Seeking Higher Spirituality

Documentation showing inroads of Spiritual Formation

into the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Compilers thoughts are in italics.
All other text is related to its associated link found at the end of each section.
Each year about this time, the Faculty of Religion full-time faculty meets in a cabin
overlooking Lake Arrowhead for their annual fall colloquium. he morning is s!ent
in retreat fashion thinking of ways to dee!en !ersonal s!irituality, in !re!aration for
hel!ing students who come to Loma Linda "niversity to dee!en theirs.
his year the sharing discussion centered around two articles, one by #ark $. %urrows, !rofessor of the history of
&hristianity at Andover 'ewton heological $chool titled (o aste )ith he *eart,( on the dee! reading of
$cri!ture+ the second article is one written by Robert #ulholland, !rofessor of 'ew estament at Asbury $eminary,
on ways of reading $cri!ture.
%oth articles are concerned with how we listen for (,od-s word( as found in the %ible. #ark %urrows a!!eals for a
listening beyond reading for information to a more transformational reading as the reader listens with the heart, with
all that is within us s!iritual, as well as intellectual. Robert #ulholland offers a way to do this by harkening back to a
method used early in &hristian tradition, namely Lectio divina, .s!iritual reading./
htt!011www.llu.edu1news1today1oct23341other.html56
(Reading 7lectio8 - $lowly begin reading a biblical !assage as if it were a long awaited love letter addressed to you.
A!!roach it reverentially and e9!ectantly, in a way that savors each word and !hrase. Read the !assage until you
hear a word or !hrase that touches you, resonates, attracts or even disturbs you.
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1lectiodivina.htm
he (e9ercises of :gnatius Loyola( are based on a !ractice called Lectio divina, in which certain words from
$cri!ture are re!eated slowly in a meditative fashion. According to former 'ew Age medium %rian Flynn, lectio
divina 7es!ecially the way it is taught and !racticed by many contem!latives today8 is occult based0
%y taking !assages of $cri!ture, which have an intended meaning, and breaking them down into smaller, se!arate
segments, often for the !ur!ose of chanting over and over, the true meaning of the !assages are lost. Rather a form of
occult mysticism is !racticed--with the ho!e and intention of gaining a mystical e9!erience that ,od never intended
when *e gave the ins!ired words to *is servants 7Running Against the Wind , !!. 2;;- 2;<8.
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1afa.htm
:n $e!tember 4336, =o!e %enedict >?: stated0 (:f it is effectively !romoted, this !ractice 7Lectio divina8 will bring
to the &hurch - : am convinced of it - a new s!iritual s!ringtime.( htt!011en.wiki!edia.org1wiki1Lectio@Aivina
An Ancient )ay of =raying with $cri!ture htt!011www.yms!.org1resources1!racti...io@divina.html
#ike =erschon of Bouth $!ecialties com!ares the four ste!s of Lectio Aivina to Cfour levels of consciousnessD
which introduces you at each new level into a whole new world of realityE that occurs through the four levels of
re!etitious reading0
2- L:ERAL LE?EL &F'$&:F"$'E$$
4- #oral level of consciousness
;- the Allegorical level which requires a $!iritual level of listening
G- )e sim!ly rest in the !resence of the one who has used *is word as a means of inviting us to acce!t *is
transforming embrace. )e call this level, "nion of Life or the unitive level of consciousness.
An E9!erience of Lectio Aivina htt!011www.cellof!eace.com1refl@lectio.htm
1
:t is no secret that chanting a mantra indeed em!ties the mind of thought and o!ens one u! to a different state of
consciousness. #antras are used in yoga, Hen, *indu, and ranscendental #editation. *ere is what some of these
websites say about mantras0
From a Boga website0 C#odern science has reaffirmed what yogis have known for thousands of years - that $F"'A
is able to affect the chemistry of the body and mind, and alter thought !atterns. 7D8 #antra #editation is a ?ERB
=owerful techniqueI Bou will discover that the re!etition of #antra allows your mind to focus and concentrate more
com!letely on sound, and clear away other thoughts, emotions and distractions which divert our energies. Fur senses
become more acute and our mind become shar!er and more !erce!tive as the mind clears away the Jumble of
unnecessary inner dialogue.E htt!011www.focal!ointyoga.com1mantra@meditation.htm
From a #editation website0 Che re!etition of a mantraDis meant as a method of !ractice which brings about a
!ower 7siddhi8 to reach the su!reme state of consciousness. :n this state there is silence within the mind which
becomes still 7shaant8 and eventually you will merge the mind or individual awareness with the whole, which is =ure
&onsciousness and Knowingness. Every time you !ractice you obtain the result, as this fourth state of consciousness
is always with you.E htt!011meditateGlife.com1four-stages.htm
:n s!ite of the well known !ur!ose of mantra re!etition to clear the mind and achieve this state of altered
consciousness, many &hristians today are mistakenly teaching that this is how to meditate on the )ord of ,od. %ut
is this how we fill our minds with ,od/s )ord - by em!tying our mindsL
htt!011www.rr-bb.com1showthread.!h!LtMG<6;;
In a letter to pastors regarding HeartQuest ike !ucker "rites0 C*eartNuest is a
different a!!roach to 'E evangelism designed to reach a younger, more secular
audience. As you can tell from the artwork, this series of meetings is different. . . . *ere
are some of the details0 . . . Aoctrines are !resented as tools for knowing ,od better 7more of a s!iritual disci!line
a!!roach to genuine s!iritual formation8.E
In the third session of HeartQuest ike !ucker presented the follo"ing instructions# CFne form of meditation
involves softly re!eating the words of $cri!ture over and over again. he word suggests that we actually murmur
the words to ourselves, until they become a !art of our being. :f you have had difficulty knowing how to do this, :/d
like to offer a few suggestions today. . . . First, choose a !assage of $cri!ture no longer than si9 to eight verses in
length. %egin with a time of silent !re!aration during which you come in touch with your desire to hear from ,od.
'e9t, read the !assage through. Read it once or twice slowly as you look a word or !hrase that strikes you. :t is a
word or !hrase that stands out from all the rest in the sense that you either resonate with it or you find that it brings
out a sense of resistance. Fnce you have found that word or !hrase, s!end a brief !eriod of silence during which you
savor or re!eat it without trying to figure out what it means or understand why you have reacted to it as you have.E
Trans-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Bou are
looking at an outline of our !lan for the ne9t five years. )e are the rans-
Euro!ean Aivision of the $eventh-day Adventist &hurch0 &hrist-centered, %ible-
based, interested in the wellbeing of man as a whole, and with an endtime focus.
7!age 438
2.6 $!iritual Formation and 'urture
2.6.2 Aisci!leshi! and $!iritual Formation - =aul &lee
,FAL0 %uild wides!read awareness and !ractice of disci!leshi! in all fields, including the disci!lines of
s!iritual formation.
2
:#=LE#E'A:F'0 Aevelo! and use seminars for local training on the use of s!iritual disci!lines0 :nwardly
7meditation, !rayer, fasting, study8, Futwardly 7sim!licity, solitude, submission, service8 and &or!orately
7confession, worshi!, guidance, celebration8.
RE$F"R&E$0 Literature such as0 he Equi!!ing &hurch 7$ue #allory8+ =rayer0 Finding the *eart/s rue *ome
7!ichard Foster8+ &elebration of Aisci!line 7!ichard Foster8
<
htt!011www.ted-adventist.org1about1files1strategic.!df
Albert Oames Aager, of (#edia $!otlight( writes Foster/s book (&elebration of Aisci!line0 he =ath to $!iritual
,rowth( is a book which calls for dee!er s!irituality than that which the %ible teachesI Foster-s teachings are filled
with %uddhism, Boga, . #., the e9ercises of :gnatius of Loyola, Eastern religion, and e9tremely s!iritually
destructive !ractices.
htt!011www.des!atch.cth.com.au1Aes!atch1foster@vol@<@4.htm
Spiritual Discipline of Confession
here are several criteria for choosing someone to act as your confessor. All &hristians are given the authority to
hear confession and offer absolution, not Just the ordained clergy. $ome guidelines in selecting a confessor are
s!iritual maturity, wisdom, com!assion, good common sense, the ability to kee! a confidence, and a wholesome
sense of humor. hese qualities hel! a !erson to listen to someone-s confession.
)hat do you do if someone asks you to hear his1her confessionL )hat do you do to !re!are yourself to hear your
brother-s and sister-s confessionL Anybody who has once been horrified by the dreadfulness of his own sin that
nailed Oesus to the cross will no longer be horrified by even the rankest sins of a brother. )e can !re!are ourselves
to receive a confession through !rayer. After the confession, it is e9tremely im!ortant that one !rays for the !erson
rather than Just counseling. %efore or during the !rayer, one should announce that the forgiveness that is in Oesus
&hrist is now real and effective.
:t must be noted that (the Aisci!line of confession brings an end to !retense. ,od is calling into being a &hurch that
can o!enly confess its frail humanity and know the forgiving and em!owering graces of &hrist. *onesty leads to
confession and confession leads to change. #ay ,od give grace to the &hurch once again to recover the Aisci!line
of &onfession( 7Richard Foster, &elebration of Aisci!line 2PPQ, 26<8. &ontem!orary &hristians are encouraged to
disinter this useful disci!line in the church.
htt!011eRinearticles.com1L$!iritual-Aisci!line-of-&onfessionSidM23PGTQG
%ut there is another as!ect of confession that is even harder for us, and that is confessing our sin to one another.
Listen to Oames 602T 7'R$?80 (herefore confess your sins to one another, and !ray for one another, so that you
may be healed.E Richard Foster treats confession as one of the cor!orate disci!lines, a disci!line of the whole body,
because it is !art of what we do as the church. :t is ,od who forgives, and there is only one mediator between ,od
and !eo!leUOesus &hristUbut he has given us the authority to forgive one another. he risen Oesus said to all his
disci!les, C:f you forgive anyone-s sins, they are forgiven. :f you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven( 7Oohn
4304; 'L8. his is !art of what %a!tists mean by the !riesthood of all believers. )e didn/t say that we don/t
believe in !riests, so don/t confess your sin to a !riest. )e said that we are all !riests, so confess your sin to one
another. And we need to do all three !artsUadmit to ,od, to ourselves, and to another human $eing the e9act nature
of our wrongs. 'ot Just C: am a sinner,E but here is what : did in !articular that needs to be forgiven. A brother or
sister in &hrist can then say to us, C:n Oesus &hrist, you are forgiven. #ove !ast your regret. %egin to heal.E
$teve *ollaway, Latonia %a!tist &hurch
htt!011www.latoniaba!tist.org1tem!lates1$ystem1details.as!LidM4G;GTS=:AM424TTQ
$te! Five of the 24 $te! =rogram0 Admitted to ,od, to ourselves, and to another human being the e9act nature of our
wrongs.
