His body and blood. This power is then passed on through
ordination to priests throughout the generations. i
Catholic catechism says this:
"Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God who indeed intercedes
for us," is present in many ways to His Church..."most especially in the Eucharistic species." The mode of Christ's
presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection
of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend." In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the
body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore, the whole Christ is truly,
really, and substantially contained." "This presence is called 'real'...because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is
to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes Himself wholly and entirely present." It is by
the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament. ii
The Catholic Council of Trent in the 16th century determined this to be the truth about transubstantiation:

But since Christ our Redeemer declared that to be truly His own body which He offers under the form of bread, it has,
therefore, always been a firm belief in the Church of God, and this holy council now declares it anew, that by the
consecration of the blood and wine a change is brought about of the whole substance of the bread into the substance
of the body of Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of His blood. This change
the Catholic Church properly and appropriately calls transubstantiation. iii
For the most part, the bread and wine do not seem to change in form, appearance, smell, or taste while
transubstantiated. Catholics call these senses the "accidents," and say that although these do not change, the "real"
substance of the bread and wine become the full presence of Christ:
The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic
species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts,
in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ. iv

The History of Transubstantiation

Across 11th-century Europe, "discussion revolved around the meaning of the words of consecration in the mass:
'This is my body, this is my blood.' Berengar [of Tours, French theologian] held that a real and true change takes
place in these elements, but that the change is spiritual, and that the bread and wine remain of the same substance."
At that time, Lanfranc, the Archbishop of Canterbury, debated with Berengar, stating that while the "accidents" of the
bread and wine remained the same, the underlying forms were changed into Christ's literal body and blood. "During a
long and bitter controversy (1045-80) the term 'transubstantiation' emerged and took on Lanfranc's definition.
Berengar was condemned and forced to disown his views." v
Transubstantiation was affirmed officially in 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council. At the Council of Trent in 1563, the
doctrine was reaffirmed:
If anyone says that in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist the substance of the bread and the wine
remains cojointly with the blood and body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denies that wonderful and sinular change of
the whole substance of the bread into the body and the whole substance of the wine into the blood, the appearances
only of the bread and wine remaining, which change the Catholic Church most aptly calls transubstantiation, let him
be anathema.vi

Transubstantiation Today
Roger Oakland tells us that many contemporary Catholics do not believe in transubstantiation, "However, the
Church's position on this is clear. Anyone who denies any aspect of the Church's teachings on the Eucharist is to be
'anathema'!"vii
According to a brochure by the Knights of Columbus, "Recent polls indicate that a significant number of Catholics do
not have a complete understanding of the Eucharist and specifically the real presence of Christ in the Blesses
Sacrament. Whatever the cause of such misunderstanding of the faith, all who approach the table of the Lord need to
recognize the significance of their action and the importance of their spiritual preparation." viii
A recent edition of the Catholic magazine envoy featured an article about the Eucharist called "Is this God?" In it,
author Dave Armstrong reaffirms the importance of transubstantiation to Catholicism:

Eucharist is a supernatural transformation, in which substantial change occurs without accidental change. Thus, the
outward properties of bread and wine continue after consecration, but their essence and substance are replaced by
the substance of the true and actual Body and Blood of Christ. This is what requires faith, and what causes many to
stumble, because it is a miracle of a very sophisticated nature, one that doesnt lend itself to empirical or scientific
proof. But, in a sense, it is no more difficult to believe than the changing of water to ice, in which the outward
properties change, while the substance (molecular structure) doesnt. The Eucharist merely involves the opposite
scenario: the substance changes while the outward properties dont. Can anyone reasonably contend that one
process is any more intrinsically implausible than the other, where an omnipotent God particularly One Who took
on human flesh and became Man is concerned? ix
It seems that hundreds of years after the doctrine was first affirmed, transubstantiation continues to be an issue close
to the Catholic Church's heart.

Is Transubstantiation Biblical?
1 Corinthians 11 is a key passage used in support of transubstantiation. But do Scriptures really say that Christ's
blood and body literally appear during communion? Read verses 23-29:
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he
was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is
broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped,
saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often
as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this
bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,
eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
A Remembrance
Ralph Woodrow reminds us that Christ tells us to take the bread and wine in remembrance of Him. But, "If the
elements of the communion become the actual flesh and blood of Christ, how could we take it "in remembrance...until
he comes" if he thus becomes present in body, blood, soul, and deity?" x In other words, why would Christ ask us to
participate in a ritual of remembrance until His return, if He was going to appear every time the custom was
performed?
Drinking of Blood
In both the Old and New Testaments, God's people are told to avoid consuming blood (See Genesis 9:4; Leviticus
17:12; 1 Samuel 14:34; Acts 15:29, 21:25). God never contradicts Himself, and therefore would not tell His people to
drink blood.
Symbolism
Christ constantly used symbolism to describe Himself and His Kingdom to His followers. He called Himself a door, a
vine, and even the bread of life. In the Old Testament, God was referred to as a rock, a horn, and a bird. These
descriptions were clearly symbolic, used to help us humans understand God's character. When Christ said "this is my
body" and "this is my blood," He was not speaking literally, but rather was again using elements of the natural world
as teaching tools.
Worship of Physical Objects
God has made it clear that we are not to worship idols or any physical object. However, in order to participate in

Catholic communion fully, adherents must not only believe that the bread and wine are Christ's body and blood, but
they must also worship those objects as they partake:
Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the
species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration to the Lord. xi
During the adoration of the Holy Sacrament, the consecrated host [bread] is presented to the faithful in a monstrance
(from the Latin word monstrare, "to show"). It consists of a piece of gold or silver plate, decorated with an ornamental
motif, centred on a circular base...The monstrance very often creates the effect of a gleaming sun around the Holy
Sacrament.xii
The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers the cult of adoration to the Sacrament of the Eucharist, not
only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving Consecrated Hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to solemn
veneration, and carrying them processionally to the joy of great crowds of the faithful. xiii
So, is transubstantiation Biblical? No. As Roger Oakland reminds us, Jesus does not "tell His disciples to institute a
priesthood that will consecrate bread and turn it into His literal flesh. Nor does He teach here [John 6], or anywhere in
the Bible, to worship His body and blood under the appearance of bread." xiv
Sources:
i David Pearson, "Do Catholics Worship Cookies?" envoy 7.2 (2003): 14.
ii "The Celebration of Christian Mystery," The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Liguori Publications, 1994): 346.
iii Reverend H. J. Schroeder (trans.), "Transubstantiation," The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent
(Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books, 1978): 75.
iv "The Celebration of Christian Mystery," The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Liguori Publications, 1994): 347.
v Tim Dooley (ed.) An Introduction to the History of Christianity (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002): 282.
vi Reverend H. J. Schroeder (trans.), "Canons on the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist," The Canons and
Decrees of the Council of Trent (Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books, 1978): 79.
vii Roger Oakland and Jim Tetlow, Another Jesus? (Silverton, Oregon: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2007): 48.
viii Father John A. Farren (ed.) "Questions and Answers on the Eucharist: Proclaiming the Faith in the Third
Millennium" (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, 2000): 13.
ix Dave Armstrong, "Is this God?" envoy Magazine (2000).
x Ralph Woodrow, Babylon Mystery Religion: Ancient and Modern (Riverside, California: Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic
Association, 1970): 127.
xi "The Celebration of Christian Mystery," The Catechism of the Catholic Church (Liguori Publications, 1994): 347.
xii Dom Robert De Gall, Symbols of Catholicism (New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003): 96.
xii Pope Paul VI, Mysterium FideiMystery of Faith (September 3, 1965).

xiv Roger Oakland and Jim Tetlow, Another Jesus? (Silverton, Oregon: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2007): 21.

In Daniel we read that one of the characteristics of the Antichrist is that it would wear out the saints of the Most High:
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws (Daniel 7:25).
The Papacy has a long history of "wearing out" the saints of the Most High. Below is a timeline of the generally
aggressive history of the Roman Catholic Church, but the most tragic one that concerns the Word of God is the
persecution during the Middle Ages of anyone daring to oppose the Church. The Bible predicts that the saints of the
Most High would be persecuted for 1260 years.
Historian J. A. Wylie said this:
It is idle in Rome to say, "I gave you the Bible, and therefore you must believe in me before you can believe in it." The
facts...conclusively dispose of this claim. Rome did not give us the Bibleshe did all in her power to keep it form us;
she retained it under the seal of a dead language; and when others broke that seal, and threw open its pages to all,
she stood over the book, and unsheathing her fiery sword, would permit none to read the message of life, save at the
peril of eternal anathema" (emphasis in original). i
During these years of oppression in which the masses were kept in ignorance and the priest held sway over every
aspect of life, here and there arose individuals willing to shine a light into the darkness. Dave Hunt tells us that
because they rejected transubstantiation, "Christians were burned at the stake by Roman Catholics by the hundreds
of thousands."ii
In 1940, French statesman Baron DePonnat stated, Roman Catholicism was born in blood, has wallowed in blood,
and has quenched its thirst in blood, and it is in letters of blood that its true history is written. Indeed, the history of
papal Rome has been one of brutal torture, slaughter, and mass murder. Read more quotes confirming the Papacy's
violent history

A Bloody Past
1096 Roman Catholic crusaders slaughter half the Jews in Worms, Germany.
1098 Roman Catholic crusaders slaughter almost all of the inhabitants of the city of Antioch.
1099 Roman Catholic crusaders massacre 70,000 Muslims and Jews when they capture Jerusalem.
1208 1226 The Albigensian Crusades in southern France. Roman Catholic crusaders slaughter approximately
20,000 citizens of Beziers, France, on July 22, 1209. Albigensian Christians and Catholics were slain. By the time the
Roman Catholic armies finished their crusade, almost the entire population of southern France (mostly Albigensian
Christians) has been exterminated. During the six centuries of papal Inquisition that began in the 13th century, up to
50 million people were killed. Read what J. A. Wylie's The History of Protestantism has to say about the Crusades
against the Abigenses

1236 Roman Catholic crusaders slaughter Jews in the Anjou and Poitou regions of western France. The Catholic
crusaders trample to death under their horses 3000 Jews who refuse baptism.
1243 Roman Catholic mobs burn alive all the Jews in Berlitz, Germany (near Berlin).
1298 Roman Catholic mobs burn alive all Jews in Rottingen, Germany.
April 26, 1349 Roman Catholic mobs burn to death all Jews in Germersheim, Germany.
1348 1349 The Jews are blamed for the bubonic plague. Author Dave Hunt tells us, Accused of causing the Black
Death Jews were rounded up [by Roman Catholic mobs] and hanged, burned, and drowned by the thousands in
revenge.
1389 Roman Catholic mobs murder 3000 Jews in Prague when they refuse to be baptized.
1481 1483 At the direction of the Roman Catholic inquisitors, authorities burn at the stake at least 2000 people
during the first two years of the Spanish Inquisition.
1540 1570 Roman Catholic armies butcher at least 900,000 Waldensian Christians of all ages during this 30-year
period.
1550 1560 Roman Catholic troops slaughter at least 250,000 Dutch Protestants via torture, hanging, and burning
during this ten-year period.
1553 1558 Roman Catholic Queen Mary I of England (aka bloody Mary) attempts to bring England back under the
yoke of papal tyranny. During her reign, approximately 200 men and woman are burned to death at the sake. Her
victims include bishops, scholars, and other Protestant leaders.

1572 St. Bartholomews Day Massacre. French Roman Catholic soldiers begin killing Protestants in Paris on the
night of August 24, 1572. The soldiers kill at least 10,000 Protestants during the first three days. At least 8000 more
Protestants are killed as the slaughter spreads to the countryside.
1618 1648 The Thirty Years War. This bloody, religious war is planned, instigated, and orchestrated by the Roman
Catholic Jesuit order and its agents in an attempt to exterminate all the Protestants in Europe. Many countries in
central Europe lose up to half their population.
1641 1649 Eight years of Jesuit-instigated Roman Catholic butchery of Irish Protestants claims the lives of at least
100,000 Protestants.
1685 French Roman Catholic soldiers slaughter approximately 500,000 French Protestant Huguenots on the orders
of Roman Catholic King Louis 14 of France.

Circa 1938 1945 Catholic dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Monsignor Tiso slaughter approximately six million
Jews in Europe prior to and during World War 2.
1941 1945 The Roman Catholic Ustashi in the fascist state of Croatia butcher up to one million Serbian Orthodox
Christians. Roman Catholic killer squads are often led by Franciscan priests, monks, and friars. This genocide is
choreographed by two Jesuit prelates: Aloysius Stepinac and Ivan Saric.
For further details visit toughissues.org
In this presentation, Rick Howard talks about spiritual formation, the One Project and the Emerging Church. He also addresses the
purpose of the shaking in the church. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error. We cant learn new truth from
Babylon. When we choose to go and listen to a mixture of truth and error we are violating the counsel that God has given us. If we
do so, we are using our free will to say, God, I dont want to listen to You. I am wise enough. This a wedding garment that has
stains. This is what brings the shaking which purifies the church. Many will be shaken in or shaken out. We are sealed in by the
choices we continually make.
The term New Age comes from astrology. The zodiac, which originated in ancient Babylon, is a
wheel of twelve signs mirroring the constellations found on the apparent path of the sun in the
sky. Each sign represents both a period of the year and an age in history. It would take about
25,000 years for our solar system to move through these star signs.

The New Age movement teaches that we are moving into an age of enlightenment. The
current Age of Pisces, which has an emphasis on formal religion, is to be replaced by the Age of
Aquarius, or the Age of Enlightenment.
Occultist and author David Anrias says this in his book Through the Eyes of Masters:
When a transition takes place from one Age to another, and hence from one sign to
another, certain Adepts who for centuries may have been preparing for their office by
meditation and study, take over the work of inspiring the new cycle. For nearly two
thousand years the earth has been under the watery sign Pisces ruled by Neptune, the
main features of which have been the establishing of Christianity and the conquest of
the ocean. Now the new cycle has begun, Aquarius, an airy sign, is influencing mens
minds along scientific lines in every direction, especially towards the conquest of the
air.i
In the Age of Enlightenment, humankind is to experience a new birth and be initiated into a
higher state of consciousness reflecting the godhood within humanity. Essentially, the doctrines
of the New Age imply that people are divine, that the spiritual element of humans is immortal
and has existed with God since time began, and that the material element of each person has
evolved over several lives.
Satan has been using those two very liesthat we are divine and that we are immortalto
deceive people since Adam and Eve. Learn more about the twin lies of Eden and the prevalence
of New Age doctrine in culture and history

The foundational elements of New Age doctrine can be traced back to the Garden of Eden. Read
the story in Genesis 3
The Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God made it perfectly clear in
Eden that if Adam and Eve were to disobey His law, they would have to suffer the consequences
that is, losing their immortality.

Adam and Eve were going to live forever before they sinned. God
had put the Tree of Life in the Garden for them to eat from and as
long as they ate from it, they would live. But after Adam and Eve
sinnedby eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evilthey were forced out of the Garden so that they could no
longer eat from the Tree of Life.
According to Genesis 3:1, Satan questioned Gods intent in placing
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the
garden:
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had
made. And he said to the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of
the garden?
In her answer to the serpent, Eve makes it quite clear that she fully understood what God had
said:

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the
garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said,
Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die (Genesis 3:2-3).
Satan counters with the first two lies spoken to humankind,
namely: You shall not surely die, and You will be like God.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely
die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods;
knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5).
The twin lies of human divinity and immortality have been Satans
foundation for his counterfeit religion throughout the ages. He has
been using these lies to hide from us the importance of seeking
salvation in Christ.
If we are immortal, we do not need Christ to help us regain the immortality we have not lost. If
we are divine, we become His equal and are capable of saving ourselves. With this masterpiece
of Satan, the plan of salvation becomes futile.
The Biblical account shows us that the very character of Satan was transferred to humanity:
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to
the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and
did eat (Genesis 3:6).
The success Satan achieved in Eden is a success he has enjoyed throughout the ages.
Read Ancient Roots to see how the basis of New Age doctrine has been progressing throughout
history
At the end of time, Satan's strategy that proved so successful with Eve will ensnare the great
majority of the world's population before the day of the Lord comes. This deception is beginning
around us. Read about New Age masters and Maitreya
The doctrines of the New Age Movement are directly opposed to the truth found in the Bible.
Here are some teachings from each source:

Learn the ancient origins of these New Age teachings.

What is Spiritual Formation?