C#any, many confessions should never be s!oken in the hearing of mortals+ for the result is that which the limited
Judgment of finite beings does not antici!ate. . . . ,od will be better glorified if we confess the secret, inbred
3
corru!tion of the heart to Oesus alone than if we o!en its recesses to finite, erring man, who cannot Judge righteously
unless his heart is constantly imbued with the $!irit of ,od. . . . Ao not !our into human ears the story which ,od
alone should hear.E VFL% 24Q.GW
Che $cri!ture bids us, (&onfess your faults one to another, and !ray one for another, that ye may be healed.( Oames
602T. o the one asking for !rayer, let thoughts like these be !resented0 ()e cannot read the heart, or know the
secrets of your life. hese are known only to yourself and to ,od. :f you re!ent of your sins, it is your duty to make
confession of them.( $in of a !rivate character is to be confessed to &hrist, the only mediator between ,od and man.
For (if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Oesus &hrist the righteous.( 2 Oohn 402. Every sin is an
offense against ,od and is to be confessed to *im through &hrist. Every o!en sin should be as o!enly confessed.
)rong done to a fellow being should be made right with the one who has been offended. :f any who are seeking
health have been guilty of evils!eaking, if they have sowed discord in the home, the neighborhood, or the church,
and have stirred u! alienation and dissension, if by any wrong !ractice they have led others into sin, these things
should be confessed before ,od and before those who have been offended. (:f we confess our sins, *e is faithful and
Just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.( 2 Oohn 20P.E V&&h ;3G.GW
Bou ask me if you shall make a !ublic confession. : say, 'o. Ao not dishonor the #aster by making !ublic the fact
that one ministering in the )ord could be guilty of such sin as you have committed. :t would be a disgrace to the
ministry. Ao not give !ublicity to this matter by any means. :t would do inJustice to the whole cause of ,od. :t
would create im!ure thoughts in the minds of many even to hear these things re!eated. Aefile not the li!s even by
communicating this to your wife, to make her ashamed and bow her head in sorrow. ,o to ,od and to the brethren
who know this terrible cha!ter in your e9!erience and say what you have to say, then let !rayer be offered to ,od in
your behalf. &ultivate sobriety. )alk carefully and !rayerfully before ,od. Acquire moral stamina by saying, (: will
not dishonor my Redeemer.(--$% 24Q. V=a# 6P.2W
!he %ovem$er& '(() issue of *igns of the !imes aga+ine , Australia
%e" -ealand edition& Centering .ra/er is promoted in an article called
*tillness is 0olden. At the end of the article an online pra/er la$/rinth
is promoted# The "a#yrinth - his is a s!iritual e9!erience that invites you to be still and
silent as you !artici!ate in !rogressive e9!eriences integral to the s!iritual Journey.
htt!011web.ukonline.co.uk1!aradigm
htt!011www.signsofthetimes.org.au1archives1433G1november1article6.shtm
!he Cross"alk *1A Church in Redlands& CA also links to !he La$/rinth#
htt!011www.fishfeed.net1cw1!rayer1inde9.html
ony &am!olo, !rofessor emeritus at Eastern "niversity and founder of the Evangelical
Association for the =romotion of Education, will be the featured s!eaker for %lack
*istory )eekend at )alla )alla "niversity, held Feb. 2X4. Y433QZ A $abbath afternoon
forum, (he ,od of :ntimacy and Action0 he &hallenge to )elcome and Embrace
Aiversity,( is Jointly s!onsored by the %lack Faculty and $taff Fellowshi!, the Faculty Aevelo!ment &ommittee, the
$chool of heology and the Association of Adventist Forums. htt!011www.gleaneronline.org123;121;G2QQ.html
ony &am!olo says in his book Letters to a 2oung 3vangelical0 (:ntimacy with &hrist has develo!ed gradually over
the years, !rimarily through what &atholic mystics call (centering !rayer.( Each morning, as soon as : wake u!, :
take time--sometimes as much as a half hour--to center myself on Oesus. : say his name over and over again to drive
back the 232 things that begin to clutter u! my mind the minute : o!en my eyes. Oesus is my mantra, as some would
say. he constant re!etition of his name clears my head of everything but the awareness of his !resence. %y driving
back all other concerns, : am able to create what the ancient &eltic &hristians called (the thin !lace.(... After a while,
an inner stillness !ervades.E
*e later reiterates0 (*aving an intimate relationshi! with &hrist is at the core of being an Evangelical.( *e e9!lains
there are three things to consider0 2. (&entering !rayer,( 4. (&ontem!lative %ible study( and ;. ($!iritual
4
Aisci!lines.(
htt!011www.newmorningtv.tv1todaysshow@232;3;.Js! 7see centering pra/er video under Waking 4p8
Correspondence "ith the 1ean of the *chool of !heolog/ at Walla Walla 4niversit/ regarding Campolos speaking
appointment#
. . . !on/ Campolo is in the forefront of leading .rotestants in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the
hand of spiritualism. Is this someone "e "ant our /oung people listening to5. . . I trust that /ou "ere una"are of
Compolo6s spiritualistic tendencies "hen he "as chosen to address the College Church. Ho"ever& there are parents
"ho recogni+e this danger and are alarmed. Whatever can $e done to keep Campolo from addressing our /oung
people "ill $e much appreciated. / daughter and son7in7la" attend the College Church and I don6t "ant to see
them adversel/ affected $/ his influence. 8this "as a t"o page letter that included 9uotations from Campolos $ooks
that sho"ed his connection "ith centering pra/er:
;ohn
Aear Oohn,
: have read your letter with considerable interest. : do not have time to res!ond to it in detail immediately because of
a !ressing teaching assignment : have to meet that : am not ready for yet, but : will try to do so by uesday. : must
admit initially to being quite astonished at the collection of ideas and statements you have !ut together. hey are
about as much on the cons!iracy-fringe of things as : have ever read 7(&entering !rayer is a way of making contact
with fallen angelsL( %e so kind as to e9!lain that more, like !roviding some documentation, if you don-t mind.
)here does that idea come fromL : have never heard it before8. Anyway, be that as it may, one thing you can be
very sure of is that ony &am!olo is not coming to cam!us to talk about anything mystical, but about race relations,
and about issues of diversity, subJects on which he is a noted e9!ert. : ho!e to be in touch more on uesday.
!hank /ou for /our response. 3ven if Campolo doesnt address contemplative spiritualit/ in his presentations this
next "eekend& he gains credi$ilit/ "ith our students $/ his addressing other topics on our campus. <elo" are a fe"
more thoughts 8= pages: on centering pra/er 8contemplative pra/er:
;ohn
As /ou are considering m/ re9uest to cancel !on/ Campolos speaking appointment "ith our 4niversit/ this coming
"eekend please notice the "orth/ example of Cedarville 4niversit/#
Oanuary ;2, 433Q - Fn Oanuary 4;rd, Lighthouse rails re!orted that &edarville "niversity had scheduled emerging
church leader $hane &laiborne to s!eak at &edarville on February 22th. :t has now come to our attention that the
&laiborne event has been cancelled. Lighthouse rails s!oke via email with Oohn Aavis, Associate Airector of =ublic
Relations for &edarville "niversity, who confirmed that $hane &laiborne would not be s!eaking there after all.
Aavis stated0 (:n light of the concern e9!ressed, both on and off cam!us, about $hane &laiborne, the university has
o!ted to cancel the event.( htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1blog1inde9.!h!LcatMQ
Oohn,
: now have a few minutes to res!ond in a little more substance to you concerns. =erha!s the first !lace to begin is
with notice of the fact that the $chool of heology is not the !rimary mover in getting &am!olo to our cam!us so we
are not in a !osition to cancel his a!!ointment at all. he !rimary decision was made, : think, by the %lack Faculty
&aucus or Fffice of Aiversity, so concerns of canceling him will have to be directed to them.

Fn another note, : have now heard from quite a few !eo!le on the matter of centering !rayer. )hile : had heard of
it, : did not know as much about it as : do now. $o, several res!onses to that. First, none of us here are in favor of
that meditation technique and would not advocate it. $econdly, students are not now at all involved in centering
!rayer. : don/t think they even know what it is. :t is sim!ly not an issue on this cam!us. $tudents are much more
interested and concerned with humanitarian issues, like feeding the hungry, hel!ing the children of !rostitutes
5
toward getting an education, caring for or!hans, advocating for !eace, engaging in foreign missions. :t is a
remarkable time here at the "niversity because of the high level of interest in these humanitarian issues. :n the last
two years, : have seen the students here raise about [;3,333.33 from their own !ockets and efforts for the above-
mentioned things. hey have !ut the adults to o!en shame with their concern for the down-trodden. And, you can
rest assured that if we discover centering !rayer to become an issue, we would s!eak out against it quite o!enly.
=lease bear in mind that &am!olo is coming here to s!eak on race relations, not devotions. Fn the former subJect, he
is a national authority.

: would like to invite you to come and hear and !artici!ate in the goings on this week-end so you can see for yourself
what ha!!ens. : find we here are often the obJects of sus!icion, as if our intentions were to undermine the faith of
the students. All the evidence !oints to the fact that being at )alla )alla "niversity strengthens student/s
commitments to ,od and &hurch. )e live in a very o!en world now, where, given the availability of information
and the s!eed of communications, and the internet, it is no longer !ossible to shield students from what ha!!ens in
the world. )hat we do have to do is teach them to make wise decisions, to discern between truth and error. And
that we seem to be doing quite well here at the "niversity. $o come and see for yourself what ha!!ens. hen you
will not have to rely on our e9!lanations.