As Roger Oakland writes in his book Faith Undone, the term spiritual formation suggests there are various ways and means to get closer to
God and to emulate him. Thus the idea that if you do certain practices, you can be more like Jesus (emphasis in original).
Getting close to God and becoming more like Him are wonderful, Biblical goals (See Psalm 73:28 and
Philippians 3:8-11). However, we must carefully choose the right means by which we seek a
relationship with God. Oakland continues, Rather than having an indwelling of the person of Jesus Christ
and the Holy Spirit, spiritual formation through spiritual disciplines supposedly transforms the seeker by
entering an altered realm of consciousness.i
Lighthouse Trails calls spiritual formation a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church.ii
Spiritual formation, then, can be seen as a way of seeking a relationship with God and a transformed inner self through the practice of spiritual
and often mysticaldisciplines. Unfortunately, many earnest Christians and Christian leaders are entering into a spiritualistic lifestyle without
even realizing it. Their desire to draw near to God is leading them to mystic and even occult rituals hidden among godly practices.
The following articles focus on aspects of the spiritual formation movement that we need to be wary of. Learn the definition and dangers of
particular disciplines, see how these practices are infiltrating 21st-century Christianity, and rediscover healthy and Biblical ways to live in God's
Spirit, which is "of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

James 1:23-25King James Version (KJV)

23

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a

glass:
24

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but

a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

DANGERS OF DECEPTION WITH SPIRITUAL FORMATION

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Sep 14, 2008 in Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Dallas Willard, Spiritual
Formation
We live in an age where mysticism and spiritual experiences are prevalent. The days of materialistic, secular
humanism have given way to the New Age of spirituality. Our era is often called post-modern; it is an age of
subjectivism. This means that we no longer believe that science, reason, and rationality can solve humanitys
problems. Our culture has turned inward to subjective, spiritual, self-validating experiences. Now people rarely ask,
Is it true? but ask instead, Does it work for me?
In every case in the New Testament, we have seen that the discerning of spirits is objective, not subjective. This is
necessary because spirits have a great advantage over humans in the realm of the spirit world. They have been in
that realm practicing deception for thousands of years and they are good at it. They can produce whatever feeling or
experience a person would normally associate with God or the Holy Spirit. The dangers of deception are greater than
most people realize
If a person claims to speak for God but the persons message content does not agree with Scripture and is outside of
the sphere of material that God has revealed in the Bible, the spiritual source of the message is not Gods Spirit. We
live in the time of great deception and apostasy. It is a time when the Biblical tools for discernment are needed more
than ever. We need to take these objective tools and apply them to what we hear being taught in Gods name. Each
of us might be shocked to find out that we have been listening to spirits and not the Spirit of God. We must run to the
gospel and begin building our houses on the rock
The spiritual formation movement is very popular today. It is, however, in many ways a move away from the truth of
Gods Word to a mystical form of Christianity, and it has infiltrated, to some degree, nearly all evangelical
denominations. This idea of spiritual formation is based on the premise that if we do certain practices, we can be
more like Jesus. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals
and find God within themselves.
Too often, adherents of the current spiritual formation movement believe the spiritual disciplines transform the seeker
by his or her entering an altered realm of consciousness. The spiritual formation movement is characterized by such
things as contemplative prayer,contemplative spirituality, and Christian mysticism.
True biblical spiritual formation, or spiritual transformation, begins with the understanding that we are sinners living
apart from God. Our faculties have been corrupted by sin so that we cannot please God. True spiritual transformation
occurs as we yield ourselves to God so that He may transform us by the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. At
least half of every New Testament epistle is geared toward how to live a life well pleasing to Godby obedience and
submission to the Holy Spirit in all things. Scripture does not only call us the redeemed, saved, saints, sheep,
soldiers, and servants, but teaches us that only through the power of the Spirit we can live up to what the names
mean.
The following passages address various aspects of spiritual formation, the work of God in the life of the believer.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). Here is the aim of transformation: that we may be like Christ.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is part of a passage that teaches that we are
changed into the image of Christ not by following rules and laws, but by following the leading of the Spirit by faith.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We
lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior
appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life
(Titus 3:3-7).
Here, Paul reminds us of our before-and-after life. We have responded to the kindness and love of God shown to us
by the death of Christ for our sins, repented of our sins, and now respond to the Spirits continual prompting and
empowerment to live differently as Gods children. As a result, we have been transformed by the rebirth and renewal
by the Holy Spirit (v. 5). This, then, is true spiritual formationthe reforming of our spirits by His Spirit into the image
of Christ.

What is the emerging / emergent church movement?

Answer:The emerging, or emergent, church movement takes its name from the idea that as culture changes, a new
church should emerge in response. In this case, it is a response by various church leaders to the current era of postmodernism. Although post-modernism began in the 1950s, the church didn't really seek to conform to its tenets until
the 1990s. Post-modernism can be thought of as a dissolution of "cold, hard fact" in favor of "warm, fuzzy
subjectivity." The emerging / emergent church movement can be thought of the same way.

The emerging / emergent church movement falls into line with basic post-modernist thinkingit is about experience
over reason, subjectivity over objectivity, spirituality over religion, images over words, outward over inward, feelings
over truth. These are reactions to modernism and are thought to be necessary in order to actively engage
contemporary culture. This movement is still fairly new, though, so there is not yet a standard method of "doing"
church amongst the groups choosing to take a post-modern mindset. In fact, the emerging church rejects any
standard methodology for doing anything. Therefore, there is a huge range of how far groups take a post-modernist
approach to Christianity. Some groups go only a little way in order to impact their community for Christ, and remain
biblically sound. Most groups, however, embrace post-modernist thinking, which eventually leads to a very liberal,
loose translation of the Bible. This, in turn, lends to liberal doctrine and theology.

For example, because experience is valued more highly than reason, truth becomes relative. Relativism opens up all
kinds of problems, as it destroys the standard that the Bible contains absolute truth, negating the belief that biblical
truth can be absolute. If the Bible is not our source for absolute truth, and personal experience is allowed to define
and interpret what truth actually is, a saving faith in Jesus Christ is rendered meaningless.
Another area where the emerging / emergent church movement has become anti-biblical is its focus on ecumenism.
Unity among people coming from different religious backgrounds and diversity in the expression of corporate worship
are strong focuses of the emergent church movement. Being ecumenical means that compromise is taking place,
and this results in a watering down of Scripture in favor of not offending an apostate. This is in direct opposition to
passages such asRevelation 2:14-17, Jesus' letter to the church of Pergamum, in which the Church is warned
against tolerating those who teach false doctrine.
False doctrine seems to abound within the emerging / emergent church movement, though, as stated previously, not
within every group espousing emerging / emergent church beliefs. Because of this, care must be taken when
deciding whether or not to become involved with an emergent church group. We all need to take heed ofMatthew
7:15-20, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every
good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot
bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you
will recognize them."
While seeking new ways to witness to a changing culture is admirable, utilizing ways which compromise the Truth of
the Gospel in any way is nothing more than promoting false doctrine and leading others away from Christ instead of
to Him.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/emerging-church-emergent.html#ixzz3ZoFyyLxt

What is the difference between religion and spirituality?

Answer:Before we explore the difference between religion and spirituality, we must first define the two terms. Religion can be defined as belief
in God or gods to be worshipped, usually expressed in conduct and ritual or any specific system of belief, worship, etc., often involving a code
of ethics. Spirituality can be defined as the quality or fact of being spiritual, non-physical or predominantly spiritual character as shown in
thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone. To put it briefly, religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that claim to get a person in a right relationship
with God, and spirituality is a focus on spiritual things and the spiritual world instead of physical/earthly things.

The most common misconception about religion is that Christianity is just another religion like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. Sadly, many who
claim to be adherents of Christianity do practice Christianity as if it were a religion. To many, Christianity is nothing more than a set of rules and
rituals that a person has to observe in order to go to heaven after death. That is not true Christianity. True Christianity is not a religion; rather, it is
having a right relationship with God by receiving Jesus Christ as the Savior-Messiah, by grace through faith. Yes, Christianity does have rituals
to observe (e.g., baptism and communion). Yes, Christianity does have rules to follow (e.g., do not murder, love one another, etc.). However,
these rituals and rules are not the essence of Christianity. The rituals and rules of Christianity are the result of salvation. When we receive
salvation through Jesus Christ, we are baptized as a proclamation of that faith. We observe communion in remembrance of Christs sacrifice.
We follow a list of dos and donts out of love for God and gratitude for what He has done.

The most common misconception about spirituality is that there are many forms of spirituality, and all are equally valid. Meditating in unusual
physical positions, communing with nature, seeking conversation with the spirit world, etc., may seem to be spiritual, but they are in fact false
spirituality. True spirituality is possessing the Holy Spirit of God as a result of receiving salvation through Jesus Christ. True spirituality is the fruit
that the Holy Spirit produces in a persons life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control
(Galatians 5:22-23). Spirituality is all about becoming more like God, who is spirit (John 4:24) and having our character conformed to His
image (Romans 12:1-2).

What religion and spirituality have in common is that they both can be false methods of having a relationship with God. Religion tends to
substitute the heartless observance of rituals for a genuine relationship with God. Spirituality tends to substitute connection with the spirit world
for a genuine relationship with God. Both can be, and often are, false paths to God. At the same time, religion can be valuable in the sense that
it points to the fact that there is a God and that we are somehow accountable to Him. The only true value of religion is its ability to point out that
we have fallen short and are in need of a Savior. Spirituality can be valuable in that it points out that the physical world is not all there is. Human
beings are not only material, but also possess a soul-spirit. There is a spiritual world around us of which we should be aware. The true value of
spirituality is that it points to the fact that there is something and someone beyond this physical world to which we need to connect.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of both religion and spirituality. Jesus is the One to whom we are accountable and to whom true religion points.
Jesus is the One to whom we need to connect and the One to whom true spirituality points. Are you interested in discovering true religion and
true spirituality? If the answer is yes, please begin your journey on our webpage that describes receiving Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior
-http://www.gotquestions.org/personal-Savior.html.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/religion-spirituality.html#ixzz3ZoAMRZRT

What are the spiritual disciplines?

Answer:Discipline is defined as "training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior." Discipline
is not part of the sin nature, but it is a natural component of the Christian life. In fact, almost nothing of any
significance in our lives is ever accomplished without it. Spiritual disciplines can be described as those behaviors that
augment our spiritual growth and enable us to grow to spiritual maturity. This process of spiritual growth and
development begins to take place the moment a person encounters the risen Christ and comes to Him for salvation.
The purpose of spiritual discipline is the development of our inner being, that which has been transformed by Christ
at salvation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Redeemed believers have experienced the total renewal of the whole person from
within, involving differences in thought, feeling and character that may be slower to be evident in our outward
behavior. This is what Paul had in mind when he spoke of taking off the "old self" and putting on the new, which is
being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:9-10).

There are a number of popular programs and books today on the spiritual disciplines, but some go too far from
Scripture in an effort to outline various methods of disciplining oneself. Some of these methods border on the
mystical and the extra-biblical, sometimes delving into areas of Eastern mysticism, Catholic mysticism, and New Age
philosophy. Out of this movement has come such unbiblical practices as hearing thevoice of Godand
breathing/soaking/contemplativeprayer. The best way to avoid error in the understanding of spiritual disciplines is to
stick with clear scriptural mandates given to all Christians to immerse ourselves in the Word of God wherein God
speaks to us, and in prayer, whereby we speak to Him.

The foremost of the disciplines is that involving the Word of God and constitutes the reading, study, memorization,
and meditation of Scripture. If this discipline is neglected, no other effort to discipline ourselves will be successful
because we simply do not have the power to overcome the resistance of the sin nature in which our new natures
reside. Nor do we have the power to overcome the resistance of demonic influences whose aim is always to separate
us from the only means of spiritual growth, the Word of God. Paul reminded Timothy of the inherent nature of
Scripture, that it is literally from the mouth of God, i.e. God-breathed, and, as such, contains the very power of God.
He also refers to the gospel as the very power of God (Romans 1:16) and exhorts Christians to take up the sword
of the Spirit, which is the Word of God as our only offensive spiritual weapon against demonic forces (Ephesians
6:17). We must begin any effort at spiritual discipline with the only source of power, the Word of God.

Scripture memorization is also essential. We always have the freedom to choose what we place in our minds. With
that in mind, memorization is vital. If we truly believe that the Bible is the Word of God, how can we not memorize it?
Memorization enables us to keep it constantly in the forefront of our minds, and that makes it possible to react to all
life circumstances according to its precepts. One of the most powerful passages of Scripture regarding the necessity
of memorization is found inJoshua 1:8: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day
and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. It is
through the discipline of memorization that we are enabled to pray more effectively and to meditate. This in turn
enables us to be prosperous and successful as God defines success for us. When we are walking in His ways and
in His will, we are imbued with a new Spirit-filled inner being, one with a heart like Gods.

The second discipline is that of prayer. Our prayers are a spiritual communion with God through means of
thanksgiving, adoration, supplication, petition, and confession. The wonderful thing about prayer is that God meets us
where we are. He comes alongside us to lead us into a deeper, more real relationship with Him, not motivated by
guilt, but driven by His love. Prayer changes us. Prayer changes lives. Prayer changes history. Our knowing God
really makes us want to conform to Jesus and His will for our lives. God slowly and graciously reveals Himself to us
while we pray, and it is during those moments that we can more deeply understand and experience His love. Of
course, one of the major outcomes of disciplined prayer is answered prayer. But, in all truth, that is secondary to the
real purpose of prayer which is an ever-growing, unending communion with God.

Taken together, the spiritual disciplines of prayer and the Word will provide us with a rewarding program which will
lead to godly living, praise, submission, service and celebration of our salvation and the God who provided it.
Through these disciplines, we are enabled to obey Gods command to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/spiritual-disciplines.html#ixzz3ZoBKAbdl

What is Christian spirituality?

Answer:When we are born again, we receive the Holy Spirit who seals us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13;4:30). Jesus promised
that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Part of that truth is taking the things of God and applying them to our lives. When
that application is made, the believer then makes a choice to allow the Holy Spirit to control him/her. True Christian spirituality is based upon the
extent to which a born-again believer allows the Holy Spirit to lead and control his or her life.

The apostle Paul tells believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the
Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The tense in this passage is continual and therefore means keep on being filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the
Spirit is simply allowing the Holy Spirit to control us rather than yielding to the desires of our own carnal nature. In this passage Paul is making a
comparison. When someone is controlled by wine, he is drunk and exhibits certain characteristics such as slurred speech, unsteady walk, and
impaired decision making. Just as you can tell when a person is drunk because of the characteristics he displays, so a born-again believer who
is controlled by the Holy Spirit will display His characteristics. We find those characteristics inGalatians 5:22-23where they are called the fruit of
the Spirit. This is true Christian spirituality, produced by the Spirit working in and through the believer. This character is not produced by self
effort. A born-again believer who is controlled by the Holy Spirit will exhibit sound speech, a consistent spiritual walk, and decision making based
on the Word of God.
Therefore, Christian spirituality involves a choice we make to know and grow in our daily relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ by submitting
to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This means that, as believers, we make a choice to keep our communication with the Spirit clear
through confession (1 John 1:9). When we grieve the Spirit by sin (Ephesians 4:30;1 John 1:5-8), we erect a barrier between ourselves and
God. When we submit to the Spirit's ministry, our relationship is not interrupted (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Christian spirituality is a consciousness
of fellowship with the Spirit of Christ, uninterrupted by carnality and sin. Christian spirituality develops when a born-again believer makes a
consistent and ongoing choice to surrender to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/spirituality-Christian.html#ixzz3ZoCOiQV8

Biblical versus New Age Meditation

Meditation, or contemplative prayer, is a practice of spiritual formation used for the purpose of
personal renewal and peace.
New Age meditation, which is creeping its way into mainstream Christianity through the
spiritual formation movement, focuses on the stilling and emptying of the mind. Biblical
meditation, on the other hand, involves conscious thought about Scripture and its application.

It is dangerous to enter a passive mental state, because in those situations our minds have no
protection against falsehood or evil.
Biblical meditation is having our minds actively engaged on contemplating
God's word. James 4:7 says to "submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee
from you". Resistance is key to staying sober in mind. i
The peace experienced in Christian meditation is not found by deep breathing or looking
within. Rather, peace comes by looking to God, grasping the knowledge that He is all-powerful
and has abundant life in store for us (See Isaiah 40:13-31 and John 10:10). When we
thoughtfully consider Gods truth in our minds, the Holy Spirit will begin to change our hearts
and lead us to obedience:
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to
all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and
then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8).

Centering Prayer and Mantras

Centering prayer is one technique many Christians use in an attempt to draw closer to God. It
involves meditating on a single word or thought for the purpose of opening the heart up to
communion with God. According to a brochure from the King of Peace Episcopal Church,
centering prayer is different from New Age meditation, because centering prayer "is not
meditation on the word itself."
Just use the prayer word to keep your mind otherwise blank as you
wordlessly spend time with God...Do not give in to endlessly contemplating
the sound and meaning of the prayer word. Just say the word within yourself.
The goal of Centering Prayer as with other forms of contemplative prayer is
to spend time with your loving Creator.ii
Although the goal may be different, centering prayer is still dangerously similar to Eastern
meditation. Mantras are used in yoga, Zen, Hindu, and transcendental meditation, as these
quotes from New Age websites show:
Mantra Meditation is a VERY Powerful technique! You will discover that the repetition
of Mantra allows your mind to focus and concentrate more completely on sound, and
clear away other thoughts, emotions and distractions which divert our energies. iii
The repetition of a mantrais meant as a method of practice which brings about a
power (siddhi) to reach the supreme state of consciousness. In this state there is
silence within the mind which becomes still (shaant) and eventually you will merge the
mind or individual awareness with the whole, which is Pure Consciousness and
Knowingness.iv

Proponents of Eastern Meditation

According to Roger Oakland, Catholic mystics Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen brought
contemplative prayer "out of the convents and monasteriesto Protestant and even evangelical
circles.v
In his book The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen discusses single-word repetition in prayer:
The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the
heart. This repetition has nothing to do with magic. It is not meant to throw a spell on
God or force him into hearing us. On the contrary, a word or sentence repeated
frequently can help us concentrate, to move to the center, to create an inner stillness
and thus to listen to the voice of God. vi
One evangelical who supports this type of contemplative prayer is Richard Foster. His
book Celebration of Discipline, which promotes meditative prayer, has sold over two million
copies.
Albert Dager of Media Spotlight wrote that Celebration of Discipline is full of "Eastern religion,
and extremely spiritually destructive practices."
Dager also wrote a special report about Foster's ministry. He believes that Foster promotes New
Age rituals:
Unfortunately, all these exercises serve to do is open the way to demonic influences
that assuage the conscience with feelings of euphoria and even love emanating from
the presence that has invaded the consciousness. This euphoria is believed to validate
that the person is on the right spiritual path. It may result in visions, out-of-body
experiences, stigmata, levitation, even healings and other seeming miracles. vii
Let Us Reason Ministries says, Richard Foster speaks on personal renewal by meditative prayer
where one centers down becoming quiet and passive and then uses guided imagery and
visualization of Christhis methods offered have similarities to new age or Eastern techniques
that are used in meditation. Fosters meditation aimed at centering oneself begins by
concentrating on breathing.viii
Tony Campolo also practices centering prayer, as we can read on page 26 of his book Letters to
a Young Evangelical. Here is a small excerpt:
I say his name over and over again to drive back the 101 things that begin to clutter
up my mind the minute I open my eyes. Jesus is my mantra, as some would say. ix
We must guard our hearts and our minds as we seek to follow God and lead disciplined lives
that honor Him. God promises renewal and peace to those who seek Him in rest and quietness
(see Isaiah 30:15), but not through the use of hypnotic trances, mantra repetition, or breathing
exercises.
Many prayer practices emerging in Christianity today are not of Christian origin but instead are
ancient mystical rituals. One such ritual is labyrinth walking.