: would like to raise another concern, this one going your way. As : have read some of the material you have sent,
and reviewed some of your a!!roaches to the issues of life, : have become quite concerned as to the ty!e of ideas
and things that : can only assume you are teaching and !erha!s !reaching to your congregations. $ome of it seems
to be quite far from main-stream Adventism. :n my o!inion, it borders on being cultish, if : may say so, all the grave
sus!icions that e9tend even to your fellow ministers, the assum!tion of great cons!iracies at work all over, the
drawing of conclusions without first discussing things with the !eo!le involved. Rather than focusing on all those
fears, why not s!eak of the great features of the Adventist ho!e, the great truths we have been called to !roclaim.
hey should be filling us with ho!e, not overtaking us with fear. : boldly ask you if your gos!el is good newsL
Aoes it bring Joy and freedom to the o!!ressed, does it lift u! the down-trodden, or does it bury them with grave
concerns over all the things that could go wrongL &ertainly we know that this world is destined to fall a!art+ but that
is of little consequence in light of the !ower and great trium!h &hrist has won over the !owers of darkness. : would
wish these latter items had been the great focus of your interest in us here.

Regards,
!hank /ou for taking the time to check into the issue of centering pra/er. I kne" /ou "ould see it for "hat it "as
once /ou checked it out. *eeing that !on/ Campolo is involved "ith the contemplative>centering pra/er movement
seemed to me to $e sufficient grounds to keep him from speaking to our students no matter "hat topic he might $e
presenting. I do not have the stature or position to accomplish this cancellation as /ou might have& so I leave it in
/our court.
;ohn
,reetings Oohn,
his is Just a note to let you know that &am!olo s!oke G times while here on cam!us, and he was well-received. Fn
the Friday night, he did mention how he begins his day by meditating, but did not elaborate on his techniques. Fnly
those who have been warned about him by your emails and others like them had any idea what kind of meditation he
might involve himself in. here has been a great and !ositive effect from his talks in that about T6 !eo!le have
signed u! to s!onsor needy children, and the cam!us seems even more galvaniRed to do something for the !oor.
&am!olo certainly stirred u! the com!lacent with his talking, and he offended a few by his blunt comments
concerning social inaction, caring for the !oor, etc., but we have seen no inrush toward transcendental meditation at
all. :n fact, so far, no questions have been raised about meditation at all. :t seems, therefore, that his a!!earance on
cam!us turned out to be quite good in s!ite of the many and grave concerns registered. As things stand now, those
of you who o!!osed him have ended u! with much more knowledge about his CfailingsE and methods than we do
here on cam!us. )hat : am saying is that !eo!le have learned much more about centering !rayer and eastern
meditation and s!iritualism and the likes from you and the others who s!read abroad your concerns than we learned
from &am!olo himself. his eventuality : find quite ironic.
6
here is another item : would like to raise with you at this !oint, and it has to do with all the damage that has been
done to )alla )alla "niversity and to the $chool of heology by the many emails that were sent out. )e have been
hearing from far and wide about the terrible thing we have done, the !ros!ect of leading our young !eo!le into some
kind of s!iritualism, and the likes. hat is a fearful charge to levy against an Adventist institution. $uch news does
great and understandable damage to the re!utation of a school. 'ow, since the damages you feared have not
materialiRed, : would like to know what ste!s you are going to take to restore the good name of the "niversity and
the $chool of heology. :t seems only right that you and the others who sent out those long emails do something
restorative. : will wait to hear from you before deciding what other actions : might contem!late in reaction to all
this.
%est regards,
I shared m/ concerns $ased on m/ research and kno"ledge of the issues and Campolo6s connection "ith the
contemplative movement. I genuinel/ $elieved that /ou "ould $e interested in kno"ing this aspect regarding
Campolo. I did not intend to $ring disrepute on WW4& $ut rather& I sought to alert /ou to the dangers of centering
pra/er so that /ou could avert $ringing disrepute upon our 4niversit/ $/ allo"ing a proponent of this to gain
influence "ith our /oung people $/ speaking from our pulpit. / cell num$er is 77777777777777777 if /ou "ould like to
call.
;ohn
Oohn,
hanks for your re!ly. And : a!!reciate your !osition, and : would not want to do anything to mislead students. #y
concern is that if you were intending the letter to alert us and inform us of a danger that is a!!reciated, but it is a
curious thing that the letter somehow got into rather broad circulation. :t is that circulation that has done the
damage. 'ow, : did not send it around, and : do not know who did, but someone didI $o we have heard from far
and wide, and !eo!le now believe that we are unconcernedly undermining the s!iritual well-being of the students.
#y burden now is to see the damage undone. )hat : am asking is that if you are the one who sent the letter out and
about, that you follow u! that letter giving the news that the a!!earance of &am!olo on cam!us !roved to be good
and not destructive at all. Even if the effects of that letter were inadvertent, it caused us what might well be long-
term damage.
: think : have now made my !oint. )hen letters full of sus!icion and the likes get going, they become very
damaging. : would still ho!e to see you re-directing your efforts of study and e9!ertise away from the underside of
life to the goodness and !ower of ,od. he devil and all his minions are defeated foes. )e ought to be very careful
not to make more of him than that. After all, as &hristians we can tell him that he has now been e9cluded from
heaven. )e have been invited in, all because of the glory and !ower and gift of &hrist. *ow much ha!!ier we
would all be if that were the main !oint of our efforts. 'ot that we should !lay loosely with the devil, but to those
who know &hrist, the meditation techniques of Just one man are really of not so much consequence. : think there is
very little danger that we are going to fall headlong into &am!olo/s stuff.
=lease understand that : bear no !ersonal animosity toward you over this. %ut : am very u!set that a letter has gone
out !ortending some great evil, when none is a!!arent. $adly, !eo!le are now much more focused on centering
!rayer because of the letter than they would ever have been had the warning not been given. :n others words, this
cam!us learned nothing about centering !rayer e9ce!t as they have learned it from the letter. :t seems very strange
and in reverse that the !erson who was !erceived to be so dangerous did great good, but the one who is su!!osed to
be safe ended u! disseminating all the information about the questionable meditation !ractice.
$o, : leave this for now. %ut, if you feel constrained to hel! un-do some of the damage, : would very much like to
hear about it. :f you did disseminate the letter far and wide, : do ho!e you feel conscience-bound to make some kind
of amends. :f this were a business situation, and if you were the one who originated the letter and then sent it out, :
think this could be an issue that could be litigated. : mention this not because of any thoughts of taking something
like this to court, but to illustrate the seriousness of what has ha!!ened. )e have ended u! being maligned, our
7
integrity called into question, our good name dragged in the mud, and !eo!le made sus!icious of our activities. :n a
&hristian setting, that is most unfortunate.
Regards,
I listened to the 1?1 of Campolos @rida/ evening presentation to our students at Walla Walla 4niversit/ and here
is the transcript from the recording "here he ela$orated on his meditation techni9ue for receiving the AHol/ *piritB.
Che =entecostal thing never worked for me. %ut : do know what it/s like to be surrendered to the *oly $!irit. :
wake u! in the morning, before : have to : wake u!, and : center down on Oesus. : say his name over and over again,
because there/s something about that name. :t drives back the animals - those hundred and one things that come in to
ca!ture my consciousness the minute : wake u! - and creates this sacred s!ace, this thin !lace as the &eltic
&hristians called it. And in the stillness and the quiet of the morning : wait, : wait. : don/t ask ,od for anything, :
Just wait, for the s!irit to flow in, to flow into my life. Bou see, the %ible says they who wait u!on the Lord X when
was the last time you waited twenty minutes or half hour for the s!irit of ,od to take !ossession of youL )hen was
the last time you became still, so that the s!irit of ,od, and : don/t mean quiet, there/s a difference between still and
quiet, isn/t thereL Bou can be in a noisy room and be still. :n the stillness and quietude : wait, wait for the s!irit. :
wait for the s!irit to come and invade me, to flow into me, to e9!lode within me, and the %ible says it shall be in you
like a fountain of living water flowing u!, in, and through you and out into the worldD.and in the stillness of the
morning : surrender and wait, and wait, for the s!irit to come in. Bou say does it ha!!en every timeL #ost mornings
not, but often enough the s!irit comes and : come alive in &hrist OesusD.we need the miracleD.we won/t overcome
our racism until we wait u!on the Lord, unless we surrender and say, $!irit of the living ,od, fall fresh on me, break
me, mold me, make me, for if &hrist is in you and you are in &hrist you become a new creation.E ony &am!olo
!he 1ean of the *chool of !heolog/ said in his letter to me, Chis is Just a note to let you know that &am!olo s!oke
G times while here on cam!us, and he was well-received. Fn the Friday night, he did mention how he begins his day
by meditating, but did not elaborate on his techniques.E

Regarding Campolos devotional practices& the .resident of Walla Walla 4niversit/ stated the follo"ing in a letter
to a church mem$er# $*is brief statement on Friday evening about his own devotional !ractices seemed a!!ro!riate
to me. $ome of the arguments against him on the idea of (centering !rayer( seem to me a little strained and to make
logical lea!s and connections that a!!ear unJustified.E
Che Lord says to us, $eventh-day Adventists are not to !lace themselves under the counsel and instruction of
teachers who know not the truth for this time.E & G32
!he follo"ing is from the Campus Chronicle& !he student forum of .acific 4nion College.
A remarkable week of !rayer0 C)hile the rest of the world was distracted by the !o!e-s travels,
rumors about the future of an acquitted killer, and assorted earthquakes, hurricanes, and cease-
fires, something e9traordinary was ha!!ening here in Angwin. A &atholic was s!eaking for the week of !rayer.
C%rennan #anning is more than sim!ly a Roman &atholic. *e is also an e9-!riest and a recovering alcoholic. As far
as anyone remembers, he is the first (non-Adventist( to be invited to take the !ul!it for this s!ecial week. :t may be a
sign of ="&-s s!iritual maturity that we recogniRe him as a dee!ly committed brother in &hrist.E
htt!011chronicle.!uc.edu1
:n !he *ignature of ;esus, #anning teaches how to sus!end thought. *e instructs his readers methodically0 he first
ste! in faith is to sto! thinking about ,od at the time of !rayer. &ontem!lative s!irituality tends to em!hasiRe the
need for a change in consciousness+ we must come to see reality differently. &hoose a single, sacred word+ re!eat the
sacred word inwardly, slowly, and often. Enter into the great silence of ,od. Alone in that silence, the noise within
will subside and the ?oice of Love will be heard.
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1manninge9cer!trayone.htm
8
THE AD%E&T'ST CHA("A'& is a quarterly !ublication of Adventist &ha!laincy #inistries, the
cha!laincy services de!artment and official endorsing agency of the $eventh-day Adventist &hurch.
A )ord A#out This 'ssue*s Special Focus +,uly-Septem#er -../0
)hile serving as a cha!lain near &hicago, : took a class in $!iritual Airection at nearby AeAndreis heological
$eminary. :t was my introduction to the classic ministry form refined through the centuries by &atholic religious and
clergy and in recent decades discovered by many =rotestants as well. :t is a ministry that focuses on discerning
,od/s moving and guiding in our daily lives. : have asked two $eventh-day Adventist women trained as s!iritual
directors to give us an overview of their ministry. First Aelcy Kuhlman will !rovide an overview of the ministry and
its !rocess+ then Aiane Forsythe will focus on the qualifications of s!iritual directors. $everal s!iritual direction
training !rograms are available for cha!lains and !astors. For more information, visit www.sdiworld.org and take the
navigation bar to Craining =rograms and Retreats.E $ome of the better known !rograms are he $halem :nstitute\
and he "!!er Room,\\ but you will find others as well. ]he Editor
C%ut what if you have a s!iritual need that another sermon or another counseling session won/t hel!L )hat if you
want to listen to ,od more and more fully+ and engage ,od more and more dee!lyL :t could be that you need a
s!iritual director more than a cha!lain or !astor. $ometimes a !astor or cha!lain is also a s!iritual director. %ut all
!astors and cha!lains are not s!iritual directors any more than all medical doctors are cardiologists.E 7!age 68
CFor a better understanding of this !rocess or to hel! discern ,od/s invitation into it, the reader might find *acred
Companions by Aavid %enner or *oul Ceeping by *oward %aker a very good read. Fther resources can be found at
www.shalem.org1 and www.sdiworld.orgE 7!age G8
htt!011www.adventistcha!lains.org1!df1newsletter1Jul@se!@433;.!df
1avid <enner& the author of *acred Companions clearl/ promotes contemplative spiritualit/ in his $ook.
\ 7:n their own words8 C$halem is an ecumenical &hristian organiRation devoted to the su!!ort of contem!lative
s!irituality.E htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1shalem.htm
\\ "!!er Room is an organiRation that !romotes mantra based meditation and is the creator of the !o!ular,
meditation tool )alk to Emmaus. htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1newsletter3<4;3<.htm
Spiritual Direction - Started #y 1ystics2 (romoted #y Christians
$!iritual Airectors :nternational 7$A:8 is an inters!iritual (learning community committed to advancing s!iritual
direction around the world( with a membershi! that (consists of !eo!le from many nations and many faiths.(
According to $A:, s!iritual direction is (the contem!lative !ractice of hel!ing another !erson or grou! to awaken to
the mystery called ,od in all of life,( and they res!ond (to this call by tending the holy around the world and across
traditions.
Ray Bungen discusses $A: in A !ime of 1eparting0 o underscore the sco!e and reach of the contem!lative !rayer
movement let-s look at the numbers !ut out by an organiRation called $!iritual Airectors :nternational 7$A:8. Fn their
website this grou! gives am!le evidence of what their !ractices are. :n one national conference, the following was
!resented0 his worksho! offers an o!!ortunity to study and e9!erience the director-s role in a !erson-s move into the
beginning and early stages of contem!lative !rayer, silence, and o!enness to new sorts of !raying. Fne of the
obJectives of $A: is (ending the holy around the world and across traditions.( A 433; Christianit/ !oda/ article,
,ot Bour $!iritual Airector BetL, confirms two things, one that s!iritual direction is contem!lative, and two that it is
becoming a !art of evangelical &hristendom. he article e9!lains that !o!ular &hristian author Larry &rabb is
changing his views. Fnce a believer in !sychology he is switching to s!iritual direction. he article credits
contem!latives 7mystics8 such as Oohn &assian and :gnatius of Loyola for getting s!iritual direction into the church
and suggests that we can learn more about it from Richard Foster, Eugene =eterson, and Aallas )illard - with this
we com!letely agree. As Rick )arren stated in his book, .urpose 1riven Church, Foster and )illard are key
!layers in the $!iritual Formation movement, but while )arren says that this movement is a vital wake u! call for
the church, we say it is a terrible seduction for the church.
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1blog1inde9.!h!L!M2Q6SmoreM2ScM2
9
.ath"a/s is a program that has $een recentl/ developed $/ the Roseville *1A
Church and "ill $e presented to pastors& conference leaders and church mem$ers
of the %orthern California Conference. !his program is closel/ related to *piritual
1irection. !he follo"ing is the announcement for the .ath"a/s Retreat#
his is being sent as a reminder about the Roseville =athways Retreat scheduled for #arch <-P, 433Q at Leoni
#eadows Y'orthern &alifornia &onference &am!Z. Fur leadershi! team felt we should o!en this weekend u! for
re!resentatives from churches throughout the &onference and "nion interested in learning how to hold and nurture
newly ba!tiRed members into the church.
his weekend will allow visitors not only to ca!ture the conce!t of =athways, but to catch the s!irit of the s!ecial
relationshi!s formed between =athways team members and the newly ba!tiRed member. his is what makes
=athways work. hat relationshi! becomes transformational in the lives of both. )hile the weekend is !lanned
!rimarily for the benefit of establishing that relationshi!, guests will learn much by hearing the !resentations and
observing the !rocess of bonding that ha!!ens over the course of the weekend. he guests will be welcome to Join
us in all our meetings, as well as observe the modeling that ha!!ens, and even the intimate bonding between the new
member and their =athways mentor. Fur leadershi! team will make ourselves available, after the last session on
$unday morning, Just for our guests for a question and answer session. )e want to do all we can to encourage this
ty!e of ministry in as many Adventist &hurches as we can.
'ote to our guests0 &urrently we have several members among our =athways team skilled enough to be trainers, and
others who are learning the skills. his weekend is our first retreat with the newly ba!tiRed from our fall series.
About ;3 of them will s!end the weekend with us, along with the a!!ro9imately ;3 !athways trainers and trainees.
Auring this weekend you will be able to e9!erience the actual bonding taking !lace between new member and their
!athways !artner - a sacred event. $ince the &onference and "nion hel!ed fund this !rogram for the !ur!ose of it
becoming a model for other churches to follow, we want to encourage interested !astors, conference leaders, and
church members to Join us for what we ho!e will be an ins!iring weekend. he goals of =athways are0
=athways is a !rogram develo!ed to fill a need in the church X turning new converts into a new generation of
Adventist leaders. And in the !rocess equi!!ing church members with the skills necessary to disci!le others in the
same way Oesus did. here are four essential tasks required in =athways0
3eliefs form the foundation of the soul. Fur beliefs answer the questions0 C)ho am :,E C)here do : come fromE and
Cwhere am : going.E %ehaviors and feelings flow from these beliefs. Aevelo!ing a belief system strong enough to
!rotect as well as guide us to s!iritual maturity is the foundation on which =athways is built.
Spiritual Disciplines are essential in develo!ing and maintaining relationshi!s with our &reator and fellow human
beings. hey require the develo!ment of skills, often foreign to our natural dis!osition, in order to be successful.
raining and monitoring our !rogress here is essential for s!iritual success. Learning and !racticing s!iritual
disci!lines is a never ceasing !assion in =athways.
'nterpersonal Skills are the !athways that connect ourselves with others. he !rocess of knowing another begins
with knowing oneself. =athways teaches !eo!le how to know and care for themselves as well as how to know and
care for others. his brings !eace, yielding its fruit of wisdom and energy to accom!lish our !ur!ose in life.
1entoring or disci!ling is the grandest of all gifts ,od has given. =athways links one !erson to another in a bond of
love, accountability, learning, and commitment. :t is the fastest and most efficient method for growth. #entors in
training are linked with a mentor in order to establish and e9!erience relationshi!s built u!on trust, integrity,
honesty, commitment and truth.
Here are some of the classes in the Weekend *chedule#
$A%%A* X
10
P0;3 a.m. X he ,ift of =resence Cmaking myself available to another !erson,E by ,ordon Arruda S modeling
team. his is the first in a trilogy of what it means to become a sacred com!anion.
230;3 a.m. X he ,ift of =resence X 4 7!ersonaliRing !resence with my =athways !artner, and then sharing my
res!onse about what that was like with the whole grou!8
22033 a.m. X he ,ift of *os!itality Cmaking s!ace 7or !lace8 for another !erson in my life, receiving them into
my heart, devoting myself to them, where they can be welcome, safe, and heard,E by ,ordon Arruda S
modeling team.
;033 !.m. X he ,ift of *os!itality X 4 7!ersonaliRing hos!itality with my =athways !artner, and then sharing my
res!onse about what that was like with the whole grou!8
G033 !.m. X he ,ift of Aialog X Ca mutual e9change of inquiry for the !ur!ose of e9!loring s!iritual truth about
,od, what he is doing, etc. 'o one is trying to teach another, but rather a mutual e9!loration and discovery
benefiting both !arties,E by ,ordon Arruda S modeling team.
!he follo"ing indented section is from a letter "ritten $/ one of the pastors of the Roseville *1A Church#
he entire !rogram is a !roduct of the Roseville $AA &hurch. )hen we started this, Just over two years
ago, there was almost nothing available in Adventism to meet this overwhelming need in our church. he
entire 'A division recogniRes the !roblem, is crying out for hel! in resolving it, but there was nothing. hat
is the reason why the =acific "nion &onference Evangelism Endowment Fund and the '&& chose to hel!
fund our !roJect. $ince that time, =astor %en #a9son, from =aradise has also designed a !rogram.
Fur !rogram is designed to0
2. each new converts how to maintain and grow their own devotional life with ,od via s!iritual
disci!lines.
4. &onnect them with trained church mentors who become their most intimate friend over the two years
following their Joining the church
;. each them the reasons behind what we believe
G. ,et them involved in ministry
)e use selected E,) books+ books by Aavid %enner0 Aesiring ,od/s )ill, he ,ift of being yourself,
$acred &om!anions, and $urrender to Love 7which we have found to be the most hel!ful8. )e also use some
mentoring handbooks from a com!any who s!ecialiRes in working with church grou!s from the Auburn
area. *o!e this hel!s.