The first labyrinth was born out of the Greek myth of the Minotaur, a story filled with jealousy,
murder, and bestiality. Labyrinths have been found in the art and architecture of civilizations
throughout history and around the globe; the first labyrinth discovered was on a clay tablet in
Pylos.

A famous labyrinth on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France.

Source: Wikimedia Commons....

The Mystic Purpose of the Labyrinth

A labyrinth in Hoysaleswara, a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva.

Source: Wikimedia Commons....

Within spiritual circles, the labyrinth is used as a tool for prayer. Roger Oakland explains:
The labyrinth is a maze-like structure that is growing in popularity, used during times
of contemplative prayer. The participant walks throught this structure until he comes
to the center, then back out again...Often prayer stations (with candles, icons,
pictures, etc.) can be visited along the way. The labyrinth originated in early pagan
societies. The usual scenario calls for the pray-er to do some sort of meditation
practice, enabling him or her to center down (i.e., reach God's presence) while
reaching the center of the labyrinth. i

Labyrinth walking is not a Christian practice, but a ritual enfolded into many world religions.
According to President of the World Systems Research Group Carl Teichrib, "labyrinth walks and
'prayer journeys' are being promoted by Rosicrucian groups, at New Age festivals and
celebrations, and throughout the neo-pagan world. Not surprisingly, one of America's largest
witch, shaman, and neo-pagan assemblies, the 2005 Pagan Spirit Gathering at Wisteria, OH,
held a night-time Summer Solstice Labyrinth ritual, which was described as a 'transformative,
walking meditation through an all night labyrinth formed by 1000 lighted candles.'" ii<

"Christian" Labyrinth Use

Despite the cross-religious and occult use of the labyrinth, it is still growing in popularity among
Christians.Reverend Jill Geoffrion, a labyrinth facilitator, even supports the use of prayers from
Hindu, Muslim, and Sanskrit traditions in labyrinth walking. She is author of several books on
labyrinth walking, and writes this inChristian Prayer and Labyrinths:
We are currently in a period of historic labyrinth revival. Churches, retreat centers and
Christian camps are placing these prayer tools inside and outside. Christians all over
the world are installing labyrinths in their yards and gardens. Many are using the
labyrinths as a ministry tool, bringing portable versions to prisons, national
denominational conferences and church group meetings. It is conservatively estimated
that there are over 5,000 labyrinths in the United States alone. God is blessing the
use of the labyrinth; many are being drawn closer to Jesus, experiencing healing and
gaining spiritual clarity as they pray on its path. ii
Dr. Lauren Artress, an American labyrinth supporter and Episcopal priest, has "lectured on it as
a walking meditation, a path of prayer and a dynamic tool of manifestation."iiiHer writing shows
that modern labyrinth prayer is merely occult spiritualism in Christian garb:
The labyrinth is a large, complex spiral circle which is an ancient symbol for the divine
mother, the God within, the goddess, the holy in all creation... a spiritual tool meant
to awaken us to the deep rhythm that unites us to ourselves and to the Light that calls
from within.iv
[The labyrinth is] truly a tool for transformation, a crucible for change, a blueprint for
the sacred meeting of the psyche and the soul, a field of light, a cosmic dance, it is a
center for empowering ritual.v
You walk to the center of the labyrinth and there at the center, you meet the Divine. vi
New York Times reporter Natalie Angier describes labyrinth walking as "a ceremony that is at
once ancient and New Age mysticism." vii If the secular media can make these connections, how
much more aware should evangelical Christians be of the dangers associated with labyrinth
prayer

Visualization, a common spiritual practice in Eastern, Protestant, and Catholic religious circles,
is more than just conjuring up thoughts and pictures. In fact, guided visualization is hypnosis.
Psychologist Michael Yapko explains:
Many times therapists arent even aware that theyre doing hypnosis. Theyre doing
what they call guided imagery [which is visualization] or guided meditation, which are
all very mainstream hypnotic techniques.i
Visualization and hypnosis are used extensively in sports therapy.

Despite the dangers involved, Christian leaders are encouraging their followers to experience
visualization. Paul Yonggi Cho, leader of the world's
largest church in South Korea, wrote a book
called The Fourth Dimension. In his book, he tells
of Robert Schuller's endorsement of the practice.
Schuller said, "I discovered the reality of that
dynamic dimension in prayer that comes through
visualizing...Don't try to understand it. Just start to
enjoy it! It's true. It works. I tried it." ii
Schuller also taught this:
You don't know what power you have within
you...You make the world into anything you
choose. Yes, you can make your world into
whatever you want it to be.iii
Move into mighty moods of meditation.
Draw energy from centers of sacred solitude, serenity, and silence...Find yourself
coming alive in the garden of prayer called meditation...Yes, the "New Agers" have
grabbed hold of meditation...Hey, Christian! Hear me! Let's not give up the glorious,
God-given gift of meditation by turning it over to those outside our faith. iv

Biblical versus New Age Visualization

Schuller is right: the New Age movement does involve meditation. He is also right in saying that
there is a godly, God-given meditation taught in the Bible. However, Schuller's definition of
meditation is not Biblical. Rather, he supports a form of New Age visualization that serves to
propagate Satan's twin lies to humanity, that is, that we are gods and that we are immortal.
Schuller says this:
It is important to remember that meditation in any form is the harnessing, by human
means, of God's divine laws...We are endowed with a great many powers and forces
that we do not yet fully understand.
The most effective mantras employ the "M" sound. You can get the feel of it by
repeating the words, "I am, I am," many times over...Transcendental Meditation or
TM...is not a religion nor is it necessarily anti-Christian." v
Nineteenth-century New Age pioneer Godfre Ray King gives a similar definition:
True visualization is God's attribute and Power of Sightacting in the mind of man.
When one consciously pictures in his mind a desire he wishes fulfilledhe is using one
of the most powerful means of bringing it into his visible, tangible experience. vi
If visualization is unBiblical meditation, then what is Biblical meditation?
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches...
I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings...
Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word (Psalm 63:6,
77:12, 119:148).
The word "meditate" as used in Scripture is , which means to ponder, converse, commune,
pray, and speak with. Visualization through repetitive mantras or hyponosis is not Biblical

meditation because it does not involve conscious

thought or response.
True meditation is Word-based. When we study
Scripture, using our full minds and hearts to
process the information, applying it to our lives
and relationship with God, we start to become
more like Him.
Meditation and prayer means talking with God as a
friend, not just chanting at Him. If God really is
our Father and our Friend, does He need to
hypotize us in order for us to know Him better?
No. The true love God has for us draws us to Him,
and allows us to communicate with Him.

What is contemplative prayer?

Answer:It is important to first define contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer is not just contemplating while
you pray. The Bible instructs us to pray with our minds (1 Corinthians 14:15), so, clearly, prayer does involve
contemplation. However, praying with your mind is not what contemplative prayer has come to mean.
Contemplative prayer has slowly increased in practice and popularity along with the rise of the emerging church
movementa movement which embraces many unscriptural ideas and practices. Contemplative prayer is one such
practice.
Contemplative prayer begins with centering prayer, a meditative practice where the practitioner focuses on a word
and repeats that word over and over for the duration of the exercise. The purpose is to clear ones mind of outside
concerns so that Gods voice may be more easily heard. After the centering prayer, the practitioner is to sit still, listen
for direct guidance from God, and feel His presence.
Although this might sound like an innocent exercise, this type of prayer has no scriptural support whatsoever. In fact,
it is just the opposite of how prayer is defined in the Bible. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6). In that day you will no longer
ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not
asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (John 16:23-24). These
verses and others clearly portray prayer as being comprehendible communication with God, not an esoteric, mystical
meditation.
Contemplative prayer, by design, focuses on having a mystical experience with God. Mysticism, however, is purely
subjective, and does not rely upon truth or fact. Yet the Word of God has been given to us for the very purpose of
basing our faith, and our lives, on Truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17). What we know about God is based on fact; trusting in
experiential knowledge over the biblical record takes a person outside of the standard that is the Bible.
Contemplative prayer is no different than the meditative exercises used in Eastern religions and New Age cults. Its
most vocal supporters embrace an open spirituality among adherents from all religions, promoting the idea that
salvation is gained by many paths, even though Christ Himself stated that salvation comes only through Him (John

14:6). Contemplative prayer, as practiced in the modern prayer movement, is in opposition to biblical Christianity and
should definitely be avoided.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/contemplative-prayer.html#ixzz3Zo8xJae2

What is contemplative spirituality?

Answer:Contemplative spirituality is an extremely dangerous practice for any person who desires to live a biblical,
God-centered life. It is most commonly associated with the emerging church movement, which is riddled with false
teachings. It is also used by many different groups that have little, if any, connection with Christianity.
In practice, contemplative spirituality is primarily centered on meditation, although not meditation with a biblical
perspective. Passages such asJoshua 1:8actually exhort us to meditate: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from
your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. Notice what the focus of meditation should bethe Word of God. Contemplative
spirituality-driven meditation focuses on nothing, literally. A practitioner is exhorted to completely empty his/her mind,
to just be. Supposedly, this helps one to open up to a greater spiritual experience. However, we are exhorted in
Scripture to transform our minds to that of Christ's, to have His mind. Emptying our minds is contrary to such active,
conscious transformation.
Contemplative spirituality also encourages the pursuit of a mystical experience with God. Mysticism is the belief that
knowledge of God, spiritual truth, and ultimate reality can be gained through subjective experience. This emphasis on
experiential knowledge erodes the authority of Scripture. We know God according to His Word. All Scripture is Godbreathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God's Word is complete. There is no reason to
believe that God adds additional teachings or truths to His Word through mystical experiences. Instead, our faith and
what we know about God is based on fact.
The website for the Center for Contemplative Spirituality sums it up well: We come from a variety of secular and
religious backgrounds and we each seek to enrich our journey through spiritual practice and study of the world's
great spiritual traditions. We desire to draw closer to the loving Spirit which pervades all creation and which inspires
our compassion for all beings. There is absolutely nothing biblical about such goals. Studying the worlds spiritual
traditions is an exercise in futility because any spiritual tradition other than that which exalts Christ is falsehood. The
only way to draw closer to God is through the path He has ordainedJesus Christ and the Word.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/contemplative-spirituality.html#ixzz3Zo9H2zIM

What is Christian mysticism?

Answer:The term "Christian mystic" is an oxymoron. Mysticism is not the experience of a Christian. Whereas
Christian doctrine maintains that God dwells in all Christians and that they can experience God directly through belief
in Jesus, Christian mysticism aspires to apprehend spiritual truths inaccessible through intellectual means, typically
by emulation of Christ. The Bible tells us that Christ-likeness is achieved only by dying to selfnot by self-effort at

emulating anyoneand that spiritual truth is discerned through the intellect as guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit,
who lives in all believers (John 16:13;1 Corinthians 2:14).
The closest valid experience of a Christian that might resemble mysticism to an unbelieving observer is when the
Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit. For Christians, it is evident that the extraordinary wisdom, boldness,
understanding, strength, etc. that such spiritual believers demonstrate is the result of being filled with the Spirit, as it
is set forth in the Bible. Unbelievers cannot correctly comprehend such things. The Bible tells us why: "The man
without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he
cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things,
but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct
him?' But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Consciousness of God is part of the common definition of the mystics experience, but the only valid experience of
this nature for the Christian is that which is allowed according to Scripture. "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit
that we are God's children" (Romans 8:16). Most modern mystical experiences suggest either things that don't really
have much substance (make no meaningful contribution to the understanding of corporeal life) or things that would
appear to challenge evangelical Bible doctrine, which invalidates the experience.
The closest biblical account that an unbeliever might conclude was a mystical experience might be the apostle Paul's
Damascus Road experience (Acts 22:1-21) or the experience he described in 2 Corinthians: "I know a man in Christ
who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not
knowGod knows. And I know that this manwhether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God
knowswas caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell" (2
Corinthians 12:2-4).
As we examine this account from a Christian perspective, however, we notice particularly that Paul makes it clear
God would not allow him to give the details of that experience. Thus, it would hardly be reasonable for us to believe
that God would be willing to divulge spiritual truth by the manner in which mystics seem to flaunt their experiences. It
is His will to declare spiritual truth through the apostles of the Church by the vehicle of the Holy Scriptures. "Sanctify
them by the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17). "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will
believe in me through their message" (John 17:20). God said, My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge
(Hosea 4:6), not from lack of a mystical experience.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-mysticism.html#ixzz3Zo9VQEPb

What is the spiritual formation movement?

Answer:The spiritual formation movement is very popular today. It is, however, in many ways a moveawayfrom the
truth of God's Word to a mystical form of Christianity, and it has infiltrated, to some degree, nearly all evangelical
denominations. This idea of spiritual formation is based on the premise that if we do certain practices, we can be
more like Jesus. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals
and find God within themselves.
Too often, adherents of the current spiritual formation movement believe the spiritual disciplines transform the seeker
by his or her entering an altered realm of consciousness. The spiritual formation movement is characterized by such

things ascontemplative prayer,contemplative spirituality, andChristian mysticism.

Truebiblicalspiritual formation, or spiritual transformation, begins with the understanding that we are sinners living
apart from God. Our faculties have been corrupted by sin so that we cannot please God. True spiritual transformation
occurs as we yield ourselves to God so that He may transform us by the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. At
least half of every New Testament epistle is geared toward how to live a life well pleasing to Godby obedience and
submission to the Holy Spirit in all things. Scripture does not only call us the redeemed, saved, saints, sheep,
soldiers, and servants, but teaches us that only through the power of the Spirit we can live up to what the names
mean.
The following passages address various aspects of spiritual formation, the work of God in the life of the
believer.
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). Here is the aim of transformation: that we may be like Christ.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is part of a passage that teaches that we are
changed into the image of Christ not by following rules and laws, but by following the leading of the Spirit by faith.
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We
lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior
appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life"
(Titus 3:3-7).
Here, Paul reminds us of our before-and-after life. We have responded to the "kindness and love of God" shown to us
by the death of Christ for our sins, repented of our sins, and now respond to the Spirits continual prompting and
empowerment to live differently as God's children. As a result, we have been transformed by the "rebirth and renewal
by the Holy Spirit" (v. 5). This, then, is true spiritual formationthe reforming of our spirits by His Spirit into the image
of Christ.
Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/spiritual-formation.html#ixzz3Zo9s6xzq

SPIRITUAL FORMATION: JUST SAY NO

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Aug 30, 2008 in AM Missives, Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current
Issues, Dallas Willard,Emergent Church, Features, New Spirituality, Richard Foster, Southern Baptist
Convention, Spiritual Formation, Youth Ministry

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again
to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, NASB)
Foster And Willard: Dynamic Duo With Their Disciplines Of Deception
Apprising Ministries warns you that under the guise of Spiritual Formation neo-pagan so-called spiritual disciplines
have now slithered into the heart of evangelicalism. One can look long and hard throughout the history of the ongoing Protestant Reformation and you will not see spiritual formation until the Quaker mystic Richard Foster arrives
with his book Celebration of Discipline (CoD) in 1978.
And if you wont believe me then listen to Foster himself over at the Emergent OOZE. The following comes
from SPIRITUAL FORMATION: A Pastoral Letter by Richard J. Foster:
Dear Friends,
By now enough water has gone under the Christian Spiritual Formation bridge that we can give some assessment of
where we have come and what yet needs to be done. When I first began writing in the field in the late 70s and early
80s the term Spiritual Formation was hardly known, except for highly specialized references in relation to the
Catholic orders. Today it is a rare person who has not heard the term. Seminary courses in Spiritual Formation
proliferate like baby rabbits. Huge numbers are seeking to become certified as Spiritual Directors to answer the cry of
multiplied thousands for spiritual direction. And more (Online source, emphasis mine)
Coming back to Fosters textbook on the disciplines associated with so-called Christian mysticism, in his excellent
series on Mysticism Dr. Gary Gilley says of CoD:
Celebration of Discipline alone, not even referencing Fosters other writings and teachings and ministries, is a virtual
encyclopedia of theological error. We would be hard pressed to find in one so-called evangelical volume such a
composite of false teaching. These include faulty views on the subjective leading of God (pp. 10, 16-17, 18, 50, 95,
98, 108-109, 128, 139-140, 149-150, 162, 167, 182); approval of New Age teachers (see Thomas Merton below);
occultic use of imagination (pp. 25-26, 40-43, 163, 198); open theism (p. 35); misunderstanding of the will of God in
prayer (p. 37); promotion of visions, revelations and charismatic gifts (pp. 108, 165, 168-169, 171, 193); endorsement
of rosary and prayer wheel use (p. 64); misunderstanding of the Old Testament Law for today (pp. 82, 87); mystical
journaling (p. 108); embracing pop-psychology (pp. 113-120); promoting Roman Catholic practices such as use of
spiritual directors, confession and penance (pp. 146-150, 156, 185); and affirming of aberrant charismatic practices
(pp. 158-174, 198).
(Online source)