%enner-s book, *acred Companions, o!enly !romotes the teachings of #erton and is actually a who-s who of
mystical and !anentheistic writings such as atonement denier Alan Oones 7Reimagining Christianit/8, homas
Keating and a host of like-minded writers. htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1newsletter322G3Q.htm
!he mentoring hand$ooks .ath"a/s uses come from a place called @aith7Centered entoring and ore. In the
Christ7Centered entors Hand$ook& on page D it sa/s# CKeith R. Anderson and Randy A. Reese !ro!ose a !ractical
and structured a!!roach to s!iritual mentoring which is built on the centuries-old conce!t of s!iritual direction. )e
see their a!!roach as very com!atible with our &hrist-centered mentoring.E
Following is a sam!le list of customers for whom Faith-&entered #entoring and #ore has !rovided resources and1or
services.
Adventist Frontier #issions, #:
Andrews "niversity, ' Ysic #:Z
Arrow Leadershi! #inistries, &anada
%iblical #inistries :nt/l., ,A
&alvary %ible &hurch, ,rass ?alley, &A
&hristian #edical Aoctors Association, '
First %a!tist Lakewood, &A
*:$ Ala!itravny, *ungary
11
Lebanon %a!tist &hurch, ,A
Legacy #inistries :nt/l, F*
Living estimony %a!tist &hurch, >
#arienella, :reland
#entorLink
#F=$
'orthside &hristian &hurch, &A
$addleback &hurch, &A
$.A.A. heological $eminary, #:
$erving :n #ission 7$:#8, '&
he $alvation Army
)illow &reek &ommunity &hurch, :L
htt!011www.faithmentoringandmore.com1html1customers.html
!o see "hat *piritual 1irection is reall/ all a$out& investigate the "e$sites "here /ou "ill find the follo"ing
paragraphs. As /ou do& $ear in mind that "hat comes from Rome leads to Rome. %ote carefull/ interspersed divine
cautions& such as#
$Do not depend upon human #eings for spiritual help4 !esist the temptation to make flesh your arm4 "ook to
5od as children look to an earthly Father4 3elieve that He loves you and that He will help you2 even as He has
promised4 'f you will #elieve2 you will have confidence2 trust2 reliance2 and rich #lessings2 #ecause you will
reali6e that Christ is the foundation of your faith47 5H2 1arch 82 89.8
$!iritual direction occurs when one individual 7normally identified as a s!iritual director8 accom!anies another
!erson 7the s!iritual directee8 in their Journey toward being transformed into the image of &hrist. Although it is an
ancient !ractice of the church, it has been largely ignored 7until recent years8 by many in CevangelicalE churches.
htt!011ruach.word!ress.com1writing1!a!ers-written1reflections-on-one-on-one-s!iritual-direction-direction-in-
common-and-!ersonal-s!iritual-direction1
$!iritual direction has been !racticed by !eo!le, including those in religious life, for many years. homas #erton, in
his books $!iritual Airection and #editation and he )isdom of the Aesert, recounts the !ractice of s!iritual
direction by the desert fathers. hese were individuals who, according to #erton, lived in the desert to seek &hrist.
:n se!arating themselves from society to live in the desert, they were cut off from formal guidance !rovided by the
bisho!. he desert life was solitary, and it was allegedly dangerous because of tem!tations. o discern the s!irit, the
desert fathers resorted to seeking advice and guidance from s!iritual directors, who, in some ways, took the !lace of
the bisho!. $!iritual directors guided the formation of the desert fathers. :n later years, s!iritual direction continued
to be !racticed. #uch is written about s!irituality and s!iritual direction as !racticed and lived by the saints. he
book &armelite $tudies 2, edited by Oohn $ullivan F&A, is a com!ilation of articles and essays written by various
authors about the !ractice of s!iritual direction by noted &armelites, such as $t. Oohn of the &ross and $t. eresa of
Avila.
htt!011findarticles.com1!1articles1mi@qa;QQ61is@4334321ai@nP34G;G<
:n the technical sense of the term, s!iritual direction is that function of the sacred ministry by which the &hurch
guides the faithful to the attainment of eternal ha!!iness. . . . :n one way, the &hurch requires all her adult members
to submit to such !rivate direction, namely, in the $acrament of =enance. For she entrusts to her !riests in the
confessional, not only the !art of Judge to absolve or retain the sins !resently confessed, but also the !art of a
director of consciences. :n the latter ca!acity he must instruct his !enitents if ignorant of their duties, !oint out the
wrong or the danger in their conduct, and suggest the !ro!er means to be em!loyed for amendment or im!rovement.
he !enitent, on his !art, must submit to this guidance. *e must also, in cases of serious doubt regarding the
lawfulness of his action, ask the advice of his director.
htt!011www.newadvent.org1cathen13634Ga.htm
$'t is a #acksliding church that lessens the distance #etween itself and the (apacy47 ST2 Fe#ruary 892 8:9;
12
:t-s Y$!iritual AirectionZ sort of a cross between counseling and confession. %ut s!iritual direction is neither. :t-s
actually much more. According to area s!iritual directors, s!iritual direction has the !otential to hel! you balance
your life, remove sin, and U most im!ortantly U dee!en your relationshi! with &hrist. And U if you-re lucky U
maybe even hel! you become a saint. )hat e9actly is s!iritual directionL he 'ew Advent &atholic Encyclo!edia
describes s!iritual direction as (the !rivate guidance of souls according to their individual needs.( Local s!iritual
directors define the term differently, but all agree that the ultimate !ur!ose is develo!ing !ersonal holiness.
According to $ister #icaela Randol!h, F$%, director of $o!hia &enter-s $oulJourners !rogram in Atchison, s!iritual
direction is (holy listening.( he $o!hia &enter trains s!iritual directors in a three-year !rogram that !re!ares them
with classroom knowledge as well as !ractice in !roviding s!iritual direction. ($!iritual direction is holy listening on
the !art of both the director and directee,( she said. (:t is a dee! listening which leads us to res!ond, to change, to
move or go dee!er.(
htt!011www.theleaven.com1locals!irit3;233T.htm
$Do not depend upon human #eings for spiritual help4 !esist the temptation to make flesh your arm4 "ook to
5od as children look to an earthly Father4 3elieve that He loves you and that He will help you2 even as He has
promised4 'f you will #elieve2 you will have confidence2 trust2 reliance2 and rich #lessings2 #ecause you will
reali6e that Christ is the foundation of your faith47 5H2 1arch 82 89.8

o share another-s e9!erience of ,od is a gift and a grace for the director, who is as much reci!ient as is the directee,
in this graced relationshi! of sharing life-s !rocess. wo Journeys meet at this encounter, and the mystery of
dee!ening union occurs in each. here is a great longing today, for &hristians to be able to reflect on their own lives
with another !erson who will continue to listen in faith. #y increasing awe and faith and sense of mystery continue
to draw me into this ministry, which, : believe, needs to move into a more central !lace in the &hristian e9!erience.
htt!011www.s!iritualitytoday.org1s!ir4day1Q<;P42crowley.html
$' shall not dishonor my "ord #y encouraging people to come to me for counsel2 when they have a standing
invitation to go to the <ne who is a#le to carry them and all their #urdens47 T1 ;:=
he best s!iritual directors are highly skilled at -noticing-, listening and attending to the key interior movements in a
!erson-s !rayer. *owever this is not Just a mystical thing. %ecause !rayer covers all the maJor areas of one-s life, so
does s!iritual direction. . . . Essentially the s!iritual director discerns what :gnatius YLoyolaZ called the -movement of
s!irits-, whether good or evil, in the other.
htt!011aibi.gos!elcom.net1articles1s!idir2.htm
here is a longing in every human heart to be fully alive. Ao you feel disconnectedL Ao you need a s!iritual tune-
u!L Are you Just going through the motions, is your focus unclear and stress getting the u!!er handL *ave you
asked these questions0 AI "onder "here 0od is5 Wh/ cant I $e more spiritual5 I "ish I kne" "hat I should $e
doing "ith m/ life5B )hen life begins to feel unbalanced, and your Joy and enthusiasm are drained by an emotional
fatigue you cannot name X its time to take actionE A $!iritual Airector is willing to walk alongside of you, to hel!
you see where you are called to be in this time of your life, to hel! you encounter ,od in une9!ected !laces and
circumstances where you did not e9!ect to find ,od. 2ou are not aloneE A $!iritual Airector is a com!assionate
friend who accom!anies you, walks with you, loves you, cries with you, and laughs with you. $!iritual Airection is a
way of leading us to see and be attentive to the real Airector X the $!irit hidden in the de!ths of our being. As we
become attuned we can more easily utiliRe resources ,od has already given us. )e can trust our experiences and
decisions make a difference in our life. )e get to live from the beauty of who we areI A $!iritual Airector listens
for the movement of the Aivine within you and encourages you in how to work with the $!irit. he blessings are
clarity, focus, stability, !eace and a lightness of heart.
htt!011www.!eaceJourney.org1$!iritual^43Airection@4.htm
$The promises of 5od are full and a#undant2 and there is no need for anyone to depend upon humanity for
strength4 To all that call upon Him2 5od is near to help and succor4 And He is greatly dishonored when2 after
inviting our confidence2 we turn from Him--the only <ne who will not misunderstand us2 the only <ne who
can give unerring counsel--to men who in their human weakness are lia#le to lead us astray47 T1 /:8
13
)omen Clergy Conference Focuses on &urture2 1entoring2 and Education
he 'orth American Aivision hosted its third annual )omen &lergy &onference in Aonaldson, :ndiana, Fctober 26-
2Q, 433T, focusing on s!iritual leadershi! with the theme C$oul Aesigner.E $cores of female !astors, cha!lains, and
others in s!iritual leadershi! throughout the division attended, as well as several female seminarians from the
Adventist heological $eminary in %errien $!rings, #ichigan. !uth Haley 3arton, co-founder and !resident of
he ransforming &enterUa &hristian organiRation located in )heaton, :llinois, that !rovides resources for !astors
Ubegan the conference with her !resentation, C$trengthening the $oul of Bour Leadershi!.E
htt!011www.adventistreview.org1article.!h!LidMQ<;
Ruth *aley %arton trains thousands a year in the art of contem!lative !rayer. CAsk for a sim!le !rayer to e9!ress
your willingness to meet ,od in the silence D a sim!le statement Dsuch as .*ere : am./ D *el! yourself return to
your original intent by re!eating the !rayer that you have chosen.E URuth *aley %arton Nuotes taken from
Aisci!leshi! Oournal ?ol. 22; 2PPP
Ruth *aley %arton was trained at the $halem =rayer :nstitute for $!iritual Formation.