And even though Gilleys detailed assessment is dead on target it hasnt stopped The Cult Of Richard Fosterfrom
spreading. A major reason why is the work of Dallas Willard on the behalf of his former pastor Foster. Willard is
supposed to lend scholastic credibility but Bob DeWaay seriously deflated Willards beautiful balloon in his own
review of Willards book The Spirit of the Disciplines.
The following excerpt comes from DeWaays review and absolutely brings out the following question: Why are
Protestant evangelical seminaries teaching to their students this kind of Eastern a-logic inherent within
theContemplative Spirituality/Mysticism of Foster and Willards disciplines of deception i.e. doctrines of demons.
Because in the end their work is really a repudiation of sola Scriptura:
Willard offers a discussion of each of these [disciplines], citing people like Thomas Merton, Thomas a Kempis, Henri
Nouwen, and other mystics. We are told that practices like solitude and silence are going to change us, even though
the Bible does not prescribe them. Willard writes, This factual priority of solitude is, I believe, a sound element in
monastic asceticism. Locked into interaction with the human beings that make up our fallen world, it is all but
impossible to grow in grace as one should. So if we cannot grow in grace without solitude, how come the Bible never
commands us to practice solitude? The same goes for many other items on Willards list.
Willard tells us that the list of disciplines he provides is not exhaustive. Others can be pragmatically determined. He
says, As we have indicated, there are many other activities that could, for the right person and upon the right
occasion, be counted as spiritual disciplines in the strict sense stated of our previous chapter. The walk with Christ
certainly is one that leaves room for and even calls for individual creativity and an experimental attitude in such
matters.
However, there is a serious problem with Willards logic here. Earlier he rejected such practices as self-flagellation,
exposing the body to severities including being eaten by beetles, being suspended by iron shackles, and other
means of severely treating the body in order to become more holy.41 Willard rejects these on the following grounds:
Here it is matter of taking pains about taking pains. It is in fact a variety of self-obsessionnarcissisma thing
farthest removed from the worship and service of God.
Willard had admitted that there is no clear list of the disciplines and that each person might choose different practices
through pragmatic means. This does not give sufficient ground for rejecting such practices as self-flagellation. So
Willard resorts to arguing that those who do such things have bad motives. But he cannot really know their motives,
perhaps they determined that these practices worked using the same means Willard offered.
If pragmatic tests are the means of determining which practices are valid, and if these people feel closer to God and
more like Christ through their practices, then Willard has no valid way of rejecting their practices. Having no valid
argument, he resorts to an invalid ad hominem argument.
He cannot have it both ways. Either Gods Word determines both how we come to God and how we grow in grace, or
humans determine these things by pragmatic means. Willard has chosen the later. But then he steps in and tells us
that some practices are wrong, even though they fit his own criteria for validity. If a person feels that sleeping in a tiny
stone crevice with all the heat being sucked out of his body makes him more spiritually disciplined, then who is to say
that is wrong? Had he been willing to submit to the authority of Scripture, Willard could have refuted these practices
based on Colossians 2:21-23.

ORIGIN OF CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Apr 29, 2008 in AM Missives, Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current
Issues, Dallas Willard,Emergent Church, Richard Foster, Southern Baptist Convention, Spiritual Formation, Youth
Ministry

They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do
as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. (Psalm 106:34-36)
CSM Was A Core Doctrine Of The Emerging Church
We can point to Apprising Ministries articles Beth Moore The Mystic andAlabama Baptist Convention (SBC)
Encourages You To Learn Lectio Divina From Apostate Tony Jones as I remind you once again about the growing
acceptance of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) festering within e.g. the apostatizing Southern Baptist
Convention.
Of course the Slowly Becoming Catholic, an allegedly evangelical Protestant denomination, is hardly alone in their reembrace of this neo-Gnostic mysticism that originally flowered within the anti-biblical monastic traditions of spiritually
bankrupt Roman Catholicism. For example consider new Acts 29 Network president Matt Chandler And Village
Church Promoting Contemplative Spirituality.
Sadly, we watch this false version of Christian spirituality spreading apostasy throughout the professing Christian
Church world-wide; so it seems good to give you a working knowledge concerning just
whereContemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP) actually came from. CCP, which is the crown jewel of CSM, is
meditation in an altered state of consciousness; transcendental meditation lightly sprayed with Christian terminology.
We begin with the incontrovertible fact that emphasis on a so-called Christian mystic tradition was a core doctrine of
the warped and toxic theology of the Emerging Church from its very inception circa 1997. As such the Emergent
Church has proven to be a very fertile ground into which mystics like Living Spiritual

Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster along with his spiritual twin Dallas Willard would plant their neo-pietism
masquerading as Spiritual Formation.
Emerging Church Authorities Speak On So-Called Christian Mysticism
You also need to realize that this spurious CSM, with its warped spiritual practices aka disciplines, is actually
absolutely hostile to the historic Christian faith and still very much an integral part of the theology of the neo-liberal
cult operating openly now within the Emerging Church. In laying out this case as would a prosecutor in a court of law
Ill call upon a couple of these leading EC authorities as expert witnesses concerning the origin of CCP, being one of
their core practices.
In an article from Christianity Today called The Emergent Mystique, Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian
McLaren, whos a most prominent theologian within Emergent, the emerging church network that he and several
other church planters and pastors lead, names Dallas Willard and Richard Foster with their CSM as key mentors for
the emerging church.[1] As a matter of fact the source link Im using for this article actually comes from McLarens
own website where he also provides a running commentary throughout.
Here following is exactly what McLaren says concerning Willard and Foster in the section of The Emergent Mystique,
which I just quoted above:
He cites Dallas Willard and Richard Foster, with their emphasis on spiritual disciplines, as key mentors for the
emerging church. None of these thinkers has any inclination to throw out the baby of truth with the bathwater of
modernity.
Im grateful to Andy for including the preceding, because many people doubt this.
(Online source)
Elsewhere on McLarens original website a reader asks the EC leader to tell him more about the subject of Spiritual
Formation, which is simply another way to refer to the CSM of Foster-Willardism:
The reason I am writing you is because I am trying to better understand what spiritual formation isI think it is
important to seek the wisdom of todays leaders. I have heard a lot on this subject from people such as Richard
Foster and Dallas Willard, but I was wondering what Spiritual Formation is to you. How would you define Spiritual
Formation and what kind of importance would you place on it with the current generation? I appreciate your time.
A: I hope to do some writing on this subject in a year or two. In the meantime, I have deep appreciation for what my
friend Dallas Willard is saying. He, and those he points to, are great guides. (Online source)
And as evidenced by this answer to a readers question, Brian McLaren would also appear to have a deep
appreciation for what Richard Foster is doing for the Christian mystical tradition as well. Please also note below, that
in addition to Foster and Willards work, McLaren also recommends Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday
Life (SW) by the aforementioned Tony Jones as a good resource on the subject of CSM as well:
In some of my readings, both of books authored by you and others, I have read about Christian mystics. Who are the
predominant Christian mystic authors?

Answer: If you pick up Richard Fosters Celebration of Discipline and his other work via Renovare, youll get a great
exposure to the Christian mystical tradition. [Fosters] The Spiritual Formation Workbook is a great resource too.
Tony Jones The Sacred Way is also a sturdy introduction to contemplative practices. (Online source )
Emergent Church Authorities Know Christ Didnt Teach Contemplative/Centering Prayer
So, not only is Richard Foster a recognized expert on contemplative practices and the Christian mystic tradition,
but now we have also established that hes as a key mentor and a source of authority within the Emergent Church.
In addition, we have also seen from a leading theologian in the Emerging Church that Tony Jones, heretical
theologian in residence at the church of his universalist pastor Doug Pagitt, is to considered a sturdy authority on
this so-called Christian mysticism within the Emergent Church as well.
Foster writes about The Discipline of Meditation in his book Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth,
which is his classic dissertation on these so-called spiritual disciplines and key textbook of The Cult of Guru Richard
Foster. But unfortunately Foster is guilty of using circular logic below when he laments:
Often there is a question as to whether meditation can be spoken of as Christian. Is it not the exclusive property of
Eastern religions? Whenever I speak to a group on meditation as a classic Christian Discipline, there is the inevitable
raising of eyebrows, It is a sad commentary on the spiritual state of modern Christianity that meditation is a word so
foreign to its ears. Meditation has always stood as a classical and central part of Christian devotion, a crucial
preparation for and adjunct to the work of prayer.[2]
Dont you find it odd that, as Foster goes around speaking to a group they are surprised how something that has
allegedly always stood as a classical and central part of Christian devotion like meditation [read: CCP], it always
seems so foreign to these people in modern Christianity. And how do we know that, Meditation has always stood
as a classical and central part of Christian devotion? Answer: We dont. This is because CCP hasnt ever even been
a part of the historic orthodox Christian faith to begin with.
In his own mind Foster believes CCP/meditation is crucial to prayer; and so, therefore it is. But without any proof
from history whatsoever he is simply begging the question when he states that, Meditation has always stood as a
classical and central part of Christian devotion. Foster does go on to say, Meditation was certainly not foreign to the
authors of Scripture and he then cites Genesis 24:63; Psalm 1:2; 63:6; and 198:148, which do use the word
meditation in most translations of the Bible.
Unfortunately, its beyond the scope of this piece to go into this further at this point. However, suffice to say that
Foster is clearly forcing his own definition of this mind-emptying Eastern-style meditation of CCP into these verses;
because this type of meditation is absolutely unknown to orthodox Judaism. So just where did this
Contemplative/Centering Prayer aka Christian meditation actually come from? Lets now bring in Tony Jones our
Emergent expert and Emerging Church authority on contemplative practices.
In SW Jones does give us an accurate historical background concerning this spiritual discipline of meditation
practiced by apostate (at best) Roman Catholic mystics and Quakers like Richard Foster. In his chapter entitled
Centering Prayer Jones tells us:
Like the Jesus Prayer, Centering Prayer grew out of the reflections and writings of the Desert Fathers. John
Cassian (c.360-c.430) came from the West and made a pilgrimage to the desert to learn the ways of contemplative

prayer Cassian was deeply influenced by his time in the desert, and he wrote his book The Conferences about his
conversations with the Desert Fathers to acquaint Western Christians with their teachings.[3]
We can see in the above that the Jesus Prayer, as well as Centering Prayer, actually arose through the
reflections and writings of the Desert Fathers. And further we find out that this type of mystic meditation of CCP was
unknown prior to these apostate Desert Fathers circa the 3rd century. One might also observe here that Jones makes
no mention whatsoever of this meditation of CCP being an Apostolic doctrine; nor is there reference to Christ or His
Apostles ever employing these practices themselves.
This is for good reason; the simple fact is this CCP wasnt taught by Christ, it was never Apostolic doctrine in the New
Testament, and there is no evidence extant that the Master or His Apostles ever practiced this so-called Christian
meditation. Please also note above that Jones equates Centering Prayer with Contemplative Prayer; it is really the
same type of oxymoronic wordless prayer. Youll often hear these mystics refer to the mediation of CCP as entering
the silence. Hence all the talk of silence and solitude.
Let me also bring to your attention that history shows John Cassian would go on in his own contemplative version of
mysticism to develop the man-centered form of semi-pelagian theology at the root of this whole emerging rebellion
against sola Scriptura that is currently crippling contemporary evangelicalism. In closing this, for now, sadly this
warped and toxic teaching would then be brought into the mainstream of the visible church through Zondervan, a
publisher of CSMas well as a financial supporter of Emergent Village (EV), at their 2006 National Pastors
Conference (NPC).
You also need to know that this NPC 2006 was also sponsored by InterVarsity Press[4], another company publishing
CSM and yet another financial supporter of EV. And it would be through NPC 2006 providing teachers of a counterfeit
Christianity like Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt a legitimate forum that these leaders in the sinfully ecumenical neoliberal cult of the Emergent Church would then go on to present this spurious type of Contemplative
Spirituality/Mysticism to your pastors and youth ministers. Tragically, its now corrupted virtually the entire younger
sector of Christendom.
___________________________________________________________________________
End notes:
[1] http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/000271.html, accessed 5/3/12.
[2] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth [New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1978], 14.
[3] Tony Jones, The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life [Grand Rapids: Youth Specialties and
Zondervan, 2005], 70, emphasis mine.
[4] http://bit.ly/J4soJL, accessed 5/3/12.

MEDITATING ON CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Aug 28, 2008 in Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current Issues, Dallas
Willard, Emergent Church,Richard Foster, Southern Baptist Convention, Spiritual Formation
I have strongly felt led to put a few of my other projects on hold in order that I might more fully train some of the guns
of Apprising Ministries onto a counterattack of the Devils penetration into the mainstream of the Church of Jesus
Christ. This he has largely accomplished through his reimagined spiritually corruptContemplative
Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) and its Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP), which flowered in the antibiblical
monastic traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism, i.e. no longer Christian. With an able assist from ordained
Southern Baptist minister Dallas Willard currently The Cult of Guru Richard Foster is conditioning more and more
mainstream evangelical pastors, leaders, and ministers (think frog in the kettle) through spurious Spiritual
Formation (SF) courses in college and/or seminary to see this CSM as a viable approach to God.
And AM reminds you that primary among the textbooks used in these SF classes, not only in SBC seminaries but
in most evangelical schools, are works by Willard and his associate Living Spiritual Teacher and Quakermystic
Roshi Richard Foster from which their so-called spiritual disciplines largely culled from heretical Roman Catholic
and Quaker mystics is then taught. CSM was given a boost a while back with a DVD project promoting contemplative
prayer entitled Be StillAnd Know That I Am God. Space here doesnt allow further discussion on this definite DVD
disaster, which includes noted Christian authors, ministers and educators such as Max Lucado, Beth Moore,
Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and amazingly enough Be Still even initially had the support of Dr. Charles Stanley.
For your convenience let me direct you to Be Still and Know that you are being deceived . which is an accurate
assessment of the DVD Be Still.
The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts
are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will
astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the
intelligent will vanish. (Isaiah 29:13-14)
Meditation Is The Root Of The Ecumenical Church Of Deceit
Now the first thing we have to remember as we begin is the Bible says that our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). As such then I am not attacking these men personally. In
regard to Dr. Stanley, while his voiceover was not used in the final product, the fact alone that he was providing one
more than indicates his support for this dubious project.
You also need to know this Be Still DVD promoting the practices of Contemplative/Centering Prayer is reputed to
cross all denominations, which is Ecumenical Church Of Deceit (ECoD) speak for out goes the Reformation. O
yes, the meditation of this new spirituality is now a very serious infestation within the evangelical camp itself.
So although I have been addressing other topics within the Bible-denying neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church it
now seems best in the Lord to stop and meditate on the subject of Contemplative/Centering Prayer a little further. In
this work I will begin to fire some rounds at an argument that is becoming the norm as we expose the misguided neopagan messed up mysticism at the rotten root of postevangelicalism.
If you wish to understand how CSM-lite has even found its way into the work of men like Chuck Swindoll and now
apparently even Charles Stanley it becomes vital to remember that this mystic new spirituality with roots in the

monastic traditions of the Roman Catholic Church is a key component of the Emerging Church. My research shows
that a major reason thise postliberal cult was started in the first place was to bring this so-called Christian mysticism
into the mainstream of evangelicalism. And like a lightening rod this topic of transcendental meditation for the
Christian has brought unfavorable attention down on my work here at AM; undoubtedly we have struck a vital nerve
center in the Devils command center.
As we look at this argument presented in favor of the spiritual discipline/practice of so-called Christian meditation
youll see it is actually two-pronged in that its usually stated 1) the practice of Contemplative/Centering Prayer is
consistent with meditation in the Bible, and 2) this discipline is not really like that practiced in Eastern religions.
However, the immediate problem that comes emerging is that this type of meditation was never even part of the
orthodox Judaism of Christs time; there is no actual evidence in the Gospel accounts of the Masters life on earth
showing that He practiced it Himself, nor was it ever a part of His Apostles doctrine (seeActs 2:42).
Since God the Holy Spirit tells us in Holy Scripture that A wise man attacks the city of the mighty and pulls down
the stronghold in which they trust (Proverbs 21:22), it is the second prong of the argument that we will be attacking
and pulling down as my work in this area develops. The primary thrust of this particualr article will be to connect
Contemplative/Centering Prayer i.e. transcendental meditation for the Christian to its pagan sources in Eastern
religions, e.g. Hinduism, and most particularly the quest for a Zen Buddhism-like satori (enlightenment).
Equivocation About The Meditation Of Christian Mysticism
First let me very clearly point out that no one who is critical of this practice of Christian meditation is talking about
meditating upon Holy Scripture which the Bible unequivocally speaks of and encourages. Christianity, following the
godly example of Judaism in this instance, has always taught contemplation ofor thinking aboutthe texts of Gods
Word as we are reading them. In no uncertain terms we are commanded by God the Holy Spirit to do exactly that in
the Scriptures He wrote.
Even the living spiritual teacher Richard Foster, the Guru of Contemplation himself, brings this to our attention
in Celebration of Discipline (COD), his classic book on the subject of these supposed disciplines of spiritual
enlightenment. While discussing The Discipline of Meditation Guru Foster writes:
Repentance and obedience are essential features in any biblical understanding of meditation. The psalmist
exclaims, Oh, how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day. I hold my feet from every way, in order to
keep thy word It is this continual focus upon obedience and faithfulness that most clearly distinguishes
Christian meditation from its Eastern and secular counterparts. (15,16, emphasis mine)
We stop here for a moment to ask the question: Just how is it we know that this so-called Christian meditation is
really so clearly distinguished from its Eastern and secular counterparts? Um, wellbecause Richard Foster says
it is, thats why. Now we should begin to see that we are already caught up in circular reasoning with this discipline of
meditation. Wrested from its proper biblical context meditation has now been forced into an artificial category that
has been dubbed by alleged Christian mystics as contemplative spirituality.
However, in his book The Sacred Way (SW) even Emergent theologian Tony Jones admits this type of
Contemplative/Centering Prayer actually originates in the monastic traditions of the Desert Fathers (70). And these
people come long after Christ and His Apostles established the historic orthodox Christian faith. The fact alone that

the Master and the men He instructed Himself did not teach this kind of contemplative spirituality culled from pagan
religions of the East is the prime reason to avoid these rules taught by men.
Merton On A True Monk
By the way, the above comment by Jones about the monks from the Desert is also confirmed by Thomas Merton in
his book The Silent Life (TSL). As a matter of fact I got this book because it is recommended by Jones in SW and is
specifically devoted to helping one understand the contemplative spirituality of Trappist monks. At this point it
becomes critical for the reader to understand that Merton himself is universally quoted as an authority on the
practices of meditation as Contemplative/Centering Prayer.
In A Time Of Departing Christian researcher Ray Yungen correctly states that what Martin Luther King was to the
civil rights movement so Thomas Merton is to contemplative prayer (60). For those who may not know Merton was
a Roman Catholic monk whose last act was convening an ecumenical conference of Christians and Buddhists in
Bangkok in 1968, not long after Vatican II, to seek alleged common ground between their faith traditions. Does this
eerily begin to sound familiar, almost as if it were coming from the mouth of Emergent Guru Brian McLaren or from
his friends the radical Emergent prophet Tony Campolo andDoug Pagitt? By the way Brian Flynn, whom I mentioned
earlier, was at the debate between Pagitt and Pastor Bob DeWaay. Afterward Flynn told me Pagitt sounded more like
Deepak Chopraanother of those living spiritual teachers Pagitts buddy McLaren is so fond ofthan a Christian
pastor.
So you see, Im really not making this stuff up about the ECoD because all of this New Light foolishness in the eyes
of God has been done before. By the way, I see the Lords hand in the fact that Merton, who undoubtedly was a
leading advocate for this kind of Christian contemplative spirituality, was also electrocuted just after that
aforementioned conference. Its way past time that we revisit what happened to the first century real estate team of
Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Regardless however, the fact remains that as you begin to investigate
Contemplative/Centering Prayer you will immediately see Merton quoted as an expert on the subject this type of
Christian meditation.
We take for example the following from the book Peace Is Every Step (PIES) by Thich Nhat Hanh, who is a [w]orldrenowned Zen master. (back cover) Hanh, by the way, also happens to be yet another member of theLiving Spiritual
Teachers Project. Isnt it interesting how this particular assemblage of seducing spirits keeps reentering our
discussion of truly warped things Emergent? It makes one wonder if people will ever recognize the emerging new
spirituality of the Global Church of Antichrist.
Lets look a little further at Nhat Hanhs PIES for a moment, which the Dali Lama says in the foreword is actually a
guidebook toward bringing about world peace through the internal transformation of individuals (vii, emphasis
mine). You must come to realize that this is the exact same reason for which the ECoD has emerged at this late hour;
and Contemplative/Centering Prayer, which truly is transcendental meditation for the Christian, is to be the vehicle to
bring about this internal spiritual transformation. I tell you in the Lord this contemplative spirituality is most certainly
not something to play at and surely has no place in a real Christian church.
As we turn to the Editors Introduction to PIES we read:

When Thomas Merton, the well-known Catholic monk and mystic, met Thich Nhat Hanh at his monastery,
Gethsemani, [Merton] told his students, Just the way [Hanh] opens the door and enters a room
demonstrates his understanding. He is a true monk (Ibid., xi, emphasis mine).
Further we are told that Merton went on to write an essay, Nhat Hanh Is My Brother, (Ibid.) Men and women, the
very fact that this information is included in a book by a world-renowned Zen master and living spiritual teacher, with
a foreword written by H.H. the Dali Lama himself speaks volumes about just where Mertons misguided mysticism
ultimately led him. Its no wonder Merton was on record as saying that he wanted to become as good a Buddhist as
he could.
In an article called Thomas Merton and the Wisdom of Nonviolence, Living Spiritual Teacher, Jesuit Priest and
Retreat Leader, Rev. John Dear tells us that Thomas Merton has been one of my teachers. And then Dear goes on
to inform us:
On his way to Asia, Merton told David Stendl-Rast [yet another of those Living Spiritual Teachers] that the
only way beyond the traps of Catholicism is Buddhism. In other words, every Catholic has to become a
good Buddhist, to become as compassionate as possible, he said. I am going to become the best Buddhist
I can, so I can become a good Catholic.
And as we begin now to look at Mertons own book TSL, lets also keep in mind above it was Merton himself who
pronounced that Nhat Hanh, a practicing Zen Buddhist, is a true monk. But it will prove most unfortunate for those
who wish to use the heretical Merton as a source for the practice of Christian meditation because he would then go
on to give us a clear definition of exactly what a monk is.
In TSL Merton the Mystic Monk informs us that a monk is a man who has been called by the Holy Spirit who is to
devote his entire life to seeking God (vii., emphasis mine). Now heres the point that must be grasped. Based on
what Merton has just said we are now going to have to consider Mertons brother Nhat Hanh, a practicing Zen
Buddhist master, as a man who has been called by the Holy Spirit in order to devote his entire life to seeking
God through this pagan religion. Sadly he was seriously deluded.
Are we really to believe that God the Holy Spirit called Nhat Hahn to seek the Lord his entire life through a religion
that is agnostic at best? This is a little hard to swallow. And if this isnt enough to help you see the rapid rise of
immense warning flags of the deepest scarlet wildly flapping in the Spirit of God, then consider also that Merton
informs us the monastic tradition teaches that the monk:
travels to God by the direct path, recto tramite. He withdraws from the world. He gives himself entirely to
prayer, meditation, study, labor, penance, under the eyes of God. The monk is distinguished even from other
religious vocations by the fact that he is essentially and exclusively dedicated to seeking God, rather
than seeking souls for God (Ibid., viii, emphasis mine).
But you see, ol Beelzebubs fly in the ointment here is the absolute fact that this monastic system of the apostate
Church of Rome, which gave birth to these contemplative practices in the first place, clearly develops a couple of
centuries after the Apostles. And not only that but it also runs counter to what Christ Himself said He was sending His
Church into the world to do in the first place. Men and women, this undoubtedly should arrest your attention. Although
one is free to make whatever dubious choices they wish in life, the monastic tradition of hiding ones self away from
the world is in direct opposition to what Jesus tells His servants we are to do.

This really shouldnt be that hard to understand because as we contemplate this further we receive enlightenment
that it becomes impossible to preach the Gospel if one is cloistered away from those who need to hear it. Hmm, I
wonder, just who might have come up with this idea? We will look at this a little further, but for now we note that in 2
Corinthians 5:20 God frankly announces to the world what the mission of His Christian Church actually is we are
ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to
God (ESV).
Contemplating The Mystic Merton
Lets meditate a little further on what I quoted above from TSL, the definitive book by the late Thomas Merton that he
himself called a meditation on the monastic life by one who,[knows] that life from the inside (back cover). As I
stated previously TSL is all about the contemplative practices that grew out of these monastic traditions of long
apostate Roman Catholicism. Here we should begin to see the rotten Roman root from which this whole idea of
contemplative spirituality deep in the core of her daughter the ECoD truly springs.
As you have just seen in TSL Merton instructs us that this monastic tradition teaches that the monk travels to God by
the direct path, and that his role is to be accomplished as he withdraws from the world. Merton then told us the
monk does this because he is essentially and exclusively dedicated to seeking God,rather than seeking souls for
God. What should immediately jump out here is that we have just received teaching from the Mystic Monk which in
point of fact is diametrically opposed to the actual mission Jesus has for His Church.
In TSL Merton says: We have defined a monk as a man who leaves everything else in order to seek God (1).
However, in contrast the Bible teaches instead that in gratitude the true Christian forsakes all to willingly serve the
Lord because it was God Who has actually been seeking him all along. God the Son also specifically tells us that He
came to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10). And while praying to God the Father in John 17 our Lord
says unmistakably As You sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world(v.17).
As a matter of fact Christ Jesus would then go on to repeat this mandate for the Christian following His resurrection
from the dead As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (John 20:21). If you think about it for a moment,
most of us have heard the phrase be in the world, but not of it. Well, now you can see that theres a pretty reliable
Sourcethe Master Himselffrom which it originated.
At this point I also wish the reader to know I am well aware that I have covered the so-called Christian mystic
Thomas Merton in quite some depth but I do have my reasons. It is essential for you to better understand Mertons
teachings on the meditation of Contemplative/Centering Prayer because the Trojan Horse of the Emergent Church
which unloaded this new spirituality within our Lords Church in the first place also contained one Richard Foster the
Guru most responsible for spreading this neo-pagan Gnosticism. And that Foster himself is heavily influenced by
Thomas Merton is simply beyond any question of a doubt.
For instance in Celebration of Discipline (COD) Foster quotes Merton to open his chapter on The Discipline of
Meditation. And in that reference from COD Merton informs us true contemplation [meditation] is not a psychological
trick but a theological grace (15). However, he is dead wrong. Ill share more about this another time, but those of us
who study the effects of transcendental meditation can tell you there is indeed a psychological shift that ultimately
takes place within those who practice it long enough.

This is why I have taken such great care to carefully document and expose Mertons heretical teachings. Though he
is not their only source, the truth is that proponents of Contemplative/Centering Prayer such asRichard
Foster and Tony Jones do derive at least some of their doctrine from Mertons mystical musings on this subject. This
next point must now be stated bluntly; although many in the Church today have little regard for what the Bible actually
says, God still happens to take His Word with the utmost seriousness. And you should know that when He was
standing on His planet the LORD God Almighty most clearly said A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad
tree cannot bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:18)
This absolute truth spoken by Christ Jesus of Nazareth forever slams the door shut in the face of the foolish
argument continually pressed forth by Merton supporters that says: We just take the good in his teaching and use
discernment to ignore the bad. But this is what the Lord says A bad tree [Thomas Merton]cannot bear good
fruit. Think about it: Before we accept someone as a teacher of Christians, shouldnt we at least insist that one first
become a Christian? Not only do we see no indication that Merton was a regenerated Christian, but the truth is the
evidence actually speaks strongly against it.
The Transformation Of Mysticism
Another important aspect in learning about the deceptive dangers involved with this practice of
Contemplative/Centering prayer, which is in actuality transcendental meditation for the Christian, is that those who
persist in it will invariably be lead to universalism. This is one reason why I wanted to clearly establish for you that
Merton called the living spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, who we must remember just happens to be a Zen
Buddhist roshi (master), a true monk. Then as we turned to Mertons TSL I showed you that this spiritual director
defined a monk as a man who has been called by the Holy Spirit who is to devote his entire life to seeking God.
So now we should be able to see that logically this can only mean that Nhat Hanh, whom Merton considered his
brother, would also have to have been called by the Holy Spirit in order to devote his entire life to seeking God
through Zen Buddhism. Here we have opened the door to a theology of inclusivism at the very least, and
universalism at its very worst. Theres just no way around it. That is, unless, you happen to ascribe to the Devils
fool-osophy of postmodernism.
This is the reason why those of us sounding the alarm regarding Contemplative/Centering prayer consider it such a
grave spiritual danger to the Christian Church. Lord willing, as we progress, another time well go into more depth
regarding the spiritual enlightenment, also called transformation, that inevitably happens to those who practice this
so-called Christian meditation long enough to be given over to deception by the Lord.
But for now, from years of studying transcendental meditation from many religious sources, I can definitively tell you
that Ron Comer is dead on target when he observes in the foreword to Ray Yungens excellent book A Time of
Departing mentioned earlier:
Through these mystical [contemplative] prayer practices the church today has opened its door to a subtle
abandonment of the gospel Like two rivers merging together, Eastern and Western religious thought are
joining together, thus gaining momentum towards a one world religion in which all paths lead to God (15).
And with our case thus established, now we can see that Thomas Merton does indeed stand as the quintessential
example for the neo-pagan Gnostic mysticism of contemplative spirituality in the ECoD, as well as for the absolute
truth of the following solemn words of Holy Scripture. Through the mystic Mertons ignominious example, with his

denial of historic orthodox Christian theology, the transcendental meditation of Contemplative/Centering prayer that
he championed is clearly revealed to be:
the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who
are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong
delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the
truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.(2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, ESV)
Do Not Follow Their Practices
The seriousness of the above passage of Gods Word further illustrates the need for this work to present you with
accurate information so you can then judge for yourself if this type of Contemplative/Centering prayer is a viable way
to experience the presence of God. Or is it instead a very dangerous spiritual discipline that has adopted pagan
practices actually condemned by the Lord. And it is here that leaders in the Christian Church have seriously erred in
not presenting enough of the Old Testament revelation of God to the Church.
What has happened instead is that by focusing almost exclusively on the New Testament we have actually dumbed
down the absolute holiness of God in an attempt to make the Lord more palatable to arrogant Americans and we
have neglected verses such as Leviticus 18:3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and
you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their
practices. And Deuteronomy 18:12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of
these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.
The Emergent protest would be: But thats for the nation of Israel and has nothing to do with today. Spiritually dead
wrong. The wise man knows that these injunctions are for Gods people period, and for as long as we happen to be in
this fallen world. So where did Emergent spiritual director Brian McLaren come up with his completely erroneous idea
expressed in A Generous Orthodoxy (AGO) that the Christian faith should be a welcome friend to other religions of
the world (254)? He got it from his dabbling in this type of meditation long enough to anger God Who may well have
sent McLaren the delusion of Jesus he currently has. He most certainly did not get the ridiculous notions that he
postulates in AGO about the mission of the Church of the one true and living God from the Bible.
Because the truth of what I have been teaching you here can be clearly seen by those who have eyes to see when
the Apostle Peter tells the Christian:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may
declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a
people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received
mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-12).
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war
against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they
may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Men and women, the serious flaw in todays emerging ecumenical jellyfish Christianity thats so busy seeking
common ground with other religions is thus exposed. The LORD God Almighty does not change and He certainly did
not want His people adopting pagan practices in the Old Testament. As He brings us into the new land of such a

great salvation God still commands His people not to adopt these detestable practices in the pagan religions we see
all around us. The Christians is also told the same thing through the Apostle Paul when God the Holy Spirit reminds
us that our citizenship is in Heaven (seePhilippians 3:20) as we are a people called out of this present darkness to
live as aliens and strangers in the world as a living testimony to Christ superioritys over the Devil.
And there is simply no change here in the approach of Gods people regarding pagan religions, and in these following
verses of Scripture you will see why. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by
nature are not gods (Galatians 4:8). And the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, notto God, and I do not
want you to be participants with demons (1 Corinthians 10:20). In addition our mandate from God is to beseech
them in Christs stead, be ye reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20, (KJV).
This is exactly why I hold that this Christian form of transcendental meditation to which I am alerting you is in reality
a discipline practiced by those who are not content with a relationship with God through His prescribed means of
prayer and study of the Scriptures. Instead, in violation of the above Scriptures, they are actually seeking for a type of
spiritual buzz. As the work here at Apprising Ministries progresses you will hear from advocates of this type of
Contemplative/Centering prayer the feelings produced can be quite intense and intoxicating.
Now I also ask you to please keep in mind at this point that Im already on record elsewhere that my theology
regarding the Holy Spirit falls somewhere between Dr. Walter Martin, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and A.W. Tozer. This is
to say that Im not exactly a cessationist as I am also very actively involved in a pursuit of God and therefore Im not
attacking an experience with our Lord per se. However, at the same time Im also constrained by Holy Scripture
never to venture any further spiritually than what is contained within the actual text of my Gods Word in the closed
Canon of the Bible. So the idea here is not whether the Christian can experience God; no, rather my point is to insist
that each and every experience must itself then be tested by the Word of God (seeActs 17:11; 1 Thessalonians
5:21).
Lord willing the test of principles taught in the Bible will indeed be applied to this Contemplative
Spirituality/Mysticism which is currently sweeping through our Lords Church. As we meditate further on
Contemplative/Centering prayer next time well compare this Christian meditation to the way others approach this
discipline of contemplative meditation in their own faith traditions. Then you will be able to see for yourself that we
are dealing with the exact same practices as in transcendental meditation; but be forewarned, all those who persist in
it will inevitably be given over to the exact same spiritual deceptions as those experienced by Thomas Merton himself
(see2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

MEDITATING ON CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER (PART 2)