Chis mystical stream Ycontem!lative !rayerZ is the )estern bridge to Far Eastern s!irituality D :t is no accident
that the most active frontier between &hristian and Eastern religions today is between contem!lative &hristian
monks and their Eastern equivalents.E Uilden Edwards, $halem Founder
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1ruthhaleybarton.htm
There are specific warning signs that are sym!tomatic that a church may be headed down the
emergent1contem!lative road. :n some cases a !astor may not be aware that he is on this road nor
understand where the road ends u!. *ere are some of the warning signs0 :deas are !romoted teaching
that &hristianity needs to be reinvented in order to !rovide meaning for this generation. )hile the
authority of the )ord of ,od is undermined, images and sensual e9!eriences are !romoted as the key
to e9!eriencing and knowing ,od. hese e9!eriences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy,
labyrinths, !rayer stations, contem!lative !rayer, e9!eriencing the sacraments, !articularly the sacrament of the
Eucharist. htt!011com!ass.org1!h!1files1articles1files1GQ@Rog^43Fak^43Em^43&hurch^43adobe.!df
Forest "ake Academy -;>= (rayer !oom
his is a radical call for the ne9t generation to rise u! in !assionate, !ersistent and !owerful !rayer to change lives,
families, communities and nations. here will be music, art, worshi! and interactive !rayer stations to hel! make
your !rayer time enJoyable. =re!are to e9!erience ,odI htt!011www.mysignu!.com1cgi-bin1view.cgiLdatafileMfla
(!A?E! STAT'<&S are !laces around Andrews- cam!us where students can sto! and !ray together at s!ecified
times during school days. :t is a s!iritual awakening, a way to connect to ,od and to fellow students+ a Jum!-start
for your day and a testimony for those who witness it.
htt!011www.andrews.edu1&#1ministry1ministries1!rayerstations.htm
Andrews @niversity Spiritual Formation Class required reading0
Frtberg, Oohn. he Life Bou/ve Always )anted. ,rand Ra!ids0 Hondervan, 2PP<.
)illard, Aallas. Renovation of the *eart. &olorado $!rings, &F0 'av=ress, 4334.
htt!011www.inministry.info1article.!h!LidMG3
htt!011www.inministry.info1site121docs1,$E#6G2@$!irit@Form-on@cam!us-$um-3<-Kidder.!df
<oth Frt$erg and Willard are proponents of contemplative spiritualit/.
!he pra/er station concept "as promoted in !he .astors 1?1 vol. G( htt!011www.adventsource.org1dvdvideo@4.as!9L:AM;GP4G
What will we be doing on the boat? )hile on-shi!, there will be general session worshi!s,
worksho!s, small grou!s, s!iritual directors, meals, &hristian comedy, and much more.
14
$am!le )orksho! o!ics
Living $ingle
#arriage
=arenting
Aebt #anagement
Life &oaching
&onflict Resolution
$!iritual Formation 7%asics of &hristianity, =rayer, etc.8
Relational Evangelism
Res!onding to =luralism
$ocial Oustice Roundtable
'ational and :nternational Ado!tion
&reation and Environmentalism
&onnecting with Local #issions
Bouth Leader/s raining
&hildren/s #inistry raining
http#>>""".cruise"ithamission.org>article.php5idHI(
Prayer Chapel
Bou will have resources always available to seek ,od in new ways while you are on &ruise with a #ission. A !rayer
cha!el will be o!en 4G1< with interactive stations where you can try !raying with art, !raying for the world, !raying
intercession, and waiting on ,od. here will be young adults to su!!ort you if you need !artnershi! in !rayer, or Just
a quiet !lace to be with ,od away from the activities of the boat. he !rayer cha!el will be an oasis where you will
be welcomed to come into ,od/s !resence alone or with your friends to lift u! your heart and be restored.
http#>>""".cruise"ithamission.org>article.php5idH''
3vidence that Interspiritualit/>3mergent>*piritual @ormation philosoph/ is making inroads into our church is found
in "hat is happening "ith @aith House anhattan& .artners in Innovation& Caiser& 1r. William Loveless#
htt!011www.sda!artnersininnovation.org1
htt!011www.kaiser.net1inde9.cfm
htt!011www.sdayouth.net1a@transcri!t@of@a@maJority@of@dr.htm
Samir Selmanovic, a $eventh-day Adventist !astor, is !ioneering a ministry called Faith *ouse #anhattan. his
!roJect is endorsed by Tony Campolo2 author, 3rian 1c"aren2 author, ,on (aulien2 author and Aean of the
Faculty of Religion at Loma Linda "niversity, !aA Attiken, =resident of the Fhio &onference of $eventh-day
Adventists and founder of yearly leadershi! gathering, 'ational &onference on :nnovation, !yan 3ell, $enior =astor
of the *ollywood Adventist &hurch and the director of Re-&hurch 'etwork, !oy &aden, =rofessor Emeritus,
Andrews "niversity, 1onte Sahlin2 author, church growth consultant, and ?ice =resident for &reative #inistries in
&olumbia "nion &onference of $eventh-day Adventists, &athan 3rown, Editor, *igns of the !imes 7Australia S
'ew Healand8, "awrence T4 5eraty, =resident, La $ierra "niversity, &alifornia, ,ohnny !amBre6-,ohnson,
=rofessor of Religion, =sychology, S &ulture, $chool of Religion, Loma Linda "niversity, ,on Dy#dahl, !revious
!resident of )alla )alla &ollege and a member of 4323 Edinburgh =lanning ,rou!, Samuel "eonor, international
s!eaker, cha!lain of La $ierra "niversity. htt!011samirselmanovic.ty!e!ad.com1faith@house1endorsementsearly4.!df

!he follo"ing "as taken from a Lighthouse Research %e"sletter0 :n the anifesto, under the cha!ter (he $weet
=roblem of :nclusiveness,( the following statements are made. hese are all in conte9t and from the same author,
#uslim raised $amir $elmanovic who later served as a $eventh-day Adventist !astor and now is !art of Emergent
?illage. $elmanovic states0 (&hristianity-s idea that other religions cannot be ,od-s carriers of grace and truth casts a
large shadow over our &hristian e9!erience( 7!. 2P28.
he message that $elmanovic is !reaching is none other than what Alice %ailey calls the reJuvenation of the
churches, where &hristianity will be melded into the other religions of the world, ultimately leading to a universal
global religion, and in which the gos!el message of Oesus &hrist will be com!letely com!romised. Emerging
s!irituality is quickly overtaking much of mainstream &hristianity, right before our very eyes. :f your !astor or youth
15
leader is telling your church to be involved with s!iritual formation, they are taking you down a road the same as
$amir $elmanovic when he says he seeks (to bring !rogressive Oews, &hristians, #uslims, and s!iritual seekers of
no faith to become an interfaith community for the good of the world,( or when he says, ()e have one world and
one ,od,( and (:magine0 Fne humanity, Fne !ul!it, A rich diversity of voices, All learning from one another and
cherishing the traditions of one another.(
Last week : attended a short meditation class by a wonderful guide 7hank you #ichelleI8. $he taught us *9uare
<reath, a $ufi !ractice. :t was unlike anything else : have e9!erienced before, centering first on one/s breathing, then
on one/s heartbeat, bringing them in sync, one-s own !erson becoming an e9!ression of gratitude for the gift of life
and love of ,od. $ufi-s would say, (stain your !rayer rug with wine.( : did Just that this week. : got lovedrunk with
,od. *amir *elmanovic& %ovem$er D& '((K
htt!011samirselmanovic.ty!e!ad.com1faith@house14.)hatisFaith*ouse=roJect.!df
htt!011www.emergentvillage.com1!odcast1samir-selmanovic-on-finding-our-god-in-the-other
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1newsletter3T2P3<.htm
C=lease !ray for me 7)ayne Anderson8 as : will be s!eaking to a grou! of $eventh day Adventist !astors from the
Los Angeles area on $aturday afternoon, 'ovember Q, 433;. #ost of the work we have done with Adventists has
been with those from Frange &ounty, $an Aiego &ounty, Riverside and $an %ernardino &ounties. his grou! from
the LA area will be new to the !rocess. )e are !lanning eight monthly meetings beginning with the one in
'ovember. he meetings will be held at the *ollywood Adventist &hurch and will go from ; =# to T =#.E )ayne
Anderson is one of the founders of he Leadershi! :nstitute X :ntegrating $!iritual Formation and Leadershi!
Aevelo!ment. *e is also the $!iritual director at the :nstitute for $!iritual Formation at albot $chool of heology.
htt!011www.westgate-church.org1missions1missionaries1anderson1inde9.htm
htt!011www.theleadershi!institute.org1Journey1inde9.htm
htt!011www.theleadershi!institute.org1Journey1Oourney%rochure.!df
Che Al!ha &ourse has swe!t the globe and is being used by an incredibly wide range of grou!s X including
Anglicans and Roman &atholics, #ethodists and $eventh-day Adventists.E Alpha %e"s 52T, !23
C:n #ay 433G, former ?ineyard "$A 'ational Airector odd *unter Joined Al!ha "$A as its !resident, e9cited
about the marriage of s!iritual formation and evangelism that Al!ha brings, he says on his blog. *e calls the Al!ha
course (the most holistic a!!roach to evangeliRation available in local churches.(
htt!011www.christianitytoday.com1outreach1articles1!owerofal!ha.html
htt!011www.users.globalnet.co.uk1^<Eemcd1he'ewAgeFfAl!ha.!df
ADVENTIST REVIEW, ,anuary -92 -..;
E9cer!ts from The 5entle )hisper C Connecting with the Divine through solitude
%y %onita Ooyner $hields - assistant editor of the Adventist Review
:n the fourth century, men and women entered the desert en masse in a movement known as the #onastic
movement. hese (desert fathers and mothers,( as they were called, e9ited society in order to lead a solitary,
contem!lative life of !rayer. hey were seeking a dee!er e9!erience with ,od. )hile :-m not advocating a reclusive
lifestyle 7neither did Oesus8, :-ve had a fascination with these men and women of faith, and have learned much from
them about the s!iritual disci!line of silence.