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Sep 21, 2008 in AM Missives, Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current
Issues, Spiritual Formation
At this point as we are Meditating On Contemplative/Centering Prayer I am going to shift gears a bit and begin to take
a closer look at why it is were told we must practice the so-called Christian meditation ofContemplative/Centering
Prayer (CCP)that actually flowered in the antibiblical monastic traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism and which
is central to the theology of alleged Christian mysticism.
Apprising Ministries wants you to know its simply beyond question that the vast majority of those in leadership within
postevangelicalism and the Emerging Church hold to an existential [feelings-oriented]and thereby highly subjective
neo-orthodox approach to Holy Scripture. And this is a major reason why the counter Sola Scriptura teachings of
someone like Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster, arriving inside the walls of
evangelicalism via the Trojan Horse of the Emergent Church, would even have had a chance to sully the Body of
Christ in the first place.
Through radio programs like Crosstalk: Ken Silva on Evangelicals Embrace Mystics and with recent articles
like Christianity Today Promoting the Cult of Richard Foster, Georgia Baptist Convention (SBC) Now Promoting the
Cult of Richard Foster, Wesley Granberg-Michaelson Bringing Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) into the
Protestant Reformed Church in America and Christianity Today Promoting the Roman Catholic Mystic Catherine of
Siena were doing our best to sound the alarm. And yet still The Cult of Guru Richard Foster with an assist
from Fosters spiritual twin Dallas Willard continues with its dispersion of the neo-pietism inherent
within corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) into the mainstream Protestant evangelical community
under the guise of Spiritual Formation.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what Gods will ishis good, pleasing and perfect willyou have taken off your
old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its
Creator. (Romans 12:2, Colossians 3:9-10)
Contemplating The Practice Of Christian Meditation
As you will begin to see this CCP i.e. transcendental meditation for the Christian is actually a key component in a
revival of neo-gnosticism in the new wrong approach to Christian spirituality of the The Ecumenical Church of Deceit
(ECoD). In Celebration Of Discipline (CoD), his definitive book on the so-called Spiritual Disciplines of Christian
mysticism, Richard Foster says that the meditation of CCP very simply, is the ability to hear Gods voice and obey
his word (17). Why it is we cant just spend time in conscious prayer to hear Him, and why we cant just prayerfully
read the Scriptures while carefully thinking about what we read to hear Gods voice and obey his word isnt
addressed.
Our Guru of Contemplation then informs us that Christian meditation:

involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics, no esoteric flights into the cosmic
consciousness. The truth of the matter is that the great God of the universe, the Creator of all things desires our
fellowship (ibid.).
Well return to this topic shortly and Ill show the above statement by Foster is actually a bit disingenuous, but for now
the truth is no one is disputing that God desires our fellowship. No, what we are concerned about here is how the
Lord desires that we fellowship with Him. In CoD Foster instructs us that as we meditate:
we are growing into what Thomas a Kempis calls a familiar friendship with Jesus. We are sinking into the light and
life of Christ and becoming comfortable in that posture. The perpetual presence of the Lord (omnipresence, as we
say) moves from a theological dogma to a radiant reality (ibid., 19).
In his book The Sacred Way (SW), which I have mentioned before, national coordinator for Emergent Village Tony
Jones postulates, meditation, when rightly practiced, is a focusing on the heart of Christ (82). Then he further
explains:
I say when rightly practiced because there are numerous examples of a distortion of Christian meditation in the
history of the church. But the orthodoxy of Christian meditation can be tested, for, when rightly practiced, it always
leads to the same result: Contemplative Christian prayer always leads to love of neighbor, to action, and to the
acceptance of trials, and precisely because of this it draws one close to God (ibid.).
Resisting the urge to wrestle with the serpent here let me just quickly point out that there are serious examples of
circular reasoning evident in what Jones has said. First of all, the ecumenical bent of the Emergent Church
immediately becomes evident as Jones simply assumes that meditation was an orthodox practice within the church
that could then be distorted. Those who have studied the EC know that virtually anyone or anything laying claim to
the title Christian is accepted by them as part of their concept of some Christian tradition that allegedly exists. But
the insoluble problem for Jones, as I have been pointing out, is that these contemplative disciplines simply were not
practiced by Christ or His Apostles and would later grow out of the mystic musings of the apostate Desert Fathers
and Mothers. While even the Church of Rome originally branded many of them heretics, their theology is much
closer to apostate Roman Catholicism than it is to what Dr. Walter Martin often referred to as the historic orthodox
Christian faith.
As far as Jones other point regarding the results that Contemplative Christian prayer will always lead to, this is
also the exact same claim made by numerous other religious groups concerning the results of following their own
prescribed methods of worship. For example Islam, the Mormons and the Jehovahs Witnesses all point to their
own moral commitment to social action in helping their fellow man, to bearing persecutions, and will also speak of
their so-called faith tradition as the pathway to drawing closer to God. So in point of fact Jones argument actually
proves nothing.
In CoD Roshi Richard Foster goes on to instruct us that as we practice meditation:
we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart He
desires a perpetual Eucharistic feast in the inner sanctuary of the heart. Meditation opens the door,[to] a portable
sanctuary that is brought into all we are and do. Inward fellowship of this kind transforms the inner personality (20).

Men and women, it is precisely this spiritual transformation of the inner personality that is the very grave spiritual
danger for all those who continue with this practice of CCP of spurious CSM, which was
unquestionably borrowed adapted from pagan religions of the East by those aforementioned mystic monks and nuns
aka Desert Fathers and Mothers.
Ive quoted this before, but it does bear repeating. In SW Tony Jones himself informs us that:
Centering prayer grew out of the reflections and writings of the Desert Fathers. John Cassian (ca.360-ca.430) came
from the West and made a pilgrimage to the desert to learn the ways of contemplative prayer (70).
What needs to be understood here is that with this CSM we are now entering a realm of spiritual realities which are
totally out of the control of man. Unfortunately modern evangelicalism has all but obscured the spiritual side of the
Christian faith in favor of good ol pragmatic American business savvy to grow our churches. And as a result many
people really dont give much thought to the very real spiritual side of the Christian faith. And it is this void into
which Satan has currently slithered to exploit the undiscerning through his neo-pagan repainted Gnostic mystic
spirituality. So the mind-altering spiritual poison of transcendental meditation is beginning to seep deeply into the very
mainstream of our Lords Church.
Panentheism And The Mush God Of Meditation
I havent space to allow further discussion on that particualr subject here so the interested reader is referred
toEmerging With The Spiritual Side Of Christianity where I cover this mortal mistake in a little more depth. However,
what is so imperative is that we recapture in the Church of our Lord today is that this is Gods universe and in it He
does whatever pleases Him (Psalm 115:3) and the Lord also works out everything in conformity with the purpose
of His will (Ephesians 1:11).
But as this work of Apprising Ministries moves on you will be coming to see that the completely sovereign LORD God
Almighty Who raised up His Reformers to wrest His Church back from the apostate Church of Rome is not the god
who is ultimately found through the spiritual discipline of meditation practiced in the so-called Christian mysticism of
the ECoD. Instead of the majestic and transcendent God of the Bible we are inevitably introduced to the
panentheistic Mush God of unconditional love whose entire creation already dwells within him.
In time you will also come to see that through this Gnostic mysticism the door is then opened to the theology
of panentheism, which was unquestionably espoused by the earlier Christian mystics so often quoted by
proponents of Contemplative/Centering prayer. But for our purposes here while Foster is explaining various forms of
meditation in COD we can learn something about this spiritual transformation of the inner personality. One type of
meditation in particular Foster calls meditation upon creation where one contemplates the created order (31).
The Swami Foster then explains:
Now, this is no infantile pantheism, but a majestic monotheism in which the great Creator of the universe shows us
something of his glory through his creation. The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God and the firmament does
show forth his handiwork (Ps. 19:1). Evelyn Underhill recommends, begin with that first form of contemplation
which the old mystics sometimes called the discovery of God in his creatures (ibid., emphasis added).

Again there is much to wrestle with here but you can see Foster is already sensitive to charges of pantheism, and the
hint of panentheism, within the above quote from the old mystics. But in keeping with our current focus on the
results of mystic meditation I draw your attention to the name of Evelyn Underhill. The above quote that Foster uses
is taken from her book Practical Mysticism. In CoF Foster quotes Underhill twice as an expert witness on the
subject of mysticism. So now I may also do the same; only, as I do, you will be able to clearly see where this mystic
refried Gnosticism of Contemplative/Centering Prayer will inevitably take all those who persist in its perverted
practice.
In Harpers Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience (HEMPE) Underhill once again is called on for
her proficient testimony concerning the subject of mysticism:
Evelyn Underhill, in her classic study, Mysticism (1955), defined five psychological stages along the mystical path.
Not all may be experienced by any one mystic. The path itself is characterized by a vacillation between states of
intense pleasure and intense pain. The five stages are:
1. The Awakening of the Self to Conciousness of Divine Reality. Typically, this is a well-defined, often sudden
experience and is characterized by great joy.
2. The Purgation of the Self. The mystic, through discipline and/or mortification, attempts to rid himself or herself of
imperfections and material desires, which are obstacles to unity.
3. Illumination. A happy state of apprehension of the Divine Presence, experienced in contemplation and meditation.
It is not true union. Many mystics never get beyond Illumination. Artists and highly creative people tend to have
Illumination experiences.
4. The Purification of the Self. Also called the Dark Night of the Soul. The mystic attempts total surrender of Self,
personal identity, and will to the Divine, and is plunged into a painful and unhappy state of the absence of the Divine
Presence.
5. Union with the One. The mystic achieves a permanent and transcendent level of reality.
In Eastern mysticism a still higher stage is reabsorption of the individual soul into the Infinite. The Sufis, too, consider
such annihilation the only true attainment of God. (389, 390)
Meditation For The Coming Global Family
Now you should also begin to see why I have spent such a great deal of time here at AM bringing you quotes from
the work of Emergent theologian Brian McLaren and his cohorts such as Emergent prophet Tony Campolo, as well as
Gurus Alan Jones and Marcus Borg, who like Foster are listed at the Living Spiritual Teachers Project. This is
certainly no guilt by association; but rather, you should be able to see these menalong with the Dali Lamaalso
believe on some level they have discovered that the spiritual transformation arrived at through practicing this kind of
meditation is the way to Global Peace. You may recall in Part Onethat in Zen Buddhist master Nhat Hanhs
book Peace Is Every Step the Dali Lama himself did say that world peace [will come] through the internal
transformation of individuals (vii).
The following quote in the secular HEMPE will clearly show you why this malignant mysticism ofContemplative
Spirituality/Mysticism is so important to all of these so-called living spiritual teachers. And were also told that the

belief in or pursuit of unification with the One or some other principle; the immediate consciousness of God; or the
direct experience of religious truth. Mysticism is nearly universal and unites most religions in the quest for the
One (387). I cover this further in The Emergent ONE; however, what we are being enlightened to is that
Contemplative/Centering Prayer as a transcendental meditation for the Christian just may well pave the broad
pathway to create the One World Global Family which the Antichrist can then rule over.
All of this should be quite disturbing to the Christians who are right now watching this quasi-Christian brand of
mysticism-lite infiltrate more and more of their local churches because HEMPE also informs us that mystics of
whatever strain:
subscribe to one of two theories of Divine Reality; emanation and immanence. In the emanation view, all things in the
universe are outflowing from God. In the immanence view, the universe is not projected from God, but
is immersed in God (ibid., 387, 388).
The Practice Of Transcendental Christian Meditation
As we begin to examine how we are to perform this so-called Christian meditation, which all of these men
mentioned above practiceits essentially Zen for the Christianlet me remind you weve already seen in CoD that
Sensei Foster told us that CCP:
involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics, no esoteric flights into the cosmic
consciousness. The truth of the matter is that the great God of the universe, the Creator of all things desires our
fellowship (17).
The reason I said that this is a bit disingenuous on Fosters part is because he says there are no hidden myteries or
secret mantras involved with this meditation. However, in line with the classic goal of mysticism, the quest for the
One stated above, this CCP as meditation is part of what the Guru refers to as the classical Disciplines of the
spiritual life. Further Foster tells us these disciplines that hes rediscovered call us to move beyond surface living
into the depths. And finally this special knowledge about these supposed spiritual disciplines which Foster is
revealing to us in CoD invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm (1).
As you should be able to see we are now involved in a mystical quest for the One within the inner caverns of the
spiritual realm through these spiritual Disciplines Foster is illuminating for us. The point being, weve been told that
we need these alleged Disciplines so that we can move beyond the surface and then explore the inner depths of
the spiritual realm. And if this is indeed so then we are in fact dealing with a new kind of Gnosticism which does
involve hidden and secret information apparently deep enough of a mystery to us uninitiated that Swami Foster
had to write CoD in the first place. Hence his original disclaimer to the contrary is shown to be a bit disingenuous.
And if this Contemplative/Centering Prayer truly involves no hidden mysteries then how are we to explain the
following from Guru Foster:
In the Middle Ages not even the greatest saints attempted the depths of the inward journey [contemplative
meditation] without the help of a spiritual director. Today the concept is hardly understood, let alone practiced,
except in the Roman Catholic monastic system Many of the first spiritual directors were the desert Fathers and
were held in high regard for their ability to discern spirits (185, emphasis mine).

The question now becomes: If there are no hidden mysteries as we approach this exploration of the inner depths of
the spiritual realm, then why would we need a spiritual director in the first place? And what book does Foster turn to
for help in explaining the purpose of these spiritual directors? Ill tell you: Spiritual Direction And Meditation (SDM)
by Thomas Merton. As I said previously its simply beyond question that the Guru of Contemplation is greatly
influenced by Merton the Mystic Monk. And it is little wonder that this unneccessary position for the Christian of
some spiritual director is primarily practiced in the apostate Church of Rome, for that is where it came from in the first
place.
In fact in SDM Thomas Merton, the man Foster says shared priceless wisdom for all Christians who long to go
deeper in the spiritual life, explains the origin for the Guru of Contemplations supposed requirement of a spiritual
director for the inward journey. As Merton does you will be able to see where this whole messed up mysticism
immediately went off-track. The Mystic Monk tells us the:
original, primitive meaning of spiritual direction suggests a particular need connected with a special ascetic task, a
peculiar vocation for which a professional formation is required. In other words, spiritual direction is a monastic
concept. It is a practice which was unnecessaryuntil men withdrew from the Christian community in order to
live as solitaries in the desert. For the ordinary member in the primitive Christian community there was no particular
need of personal direction in the professional sense. The bishop, the living and visible representative of the apostle
who had founded the local Church, spoke for Christ and the apostles, and, helped by the presbyters, took care of all
the spiritual needs of his flock (11, emphasis mine).
Christian Roshis, Living Spiritual Teachers And Repainted/Reimagined Gnosticism
And at this point in our meditation on Contemplative/Centering Prayer the prosecution brings into this discussion
Brian Flynn who is our own expert Christian witness in this case. Author of the important bookRunning Against The
Wind (RATW) Flynn is a former New Age medium and longtime practitioner of Transcendental Mediation. He is more
than qualified to speak on these subjects. In answer to the question Whats the purpose of this type of
[Contemplative/Centering] prayer? Flynn says:
Merton and Foster say it is to talk to God, to get closer to God or achieve union with God. And yet this method is not
described or supported in Scripture (in fact, according to Matthew 6:7, vain repetitions are condemned), this is not
really talking with God. It is subjective experience and cannot be trusted (144)
Well return to this idea of subjective experience another time, but for now the following puts to rest once and for all
Fosters incorrect statement that Christian meditation involves no hidden mysteries. In RATW Flynn brings out the
truth when he informs us that in Fosters book Prayer: Finding The Hearts True Home:
Richard Foster continues explaining the reason for seeking the silence [of meditation]:
The desert father Ammonas, a disciple of Saint Anthony, writes, I have shown you the power of silence, how
thoroughly it heals and how fully pleasing it is to God. Know that it is by silence that the saints grew, that it was
because of silence that the power of God dwelt in them, because of silence that the mysteries of Godwere known to
them. It is this recreating silence [of meditation] to which we are called in Contemplative Prayer (173,
emphasis mine).

So as should now be able to see we certainly are indeed dealing with a secret knowledge which then needs to be
imparted to the initiate by someone who has already been enlightened to this new gnosis. By any definition we are
involved with secret hidden mysteries that Guru Foster tells us are only to be found in the recreating silence of the
meditation of Contemplative Prayer. But in RATW Flynn brings out a trenchant point regarding this repainted [read:
reimagined] Gnostic mysticism when he writes:
When Foster quotes Ammonas as saying because of silence that the mysteries of God were known to them, he has
revealed the underlying layer of contemplative prayer. The attraction to contemplative prayer lies in the secrets that
are not revealed in Scripture but are supposedly revealed in the silence. The voice conjured in the mind by vain
repetition is said to reveal the secrets that the non-contemplative Christians arent privy to. But I ask then: Has God
orchestrated a different class of Christians, the upper contemplatives who get the inside scoop while the rest of us
wallow in the darkness with only Gods Word revealed to us in the Bible (173).
And this is where the charge of Gnosticism now applies this CSM because this is the exact same type
ofesotericism the historic orthodox Christian faith was battling from its very inception. In fact these are the type of
counterfeit teachers and false apostles that John and Paul in particular were specifically warning the Church about.
Suffice here to say that these false prophets of Gnosticism were attempting to blend their own kind of philosophies
and religious ideas in with the Christian faith. They were teaching that only those who were enlightened by their
special brand of knowledge (Greek: gnosis) really understood Who Jesus was and/or could ever hope to grasp truth
about the Pleroma aka God.
And now it all starts to sound mighty familiar, doesnt itthe same old peas in the same old corrupt spiritual pod
and were right back around to Ecclesiastes 1:9-10:
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no
new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time,
which was before us.
KEEPING YOU APPRISED OF: CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER
By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Dec 29, 2008 in AM Missives, Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current
Issues, Spiritual Formation
So Where Did Contemplative/Centering Prayer Actually Originate?
We are aware Wikipedia is not a source normally used in more scholastic research and the following is quoted mainly
for the convenience of the lay reader but it will be firmly established by subsequent testimony below:
seeds of what would become known as contemplation were sown early in the Christian era. The first appearance of
something approximating contemplative prayer arises in the 4th century writings of the monk St. John Cassian, who
wrote of a practice he learned from the Desert Fathers (specifically from Isaac). (Online source)
This information from Wikipedia is now confirmed by former national coordinator of Emergent Village Tony
Jones. The below is from Jones book Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life:

Like the Jesus Prayer, Centering Prayer grew out of the reflections and writings of the Desert Fathers. John
Cassian (c.360-c.430) came from the West and made a pilgrimage to the desert to learn the ways of contemplative
prayer Cassian was deeply influenced by his time in the desert, and he wrote his book The Conferences about his
conversations with the Desert Fathers to acquaint Western Christians with their teachings. (70, emphasis mine)
Now keep in mind here that Jones is even considered to be a sturdy authority on so-called Christian
mysticism by Emergent Church theologian Brian McLaren himself. And you should know that McLarens latest
book Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices is all about the alleged disciplines
of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism taught by his friend Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard
Foster.
You may recall that in a Christianity Today article called The Emergent Mystique that Guru McLaren has cited Foster
along with his spiritual twin Dallas Willardwith their emphasis on spiritual disciplinesas key mentorsof
the Emerging Church rebellion against Sola Scriptura. And then we have this further corroboration concerning John
Cassian and the desert hermits by Benedictine monk, Dom Laurence Freeman, Director of The World Community for
Christian Meditation whose spiritual teacher was John Main:
One day, about 1700 years ago, two young Christian monks living in the Egyptian desert visited an abba, an elder.
They asked him what prayer really means. Abba Isaac then gave them one of the clearest and most powerful
explanations of prayer in the whole Christian tradition. He said there are many forms of prayer but that all of them
point to the same source and goal: the Prayer of Fire. He meant the living prayer of Jesus present in the human
heart through the Holy Spirit.
The prayer of fire, Abba Isaac explained, consumes self-consciousness. It is the goal of all spiritual practice: union
with ultimate reality, loving union with God, divinization. The question is how can we find this mystery of love in our
own centre; how do we pray at depth; how do we enter the transformative experience of union? It is the question
many people today are asking and the question is the spiritual hunger of our age.
Meditation is pure prayer. Pure of thought, images and words. We leave all these behind to enter purity of heart.
Pure of egocentricity because we are not asking for anything. We take the searchlight of consciousness off
ourselves. We do this simple but not easy work by taking a single word, a prayer word. We repeat the word
continuously. In Latin Cassian called it a formula, Main a mantra. (Online source)
So now you know. This is where the antibiblical practice of Contemplative/Centering Prayer originated; it was not
practiced or taught by Jesus Christ nor by His Apostles, and it truly has no place at all in the life of the Christian.