:n his book !he *olace of @ierce Landscapes# 3xploring 1esert and ountain *piritualit/, %elden Lane e9!lores
what the desert meant for these ancient men and women, and what it can mean for us today.
(o submit to silence in !rayer is to admit that we stand naked before ,od, without even words to cover ourselves.
)ords are the fig leaves we continually gras! in the effort to clothe our nakedness.( Lane, !.TQ
: have a chair in the corner of my bedroom. echnically it belongs to Roy and me, but we both know it-s really
%onita-s chairI 7Fur cats, however, haven-t learned this yet.8 his is sacred s!ace for me+ it-s where : retreat for
solitude0 to read, talk with ,od, and get away from the crowds.
16
his !ast s!ring : decided it was time for me to take an e9tended !ersonal s!iritual retreat. 7'o, : didn-t go cam!ing+
:-m not there yetI8 : left home on a $abbath morning and headed out to a !ersonal retreat center, where : got a room,
meals, and all the solitude : could handle until $unday afternoon. Even before leaving on this relatively short
e9cursion, though, : wondered how : would fill u! that much time with solitude.
)hat : discovered after s!ending this time reading, writing, !raying, walking, eating, thinking, !lanning, crying,
laughing, and sleeping--almost all of it in silence--was that my body, mind, and s!irit craved more 7es!ecially the
slee!ingI8. 'o distractions. 'o noise. 'o !laces to go, !eo!le to see, things to do. A !eace and calm worked their
way dee!er into my soul. : felt that : had more dee!ly connected with the Aivine.
(rue contem!lation can never fulfill itself in -the false sweetness of a narcissistic seclusion.- :t has to re-enter the
world of others with its newly won freedom. . . . he contem!lative returns to the ordinary, not in s!ite of her
detachment from it, but because of that detachment. 'o longer driven by fear of reJection and loss, she is able now to
love others without an9iously needing anything in return.(

7Lane, !.<68
htt!011www.adventistreview.org1433G-26361story4.html
Adventist )orld2 Decem#er -..=
Re7@ormation in Iceland
%y ,avin Anthony - director of Bouth and Aisci!leshi! for the :celand &onference.
Che :celand &onference is building its disci!leshi! model around s!iritual
formation, a term that identifies the focus of disci!leshi!Uthe !ractical and s!iritual re-forming of broken human
hearts back into the image of Oesus.E
Co learn more about the s!iritual formation work in the :celand &onference, go to www.reflectingOesus.org
htt!011www.adventistworld.org1issue.!h!LissueM433<-2324S!ageM2G
"istening to 5odDs )ords
A form of scri!tural meditation that em!hasiRes listening to the voice of the *oly $!irit s!eaking through the te9t.
7Lectio divina8
htt!011www.reflectingJesus.org1inde9.cfmLfaMcontent,eneric.tRmfJdyJkusdlrfJS!age:dMPQPG<
Discipleship "inks
$!iritual Formation Forum
Renovare
Aallas )illard
htt!011www.reflectingJesus.org1inde9.cfmLfaMcontent'ews.newsSdirectory:dM26QQ4
C%ut as : began to search for the editor/s email address to attach the document, an alarming thing ha!!ened. All of a
sudden, the hairs all over my body stood u! on end as the room was filled by an evil !resence. :t is hard to describe,
but my mind suddenly went very haRy and it was as though all the energy in my body was being sucked out. From
!revious e9!eriences, : knew what was ha!!ening. All : could do was slam my la!to! shut, and find a !hone to ask
someone to !ray for me. *owever, as : stood u!, my knees buckled because : had already become so weak. :n a
strange way, : was almost glad for that e9!erience. :f what : had been writing was im!ortant to $atan, it was
evidently im!ortant to ,od. he ne9t day : emailed off the manuscri!t, confident of ,od/s hand in my life.E
htt!011www.reflectingJesus.org1inde9.cfmLfaMcontent,eneric.mnb9tkkccslhRorn
: !urchased Aan Kimball/s book, !he 3merging Church, for each elder. After a few
weeks we discussed it together. :t was through reading Kimball/s book that we
discovered why we were not reaching our young adults. )e saw that the culture of our
society had changed drastically. And somehow, we hadn/t noticed. )e missed it.
C'ow : understand what my kids are saying,E commented one of the elders with twentysomething children. C:t/s like
17
we need to learn a new languageUor maybe a new culture for us to do church in. 'o wonder they think we/re
boring. )e are boring. : finally get it.E
$miles started to come to our faces. :t was like a door had o!ened and we saw a way ahead for the first time. )e
could now start to dream and articulate what we might become. Eagerness re!laced frustration. E9citement canceled
our de!ression.
After a few weeks the elders drew into our discussion the !ersonal ministries committee members. hey were
brought u! to s!eed about what was ha!!ening. Each of the !ersonal ministries committee members were given the
book by %rian #cLaren, ore Read/ !han 2ou Reali+e. his grou! also read and shared what they had found.
%ill %ossert, A.#in., was !astor of he $he!herd/s *ouse0 An Adventist &ommunity of Love, a $eventh-day Adventist church in )ausau,
)isconsin, when he wrote this. *e recently became !astor of he Edge &hristian )orshi! &enter in %rooklyn =ark, #innesota.
htt!011www.adventistreview.org1issue.!h!LissueM433<-2644S!ageMQ
#any &onferences and "nions have taken advantage of the free ,& License for
netAdventist and are offering the system without cost to their churches. =lease check
with your conference1union office, or go to our signu! !age to see if yours does.
htt!011www.netadventist.org1
Fne of the features of this su$sidi+ed "e$ service that man/ of our churches are su$scri$ing to is the ne"s and
devotional thoughts that are updated regularl/. Fne of these services is called !he <i$le *a/s . . . <elo" are some
thoughts that have $een posted#
=rayer and =resence
Even Einstein was drawn to !rayer as a mysterious e9!erience that has !otential to transform life and our Journey
with ,od. he =salmist once quoted ,od as saying, (%e still and know that : am ,od( 7=salm GT0238. :/m learning
more and more that : sim!ly need to sto! talking so much in !rayer and start being silent, listening, quieting my
heart and mind enough to sim!ly be in the mysterious and une9!lainable =resence. : need to let go of more of my
own !ersonal agendas when : come to ,od and let *im be ,od. he !salmist was so rightUit/s in the stillness that
we really e9!erience ,od meaningfully.
%y ,reg 'elson
htt!011www.e-gracenotes.org1article.!h!LidM44G;
&reating $acred $!ace
As much of his art shows, ?an ,ogh actually was quite ade!t at discovering e9!eriences of the divine in very
unlikely or normal !laces. #aking sacred s!aces by looking for and affirming the !resence of ,od around us is a
!rofound s!iritual !ractice X seeing ,od in the eyes of a little baby, or deliberately creating a sacred altar in a corner
of your house where you are reminded of ,od/s activity in your life and where you !ay attention to ,od/s !resence
as you bow in !rayer X s!ecific ways to carve out sacred s!ace to !oint your heart toward ,od.
%y ,reg 'elson
htt!011www.e-gracenotes.org1article.!h!LidM2PQ6
Are Bou ListeningL
his inability to really listen unfortunately im!acts our relationshi!s in !rofoundly negative ways0 we don-t connect
dee!ly with !eo!le. And it im!acts our s!irituality0 we aren-t fully !resent to ,od either. *ave you ever sto!!ed to
think about how much you-ve missed by not listeningL &ould this be why the !oet quotes ,od in =salms GT023 as
saying, (%e still and know that : am ,odL( he ability to know and e9!erience ,od comes in the willingness to
quiet the many distractions and noises all around and within in order to focus and !ay attention to ,od. :t involves
learning how to be fully !resent to ,odUand that necessarily involves listening, which necessarily involves
selective filtering, which ultimately enhances meaningful connection. Aee! listening is an art that must be learned
and !racticed. :t-s a disci!line of giving attention to what matters most and the willingness to invest adequate time in
it.
%y ,reg 'elson
htt!011www.e-gracenotes.org1article.!h!LidM4334SsearchM,reg^43'elson
18
0reg %elson teaches contemplative disciplines on his "e$site#
)hat are those !ractices through the centuries that !eo!le desiring a dee!er s!iritual life have engaged inL )hat
intentional e9!eriences of the soul have !otential to transform our encounter with the divine and to hel! make us
more fully human and aliveL )hat tools can hel! us destress our s!irits and center them in the !eace of ,odL his
series will attem!t to stretch our souls, hearts and minds to create more room for the meaningful encounter with ,od
and others. )e/ll discuss, e9!eriment, and e9!erience some tried and true s!iritual !ractices0
Oanuary 60 meditation and !rayer
Oanuary240 lectio divina 7Esacred readingE8
http#>>""".second"indsf.org>5pH)()
A%othing in all creation is so like 0od as silence.B 7#eister Eckhart, 2G
th
century &hristian mystic8 #editation is
the art of silencing the mind. )hen the mind is silent, concentration is increased and we e9!erience inner !eace in
the midst of worldly turmoil. =ur!ose0 unclutter the mind, increase concentration, take control of thoughts,
e9!erience com!lete !eace and inner stillness, mind-body rela9ation and alignment.
&oncentrate on a candle flame. 'arrow your gaRe to the small ti! and block out all other thoughts. )hen you get
distracted, go back to focusing on the candle flame. he im!ortant thing is that you concentrate only on one thing at
a time. FFL$ FFR *E $F"L, =art 20 =rayer and #editation
ore contemplative teachings of 0reg %elson#
=RA&:&:', BF"R $=:R:"AL:B, =art ;0 Aee! Listening
FFL$ FFR *E $F"L, =art 40 Lectio Aivina 7Esacred readingE8
5<Dencounters Schedule for -..:
,FAencounters is a movement of 7$AA8 young adults who are wholeheartedly
seeking a 4G1< e9!erience of ,FA, recklessly living for *is renown. Aaring to
dee!en intimacy with ,od, ,FAencounters gives focus to seven disci!leshi!
themes where !ractices of the &hristian faith are em!hasiRed.