PSALM 46:10 DOES NOT TEACH CONTEMPLATIVE/CENTERING PRAYER

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Jan 16, 2012 in AM Missives, Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current
Issues, Features, Spiritual Formation

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in

trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the
sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of
her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters
his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the
end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. Be still, and know that I
am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of
Jacob is our fortress. Selah (Psalm 46:1-11)
Be Still, Use Your Mind, And Youll Know Youre Being Mislead By Contemplative Gurus
The heart of this article here at Apprising Ministries is to bring to your attention that its quite common for
those Protholics and Narcigetes who are teachers of the corrupt Contemplative/Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) of socalled Spiritual Formation (SF) to appeal to verse 10 of the above Psalm 46 in an attempt to justify their unbiblical
practice of Contemplative/Centering Prayer (CCP), which is a type of meditation in an altered state of consciousness
i.e. transcendental meditation for the Christian.
For example youll definitely see this in this teaching of Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic RoshiRichard
Foster as well as that of his spiritual twin ordained Southern Baptist minister Dallas Willard. Perhaps the best recent
example would be the DVD Be Still And Know, an actual ode to CCP in which that dubious duo also appear. The
Bible Study Guide that comes with it informs us:
Be Still is an interactive film that provides a contemplative look at the history, importance and power of prayer from a
cross-denominational point of view demonstrat[ing] contemplative reflection as a vital part of our everyday lives

featur[ing] some of todays most highly respected Christian authors, educators, speakers and ministers including Dr.
Henry Cloud, Richard Foster, Max Lucado, Beth Moore, Priscilla Shriver and Dallas Willard.[1]
Sure enough on page 9 under the subheading Contemplative Prayer were told that, The Bible speaks specifically
about being quiet and still before the Lord. And the first verse used to support their contention that Scripture is
speaking about being quiet and still in preparation for CCP meditation is Psalm 46:10. InPrayer: Finding The Hearts
True Home the aforementioned Richard Foster writes:
So many passages of Scripture provide a touchstone for Meditative Prayer: Be still and know that I am God; Abid
in my love; I am the Good Shepherd; Rejoice in the Lord always.[2]
Then we have Ruth Haley Barton, a spiritual director, teacher ,and retreat leader trained through The Shalem Institute
for Spiritual Formation. Co-Founder & President of The Transforming Center Barton has also been a featured
speaker and teacher at Zondervans National Pastors Conference for the past couple of years heading up their
Pastors Retreats. Her book Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing Gods Transforming Presence, and by
the way you can purchase her books right from Lifeway Christian Stores of the ProtestantSouthern Baptist
Convention,[3] has a foreword from Dallas Willard and an endorsement from Tilden Edwards who heads the
interspiritual Shalem Institute.
In her chapter Beyond Words where she describes her journey (Im coming to hate that word) into the silence and
solitude of CCP Barton opens with a quote from apostate Roman Catholic monk and mystic Richard Rohr and
explains that help came from a spiritual director whom Barton met when she sought her out for therapy. Barton
then tells us that:
this wise woman said to me, Ruth, you are like a jar of river water all shaken up. What you need is to sit still long
enough that the sentiment can settle and the water can become clear well, that image called to me with the hope
of peace, clarity and a deeper level of certainty in God than I had ever known. In the desire [which] this image stirred
up, I recognized an invitation to be still and know beyond my addiction to noise, words, people and performanceoriented activity.[4]
What Is The Lord Telling Us When He Tells Us To Be Still And Know Hes God?
All of this sure sounds pleasing and it most certainly is the prevailing postevangelical view of Psalm 46:10 Be still,
and know that I am God. The huge problem for the growing band of evangelical CSM supporters in the Emerging
rebellion against sola Scriptura is that this verse has nothing at all to do with the subject of prayer as the context
should make clear. Taken in the context of this Psalm, an exclaimation of praise for the glorious absolute sovereignty
of the LORD God Almighty, we have a reminder that those who belong to Him should cease striving; stop worrying,
be still, rest quietly, in any kind of situation because the LORD is your God.
Yet how odd that evangelical and Emergent Church contemplatives content to embrace mystery ala Rob Bellwill tell
me that I cant know for sure verse 10 really means what I just told you it does. However, in a perfect demonstration
of double-mindedness these same wannabe Christian mystics are then certain that they know this verse is, in fact,
teaching their spurious spirituality. Even so, the fact remains its these neo-Gnosticswith their supposedly superior
understanding of the real meaning of Scripturewhove wrested this verse out of its context. Um, the Scriptures
where out of the other side of their mouths they still tell us cant be clearly understood.

As to a proper view of Psalm 46:10 in The Expositors Bible Commentary series Dr. Willem A. VanGemeren is right
when he points out that:
the psalmist encourages the godly to know that the Lord is God. Though it was tempting to ally themselves with
foreign powers, to rely on military strength, or to give themselves over to idolatry and pagan ways, the godly must
learn to persevere to the end. The exhortation be still calls on them to stop doing one thing in favor of something
else. What their temptation was may be implied from v.2: Therefore we will not fear.
Throughout the history of Israel and Judah, severe national distress brought the temptation to abandon true religion
for the ephemeral security of political alliances, military strength, and worldly paganism (Realpolitik). Instead of
choosing a negative option, the people of God distinguish themselves by the pursuit of godliness: Know that I am
God. The knowledge of God includes a factual knowledge about him, his past acts, and his promises. But in this
context the psalmist calls on them to commit themselves to the Lord and to seek his refuge, strength, and
fortress (vv.1, 7, 11).[5]
Then in his own classic The Treasury of David Charles Spurgeon quotes Jonathan Edwards as teaching the following
concerning Psalm 46:10:
Verse 10. Be still, and know that I am God. The great works of God, wherein his sovereignty appeared, had been
described in the foregoing verses. In the awful desolations that he made, and by delivering his people by terrible
things, he showed his greatness and dominion. Herein he manifested his power and sovereignty, and so commands
all to be still, and know that he is God. For says he, I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
In the words may be observed,
A duty described, to be still before God, and under the dispensations of his providence; which implies that we must
be still as to words; not speaking against the sovereign dispensations of Providence, or complaining of them; not
darkening counsel by words without knowledge, or justifying ourselves and speaking great swelling words of vanity.
We must be still as to actions and outward behaviour, so as not to oppose God in his dispensations; and as to the
inward frame of our hearts, cultivating a calm and quiet submission of soul to the sovereign pleasure of God,
whatever it may be. (Online source)
Next pastor Larry DeBruyn will now give us a good working knowledge of the Hebrew which underlies the English
Cease striving, Be still:
the verb Be still (Hebrew, rapah) is used 46 times in the Old Testament with meanings everywhere from describing
laziness to ordering relaxation. Though the majority of versions translate the injunction Be still, other meanings are
Cease striving (NASB), Be quiet (NCV), Desist (Youngs), or Calm down (CEV). In no biblical usage or context
does the Hebrew verb enjoin Gods people to meditate or contemplate. Rather, believers are to rest and trust in God.
(Online source, emphasis his)
And in closing, if you are someone who has found themselves attracted to these seducing spirits and theirdoctrines
of demons in CSM and CCP I will now leave you to contemplate the following sound advice and stern warning
from Christian apologist Bob DeWaay in his article Contemporary Christian Divination: The False Claims and
Practices of Christian Mystics:

I have debated people about these techniques many times. They often say, God can do anything and use anything,
you are tying to put God in a box. You probably have heard that argument. When I was doing my research on
divination for the previous issue of CIC, I thought about the putting God in a box accusation. The Biblical record
shows that it is God who purposely limits the ways we can come to Him. If there is a box God made it. I think a
better analogy than a box, is a sheepfold. It is a Biblical analogy.
Jesus said, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some
other way, he is a thief and a robber (John 10:1). The true sheep enter the sheepfold through the door, Jesus Christ
(John 10:7). He as the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He protects His sheep from the
wolves, gives them pasture, and abundant life (John 10:10-15). Being in the sheepfold may seem restrictive
compared to the adventures of exploring the bigger world out there unencumbered by the guidance of the Shepherd.
However the restrictions are there to save our spiritual lives.
The restrictions God places on how and by what means we may legitimately come to Him and receive spiritual truth
are for our own good. The spirit world that Christian mystics like Morton Kelsey want to explore is far more complex
than even Jung and Kelsey give it credit for being. The dangers of deception are far more real. In fact, if we journey
into the world of the spirits by means other that what God has ordained, we will be deceived, not may be deceived.
The spirits who inhabit that world have been there for many thousands of years practicing the art of deception. They
willingly give people whatever experience they would tend to think is from God. Jose Silva, who is Catholic, when he
went into his alpha level to gain guides received Jesus and Mary. The spirits will give you what you would expect is
from God in your own context. They will provide any experience that serves their deceptive purposes, including
sending a spiritual Jesus (see2Corinthians 11:4). The prohibitions on divination are there to protect us from these
malicious entities.
So we are not putting God in a box, God is putting us in a sheepfold if we are willing to be there. The practices of
thinking outside the box that are so popular today are fatal when it comes to spirituality. God has not left access to
spiritual truth in the hands of innovative thinkers who like pioneers blaze new trails. God has given access to Himself,
once for all, through Jesus Christ who is our heavenly High Priest. The truth is revealed once for all in the Scriptures.
(Online source, emphasis his)
___________________________________________________________________________
End notes:
[1] Be Still (DVD 2006 Twentieth Fox Home Entertainment LLC).
[2] Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding The Hearts True Home [New York: Harper Collins, 1997], 149.
[3] http://www.lifeway.com/Keyword/barton+ruth+haley?Ntk=Author, accessed 1/16/12.
[4] Ruth Haley Barton, Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing Gods Transforming Presence[Downers Grove:
IVP Books, 2005], 29, 30.
[5] Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., Expositors Bible Commentary: With the New International Version of the Bible[Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976-92), in Zondervan NIV Study Bible Library, limited ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
2001), CD-ROM, Psalm 46.

CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY/MYSTICISM AS METHODOLOGY FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Sep 1, 2008 in AM Missives, Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current
Issues, Dallas Willard,Emergent Church, Features, Henri Nouwen, New Spirituality, Richard Foster, Rick
Warren, Shane Claiborne/New Monasticism,Southern Baptist Convention, Spiritual Formation, Youth Ministry

take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
(Matthew 18:16)
The Murky Mystic Shadows Of Spurious Spiritual Formation Looms Closer To You
In a court of law it is a common occurrence for trial lawyers to bring in expert witnesses from specialized fields in
order to instruct a jury and/or help the lawyer to bolster their case through the experts ability to speak as an authority
in their given field. There is a risk involved however. You see once this expert is placed on the witness stand the door
is then opened for the opposing attorney to cross-examine this expert themselves.
So while one attorney might wish to simply focus the experts testimony to a limited area, the other attorney may then
bring in additional issues relevant to the testimony, which could call into question the reliability of this experts
testimony. Its then up to the jury to assess whether the expert in question is in fact knowledgeable, credible,
accurate, etc. In other words it is imperative that jurors test the over-all character and teachings of these witnesses in
order to more fully evaluate the validity of their testimony.
The main point Im attempting to bring to your attention here is just because someone makes a claim to be
something, it does not necessarily follow that these experts really are everything you are told that they are. And it
certainly doesnt mean that they are truly proficient in whatever their vocation happens to be. As we enter the realm of
the Christian faith our Lord Jesus teaches us that the very same principle of judging character applies here as well
Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment (John 7:24).
With this in mind then as a continuing series Apprising Ministries is seeking to help the Body of Christ to question
various teachers so often appealed to as expert witnesses for what I see as a counterfeit form of Christianity
through their neo-pagan spiritual disciplines of Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), e.g. Who Is Henri
Nouwen? Its my contention that this CSM is a growing and corrupt spiritual blight, which is currently spreading
apostasy under the guise of Spiritual Formation throughout the evangelical camp as explosively as an Oklahoma
wildfire.
And if you think I exaggerate then consider Christianity Today Promoting The Cult of Richard Foster where I show
you that the current September 2008 issue of CT features an interview embracing Quaker mystic Richard Foster as a
teacher of proper Christian spirituality. Consider that a few pages later in the same issue theres 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.

But you tell me: Since when were Quaker mystics like Richard Foster evangelicals? And when did the following
become proper Protestant theology? The below is from an excellent in-depth analysis of Mysticism in which Dr. Gary
Gilley discusses Celebration of Discipline the book foundational for The Cult of Roshi Richard Foster:
Celebration of Discipline, alone, not even referencing Fosters other writings and teachings and ministries, is a virtual
encyclopedia of theological error. We would be hard pressed to find in one so-called evangelical volume such a
composite of false teaching. These include faulty views on the subjective leading of God (pp. 10, 16-17, 18, 50, 95,
98, 108-109, 128, 139-140, 149-150, 162, 167, 182); approval of New Age teachers (see Thomas Merton below);
occultic use of imagination (pp. 25-26, 40-43, 163, 198); open theism (p. 35); misunderstanding of the will of God in
prayer (p. 37); promotion of visions, revelations and charismatic gifts (pp. 108, 165, 168-169, 171, 193); endorsement
of rosary and prayer wheel use (p. 64); misunderstanding of the Old Testament Law for today (pp. 82, 87); mystical
journaling (p. 108); embracing pop-psychology (pp. 113-120); promoting Roman Catholic practices such as use of
spiritual directors, confession and penance (pp. 146-150, 156, 185); and affirming of aberrant charismatic practices
(pp. 158-174, 198).
(Online source)
As the Lord leads and funding allows AM will be seeking to provide more information about these expert witnesses,
whom various teachers of CSM so often put on the witness stand as authorities. And they are brought in to bolster a
faulty approach to Christian spirituality which was not taught by Christ or His Apostles; but rather, flowered in the
antibiblical monastic traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism.
The hope is that then you will have the resources you need to properly test the character and teachings of these
alleged expert teachers within CSM in order to see if they do indeed measure up to what Scripture teaches is a
proper approach to Christian spirituality. Because when all is said and done this doomed love affair evangelicals are
having with corrupt CSM is an attack on the Reformation doctrine sola Scriptura.
It truly is as pastor Bob DeWaay recently brought out in his exceptional article Why Evangelicals Are Returning to
Rome: The Abandonment of Sola Scriptura as a Formal Principle:
Apparently, contemporary evangelicals have forgotten that sola scriptura (scripture alone) was the formal principle of
the Reformation. Teachings and practices that could not be justified from Scripture were rejected on that principle. To
endorse a trip back to these practices of ancient Roman Catholicism is to reject the principle of sola scriptura being
the normative authority for the beliefs and practices of the church. In this article I will explore how modern
evangelicalism has compromised the principle of sola scriptura and thus paved smoothly the road back to Rome.
Today at least three large movements within Protestantism claim to be new reformations. If we examine them
closely we will find evidence that sola scriptura has been abandoned as a governing principleif not formally, at least
in practice. To have a new reformation requires the repudiation of the old Reformation. That in turn requires the
repudiation of the formal principle of the Reformation. Thats where well begin (Online source)

RICHARD FOSTERCELEBRATION OF DECEPTION

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on May 2, 2012 in Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, Current
Issues, Features, Richard Foster

By Apprising Ministries special correspondent Bob DeWaay

In February 2008, Christianity Today ran a glowing cover story about Evangelicalisms recent embrace of medieval
Roman Catholic mysticism entitled The Future lies in the Past.1
The article traced the beginning of the movement as follows: The movement seems to have exploded in a 24-month
period in 1977-1978, which saw the publication of Richard Fosters bestselling Celebration of Discipline: The Path to
Spiritual Growth and Robert Webbers Common Roots: A Call to Evangelical Maturity. 2
The article views Foster as one who continues to guide the movement: From Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and
living practicing monks and nuns, they [those going back to Roman Catholic mysticism] must learn both the strengths
and the limits of the historical ascetic disciplines. 3 So Foster was instrumental in starting a movement that is still
growing 30-plus years later.
The irony about this particular CIC regarding Fosters 1978 book is that in 1978 I myself was living in a Christian
community committed to practicing much of what he promotes in Celebration of Discipline (even though we had not
learned it from him directly). So I am not criticizing a practice about which I know nothing (or one in which I have no
experience). I am criticizing a practice I foolishly allowed to deceive me for a significant portion of my early Christian
life. When it comes to being deceived by mysticism, I have had abundant involvement. The only way I escaped it was
through discovering and adopting the Reformation principle of sola scriptura.
In this article I will show that Fosters journey inward is unbiblical and dangerous. I will show that most of the
spiritual disciplines that he calls means of grace are no means of grace at allbut a means of putting oneself under
spiritual deception.

The Journey Inward

The Bible nowhere describes an inward journey to explore the realm of the spirit. God chose to reveal the truth about
spiritual reality through His ordained, Spirit-inspired, biblical writers. What is spiritual and not revealed by God is of
the occult and, therefore, forbidden. We have discussed this in many articles and have produced DVD seminars on
the topic. But the concept of sola scriptura is totally lost on mystics such as Richard Foster. They, like the enthusiasts
that Calvin and Luther warned against, believe they can gain valid and useful knowledge of spiritual things through
direct, personal inspiration.
Foster describes the idea of the disciplines that are the topic of his book: The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life
call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual
realm.4 So Foster has conceptually repudiated sola scriptura on page one to replace it with a journey inward to
explore the realm of spirits. Something must have been seriously amiss in evangelicalism already in 1978 to render
this book a bestseller! It ought to have been repudiated on the spot. In a footnote to that statement Foster writes, In
one form or another all of the devotional masters have affirmed the necessity of the Disciplines (Foster: 1). The
devotional masters, by the way, are mostly Roman Catholics who never were committed to the principle of sola
scriptura. It is not surprising that they looked for spirituality through experimentation. But as an inner light Quaker,
Foster never was committed to sola scriptura either.
Forgetting that the Bible forbids divination, Foster explains what he is after:
[W]e must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation. In their writings, all
of the masters of meditation strive to awaken us to the fact that the universe is much larger than we know, that there
are vast unexplored inner regions that are just as real as the physical world we know so well. . . . They call us to the
adventure, to be pioneers in this frontier of the Spirit. (Foster: 13)
Realizing that his readers would likely take this as an endorsement of Eastern religions, he makes a disclaimer that it
is not Transcendental Meditation (TM) or something of that ilk: Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind;
Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind in order to fill it (Foster: 15). But what Foster wishes us to fill our
minds with are personal revelations from the spirit realm that we naively are to think are the voice of God. This sort of
meditation is not meditating on what God has said, but uses a technique to explore the spirit world. In other words, it
is divination.
What we learn about the spirit realm either is revealed by God (once for all in Scripture) or gleaned by man-made
techniques. That distinction is the difference between Christianity and paganism. Only Bible believers know what God
has said about Himself and what He wishes to reveal about the unseen spirit world. Fosters material continues to be
popular because we live in an age where being spiritual pioneers on a journey into the unseen realm of the spirits is
the essence of popular piety. It is the spirituality of secular talk shows.
To fully understand the degree of Fosters deception, he even calls these techniques to the inner journey means of
grace: They [the Disciplines] are Gods means of grace (Foster: 6). As with all who teach spiritual disciplines, there
are no boundaries to these false means. For example, consider this recommended practice: After you have gained
some proficiency in centering down, add a five- to ten-minute meditation on some aspect of the creation. Choose
something in the created order: tree, plant, bird, leaf, cloud, and each day ponder it carefully and prayerfully (Foster
25). This after he had just taught breathing exercises (a means of centering down). Then he makes a startling claim:

We should not bypass this means of Gods grace (Foster: 25). And there we have it: meditating of a leaf can be a
means of grace!
Fosters journey inward is to discover a spirit world that is available for any who search for it: How then do we come
to believe in a world of the spirit? Is it by blind faith? Not at all. The inner reality of the spiritual world is available to all
who are willing to search for it (Foster: 18). He claims that this spiritual search is analogous to scientific
experimentation. Never mind that every pagan culture that has existed has believed in the spiritual world.
Spirituality of the Imagination
The Bible does not have anything good so say about the imagination. For example: Thus says the Lord of hosts, Do
not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a
vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord' (Jeremiah 23:16). A search of the KJV for
imagination yields 14 verses, and in each case it is a bad thing. According to the Bible, the imagination is where
people go when they do not want to listen to God.
However, for Foster the imagination is central: The inner world of meditation is most easily entered through the door
of the imagination. We fail today to appreciate its tremendous power. The imagination is stronger than conceptual
thought and stronger than the will (Foster: 22). Some of the authorities he cites on this point are C. G. Jung, Ignatius
of Loyola, and Morton Kelsey. Jung is famous for his concept of the collective unconscious, and Kelsey was an
Episcopal priest committed to Jungian principles. Kelsey wrote many books promoting mysticism. The advice Foster
gleans from these teachers is that we must learn to think in images and take our dreams to be a possible doorway
into the spirit world. Foster claims that dreams are something we already have and can help us develop the use of
the imagination. He says, Keeping a journal of our dreams is a way of taking them seriously (Foster: 23).
There is, Foster warns, a danger to this process: At the same time [that we ask for dreams to be God speaking to
us], it is wise to pray a prayer of protection, since to open ourselves to spiritual influence can be dangerous as well as
profitable (Foster: 23). I would say that is asking God to protect us as we use various techniques to go where He
does not want us to go (into the world of the spirits to gain information). The danger he warns of is far greater than
Foster imagines. Those who take the journey inward will be deceivedevery time! We are not equipped to gain
spiritual information from that realm. That is why God speaks to us through His ordained mediators (the inspired
Biblical writers); otherwise we would be fishing in the dark in a medium we are not suited for.
Foster teaches his readers to use their imaginations to experience Biblical stories with the five physical senses. Here
is what he claims will happen:
As you enter the story, not as a passive observer but as an active participant, remember that since Jesus lives in the
Eternal Now and is not bound by time, this event in the past is a living present-tense experience for Him. Hence, you
can actually encounter the living Christ in the event, be addressed by His voice and be touched by His healing power.
It can be more than an exercise of the imagination; it can be a genuine confrontation. Jesus Christ will actually come
to you. (Foster: 26)
Showing that Fosters ideas are still influential in our day, Greg Boyd cites some of Fosters words here to support
what he calls cataphatic prayer which uses the imagination and images as a means to contact God and gain
spiritual information.5 Those who endorse this practice assume they are not being deceived by spirits, but I cannot
see on what grounds.

Foster prescribes a practice using ones imagination that mimics astral projection to the degree that he actually
includes a footnote disclaimer stating that it is not astral projection (Foster 28). It begins by telling his readers to
imagine themselves going out into nature into a beautiful place (Boyd describes how he practices this, as well as its
results6). After enjoying the sights and smells (in your imagination) these are the next steps:
In your imagination allow your spiritual body, shining with light, to rise out of your physical body. Look back so that
you can see yourself lying in the grass and reassure your body that you will return momentarily. Imagine your spiritual
self, alive and vibrant, rising up through the clouds and into the stratosphere. . . Go deeper and deeper into outer
space until there is nothing except the warm presence of the eternal Creator. Rest in His presence. Listen quietly,
anticipating the unanticipated. Note carefully any instruction given. With time and experience you will be able to
distinguish readily between mere human thought that may bubble up to the conscious mind and the True Spirit which
inwardly moves upon the heart. (Foster: 27, 28)
I must ask how one knows whether True Spirit is not a deceiving one? Mysticisms fatal flaw is that it naively
assumes that Christians having subjective religious experiences must therefore be having Christianexperiences that
are truly from Godeven if the experiences were provoked through unbiblical practices similar to those used by
pagans.
Mental Alchemy
Fosters approach to prayer is laced with mysticism as well. He claims that prayer needs to be learned from people
who have the right experiences and are masters who know what they are doing. Foster does not teach ordinary
prayer, whereby we bring our needs and requests to the Lord and know that He hears us (because He promised that
He does). Here is why he thinks such prayer fails:
Often people will pray and pray with all the faith in the world, but nothing happens. Naturally, they were not contacting
the channel. We begin praying for others by first centering down and listening to the quiet thunder of the Lord of
hosts. Attuning ourselves to divine breathings is spiritual work, but without it our praying is vain repetition (Mt. 6:7).
Listening to the Lord is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for successful intercession.
(Foster: 34)
Of course this means we have to become mystics if we want to pray.
He teaches that we first must hear personal revelations from God, using meditation techniques such as he teaches,
before we pray. He says: The beginning point, then, in learning to pray for others is to listen for guidance . . . This
inner yes is the divine authorization for you to pray for the person or situation (Foster: 35). No! Foster is wrong! The
only authorization we need to pray is the Biblical command to praynot personal revelations.
For Foster, meditation (mystical style) is necessary but not sufficient. He also brings the imagination into the process:
As with meditation, the imagination is a powerful tool in the work of prayer (Foster: 36). He credits Agnes
Sanford7 for helping him see the value of using the imagination in praying. Foster writes, Imagination opens the door
to faith. If we can see in our minds eye a shattered marriage whole or a sick person well, it is only a short step to
believing it will be so (Foster: 36). Sanford got her ideas from Theosophy, New Thought, Jung, and Emmet Fox.
These ideas, echoed by Foster, come from the unbiblical mind over matter thinking of that era. That kind of thinking
uses creative visualization to change reality or channel spiritual power. Foster suggests, Imagine the light of Christ

flowing through your hands and healing every emotional trauma and hurt feeling your child experienced that day
(Foster: 39).
In his 1985 book, The Seduction of Christianity, Dave Hunt labeled creative visualization such as what Foster
promotes, mental alchemy. 8 Hunt warned the church that Foster promoted such mental alchemy in Celebration of
Discipline, and as we have shown, he, in fact, does. So how is it that 24 years after Hunts warning Foster is more
popular than ever with Evangelicals? The answer is end times deception. Now, a huge movement that claims to be a
reformation promoting Foster, Willard and their versions of mysticism does exist (i.e., The Emergent Church). Things
have gotten so very much worse.
Spiritual Directors
Once mysticism and the supposed need to gain personal revelations from God are embraced, there arises a need for
new masters who are better at navigating the spirit world. Pagan societies have always had such persons. They are
called shamans. Eastern religion calls them gurus. Deceived Christians call them spiritual directors. Foster
explains, In the Middle Ages not even the greatest saints attempted the depths of the inward journey without the help
of a spiritual director (Foster: 159). The problem, according to Foster, is that the churches (in 1978) lacked living
masters:
No doubt part of the surge of interest in Eastern meditation is because the churches have abrogated the field. How
depressing for a university student, seeking to know the Christian teaching on meditation, to discover that there are
so few living masters of contemplative prayer and that nearly all of the serious writings on the subject are seven or
more centuries old. No wonder he or she turns to Zen, Yoga, or TM. (Foster: 14)
Fosters dream has come true. Today people can even practice Yoga in a Christian church. We have Christian TM; it
is called contemplative prayer. Yes, Eastern religion has come right into the church, and Foster has helped usher it in.
But what about living masters or spiritual directors? In 1972 Morton Kelsey lamented their lack: Indeed I would
suggest that everyone who is serious about relating to the spiritual realm find himself a spiritual director, if there were
more men trained and experienced in this way. 9 That problem has been solved in a huge way. Evangelical theology
schools are now offering masters degrees in spiritual formation in order to equip people to be spiritual directors.
Here is what Biola University says about its program: This degree is designed to equip men and women for the
ministry of spiritual direction, discipleship, formation and soul care in the local church and for further academic
training in spiritual formation. 10 Spiritual Directors International will help you find a spiritual director regardless of your
religion.11 Richard Fosters own Renovare, which purports to encourage renewal in the Christian church, has a list of
spiritual direction programs.12
Foster explains the purpose of the spiritual director: He is the means of God to open the path to the inward teaching
of the Holy Spirit (Foster: 160). Apparently, in a full-blown rejection of sola scriptura where the Holy Spirits teaching
is mediated to the church through the Biblical writers only, we need mediators for personal revelations beyond
scripture.
Foster explains how spiritual directors lead: He leads only by the force of his own personal holiness (Foster: 160). In
Roman Catholicism the Pope is called his holiness and in Tibetan Buddhism the Dalai Lama is called his holiness
but now evangelicals are developing a class of people who evidently deserve the title. How exactly are we to judge
when someone has gained personal holiness sufficient to be a spiritual director and mediate spirituality to others?

Foster says, Though the director has obviously advanced further into the inner depths, the two [master and disciple]
are together learning and growing in the realm of the Spirit (Foster: 160). Foster cites Roman Catholic mystic
Thomas Merton about how this works: The spiritual director was something of a spiritual father who begot the
perfect life in the soul of his disciple by his instructions first of all, but also by his prayer, his sanctity and his example.
He was . . . a kind of sacrament of the Lords presence in the ecclesiastical community (Foster: 161).
End Times Delusion
When it comes to end times deception, Foster is on the cutting edge of embracing it. Consider what he wrote: In our
day heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emerging of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated, Spirit-empowered
people. . . . Individuals can be found here and there whose hearts burn with divine fire (Foster: 150). Such
inclinations have led to massive deception. They smack of the Latter Rain deception, now embodied in such false
teachers as Rick Joyner and Mike Bickle. They are elitist. They are in line with the beliefs of the Emergent Church as
well. He also says: Our century has yet to see the breaking forth of the apostolic church of the Spirit (Foster: 150).
Now we have the New Apostolic Reformation claiming to be just that. Fosters ideas now embody the massive
apostasy and end times deception that characterize our age.
Fosters teachings have taken the church as far away from the Reformation principle of sola scriptura as the Roman
Catholic Church ever was. The only thing left is for them to bring us all the way back to Rome.Christianity
Today praises Foster for pointing us in that direction.
In early 2008 I wrote a CIC article about how abandoning the principle of sola scriptura would lead evangelicals back
to Rome.13 It was partly a response to the CT article praising mysticism. The response I received was rather
unexpected. I was contacted by former evangelicals who had rejected sola scriptura and had gone back to Rome!
They wanted to debate me about sola scriptura. Sadly, my point was proven. As a response to their misguided
challenge our church hosted a seminar on sola scriptura, called Faith at Risk 4. In the seminar Gary Gilley and I
defended the scriptures as the sole authority for the church. 14
The aforementioned CT article discusses a new monasticism, former evangelical leaders converting to Roman
Catholicism, and mystical practices like lectio divinaand they call all of it a good and hopeful thing. Chris Armstrong,
the author of the article, concluded, That they [evangelicals] are receiving good guidance on this road from wise
teachers [Foster and Willard] is reason to believe that Christ is guiding the process. And that they are meeting and
learning from fellow Christians in the other two great confessions, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox, is
reason to rejoice in the power of love. 15
Who is left to defend the principles of the Reformation? One would think Reformed theologians are, but they arent
doing their job. In the last CIC article we mentioned Reformed theologian Donald Whitney who wrote: Richard
Fosters Celebration of Discipline has been the most popular book on the subject of the Spiritual Disciplines in the
last half of the twentieth century. The great contribution of this work is the reminder that the Spiritual Disciplines,
which many see as restrictive and binding, are actually means to spiritual freedom. 16That from a teacher in a
Reformed seminary?
If a book that teaches Christian TM, Christian astral projection and mental alchemy by means of the imagination is a
great contribution, then something is seriously wrong here. The delusion is so widespread that I see no other
explanation for it than the end time deception predicted by Paul: But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some
will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, (1Timothy 4:1). Another

passage warns: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears
tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears
from the truth and will turn aside to myths (2Timothy 4:3, 4).
That time now is here. We are accountable to God for what we believe and practice. Those who wish to persevere in
the faith in this age of delusion must base their beliefs and practices only on the truths found in Scripture. Fosters
journey into the world of the spirits will deceive all who enter it.
Issue 112 May / June 2009
End notes:

1. Chris Armstong, The Future lies in the Past in Christianity Today, February 2008.
2. Ibid. 24.
3.

Ibid. 29.

4. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: Harper & Row, 1978) 1. All
subsequent citations from this book will be bracketed within the text in this fashion: (Foster: 1).
5. Greg Boyd, Seeing is Believing, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004). Boyd cites Foster to prove that the Lord will
actually come to us through our use of imaginative meditation. I deal with this issue more fully in CIC issue
83 July/August, 2003: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE83.HTM
6.

Ibid. 111-125.

7.

I write about Sanfords inner healing theories in CIC Issue

96:HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE96.HTM

8. Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon, The Seduction of Christianity (Eugene: Harvest House, 1985) 138.
9.

Morton Kelsey, Encounter With God, (Bethany Fellowship: Minneapolis, 1972) 179.

10. HTTP://WWW.BIOLA.EDU/SPIRITUALFORMATION/PROGRAMS/
11. HTTP://WWW.SDIWORLD.ORG
12. HTTP://WWW.RENOVARE.US/WHATWEDO/TRAINING/SPIRITUALITYTRAINING/SPIRITUALDIRECTION/
TABID/2384/DEFAULT.ASPX
13. CIC Issue 105; March/April 2008: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE105.HTM
14. That seminar is available here: HTTP://WWW.CICSTORE.ORG/SERVLET/THE-60/FAITH-AT-RISK4/DETAIL
15. Armstrong, Future
16. DONALD S. WHITNEY, SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (COLORADO SPRINGS:
NAVPRESS, 1991) 23.