C)e !rayed ,FAencounters would be a catalyst for dee!, !ersonal e9!eriences with ,FA,E asserts co-founder Oeff
,ang. CY,FAencounters isZ not an act or a !rogram, but an everyday, every moment way of living.E ,FAencounters
aims to dee!en devotion to Oesus by develo!ing disci!les, walking recklessly in *is footste!s.
htt!011www.godencounters.org1!rimary1inde9.!h!Lo!tionMcom@contentStaskMviewSidM2Q4S:temidMQT
The Art of $3eing Still7 A )ork in (rogress *ere are some hel!ful hints for Cbeing still.E First, identify Csacred
s!aceE where you s!end nonnegotiable time with ,od free of distractions. Bes, that means turning off the cell
!honeI For some this may be a s!ecial room in the house, your !atio, under a tree in the yard, your car during your
lunch break, taking a walk. $econd, take some dee! breaths imagining &hrist breathing the breath of life into you
and you e9haling out your worldly cares. hird, ask ,od to s!eak to you. :f you choose to read $cri!ture ask
yourself what might ,od be telling you in that !assage. 'e9t, learn to listen. :f you find your mind wandering,
slowing re!eat the names of Oesus over and over again. )hen : have done this : have never come away em!ty
handed.
htt!011www.godencounters.org1!rimary1inde9.!h!Lo!tionMcom@contentStaskMviewSidMQ4S:temidM<T
-;-= (rayer movement sets up at Adventist 3oling#rook Hospital
htt!011www.chicagotribune.com1news1local1chi-!ray@4Pa!r4P,3,22QG4;.story
-;-= (rayer2 the ministry of (ete 5reig 7"K author of Red oon Rising8 has announced0 (he new 4G-< =rayer
#anual has Just been !ublished in 'orth America in res!onse to the gro"ing demand of !rayer rooms multipl/ing all
over the continent.(
%ecause of the growing !o!ularity of these contem!lative1mystical !rayer rooms, we are re-!osting an article we
wrote in Fctober regarding the 4G-< !rayer rooms and ,reig-s book, Red oon Rising0
19
)hile ,reig-s book and ministry may, at first glance, a!!ear to be a movement of !rayer, research shows that both
the book and the movement are heavily influenced by contem!lative s!irituality and 'ew Age thought. And while
youth around the world are taking shifts 7to !ray8 in ,reig-s boiler rooms 7!rayer rooms8, they may be getting into
something entirely different than biblical !rayer. :f your youth grou! is considering incor!orating Red oon Rising
and 4G-< =rayer into their agenda, a second look may be worthwhile.
,reig tells his readers to look to %rennan #anning-s book, A$$a6s Child, for further reading. :t is in A$$a6s Child
that #anning says Ar. %eatrice %ruteau is a (trustworthy guide to contem!lative consciousness.( %ruteau is the
founder of he $chool for &ontem!lation and believes ,od is within every human being. $he wrote the book, What
We Can Learn from the 3ast and says0 ()e have realiRed ourselves as the $elf that says only : A#, with no
!redicate following, not (: am a this( or (: have that quality.( Fnly unlimited, absolute : A#(
Also in #anning-s book, he says0 (Y:Zf : find &hrist, : will find my true self and if : find my true self, : will find
&hrist.( homas #erton believed what %ruteau and #anning have stated, that ,od is already within every human
being, we Just need to become aware of this. )hen ,reig tells readers to turn to A$$a6s Child, he is !ointing them
towards the mystical, !anentheistic views of homas #erton.
Red oon Rising instructs readers on lectio divina, but warns readers that their (inner fundamentalist( voice may be
telling them this isn-t biblical - in actuality that may be the voice of the *oly $!irit. he book cites contem!lative
!ro!onents like Leonard $weet, %rian #cLaren and *enri 'ouwen and talks about a !aradigm and cultural shift that
is taking !lace in the world.
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1newsletter24243T.htm
$!iritual Formation is to be !romoted worldwide in our church as revealed in this Adventist %e"s %et"ork @eature
C$!iritual formation is a to!ic being raised by many !astors and church leaders in a growing number of
&hristian denominations. :t-s no longer enough to Just know doctrine and factsUin today-s hectic society
!eo!le are searching for something dee!er and more meaningful, something that makes sense in their
whirlwind lives.
C$!iritual formation is not a new idea or conce!t, and (a lot of =rotestants are in the same boatUwe are
rediscovering it,( says Ar. Oon Aybdahl, !resident of )alla )alla &ollege, an Adventist institution in
)ashington $tate. And, he adds, the Adventist &hurch has some work to do.
(raditionally the Adventist &hurch has em!hasiRed intellectual truth and acce!ting certain facts and ideas
about ,od,( Aybdahl says. (At least in many !laces it has not talked so much about the im!ortance of
directly e9!eriencing ,od.
he Adventist world church created the :nternational %oard of #inisterial and heological Education 7:%#E8
in $e!tember 4332, designed to !rovide overall guidance and standards to the !rofessional training of !astors,
evangelists, theologians, teachers, cha!lains and other denominational em!loyees involved in ministerial and
religious formation, or s!iritual formation, in each of the church-s 2; regions around the world. Adventist %e"s
%et"ork @eature0 &hurch, &ongregations :ncrease Focus on ($!iritual Formation( February ;, 433G, $ilver
$!ring, #aryland, "nited $tates.
htt!011news.adventist.org1data1433G132123<6QG;P3G1inde9.html.en
C:n the book Living em!le there is !resented the al!ha of deadly heresies. he omega will follow, and will be
received by those who are not willing to heed the warning ,od has given. . . . Aangers that we do not now discern
will soon break u!on us, and : greatly desire that they shall not be deceived.E 2$# 433
C%e not deceived+ many will de!art from the faith, giving heed to seducing s!irits and doctrines of devils. )e have
now before us the al!ha of this danger. he omega will be of a most startling nature.E 2$# 2P<
20
C:n his 7Ar. Kellogg/s8 !resentation he cloaked the matter somewhat, but in reality he was !resenting scientific
theories which are akin to !antheism.E %&L 23Q
$!iritual Formation, A =astoral Letter by Richard Foster0 C%y now enough water has gone under the &hristian
$!iritual Formation bridge that we can give some assessment of where we have come and what yet needs to be done.
)hen : first began writing in the field in the late <3s and early Q3s the term .$!iritual Formation/ was hardly known,
e9ce!t for highly s!ecialiRed references in relation to the &atholic orders. oday it is a rare !erson who has not heard
the term. $eminary courses in $!iritual Formation !roliferate like baby rabbits. *uge numbers are seeking to become
certified as $!iritual Airectors to answer the cry of multi!lied thousands for s!iritual direction.E
htt!011www.theooRe.com1articles1article.cfmLidM<GG
A0 #ost of the activities commonly identified as (religious( activities can be a !art of the !rocess of s!iritual
formation, and should be. =ublic and !rivate worshi!, study of scri!ture, nature, and ,od-s acts in human history,
!rayer, giving to godly causes, and service to others, can all be highly effective elements in s!iritual formation. %ut
they must be thoughtfully and resolutely a!!roached for that !ur!ose, or they will have little or no effect in
!romoting it.
30 Fther less commonly !racticed activities such as fasting, solitude, silence, listening !rayer, scri!ture
memoriRation, frugal living, confession, Journaling, submission to the will of others as a!!ro!riate, and well-used
s!iritual direction are in fact more foundational for s!iritual formation in &hristlikeness than the more well known
religious !ractices, and are essential for their !rofitable use. htt!011www.dwillard.org1articles1artview.as!Lart:AM;T
!he spiritual activities mentioned in paragraph 8A: a$ove are clearl/ taught in scripture and the *pirit of .rophec/.
Ho"ever& 1allas Willard $elieves that these scriptural spiritual activities cannot $e Aprofita$leB "ithout the Amore
foundationalB activities mentioned in paragraph 8<:. *ome of these Amore foundationalB activities are centuries old
practices that originated "ith the desert fathers of the Catholic Church and incorporate eastern m/sticism. !he/ are
a path"a/ that once entered upon "ill lead .rotestants to Agrasp the hand of spiritualismB and to Aclasp hands "ith
the Roman po"erB. 0C LDD
C$!iritual Formation is a movement that has !rovided a !latform and a channel through which contem!lative !rayer
is entering the church. Find s!iritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contem!lative
s!irituality. :n fact, contem!lative s!irituality is the heartbeat of the s!iritual formation movement.E
htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1s!iritualformation.htm
#editation1contem!lation techniques may bring the !ractitioner to e9!erience any or all of the following three
stages0
2. %ring the body to a rela9ed state
4. Em!ty the mind by focusing concentration
;. &onnect to an entity
htt!011users.stargate.net1]eJt1'ews?;'26.htm
o direct !eo!le on a s!iritual Journey for G3 days, Rick )arren wrote he =ur!ose Ariven Life. he bestselling
book has im!acted millions of !ersons. $ome of =astor )arren-s !ur!ose involves his recommendations for
(%ecoming %est Friends with ,od.( he author shares si9 secrets to become ,od-s friends, one of which is
!racticing ,od-s !resence by being in (constant conversation( with him. After quoting 2 hessalonians 602< 7(!ray
without ceasing(8, )arren asks how a &hristian can !ractice unceasing !rayer to which he answers, (Fne way is to
use -breath !rayers- throughout the day, as many &hristians have done for centuries. Bou choose a brief sentence or a
sim!le !hrase that can be re!eated in one breath.( hen after !roviding ten e9am!les of !rayers, short biblical
!hrases that could work as breath !rayers, )arren advises (=ray it as often as !ossible so it is rooted dee! in your
heart.( :n this conte9t )arren also cites the book of %rother Lawrence 7c.2T36-2TP28, !he .ractice of the .resence
of 0od, who advocated e9!eriencing the !resence of ,od in the most menial of circumstances, by !raying short
conversational !rayers throughout the day. he Roman &atholic !ractice of !raying the rosary is also akin to breath
!rayers. htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1breath!rayer.htm
21
#any 'ew Age gurus, as well as eresa of Avila who was a 2T
th
century &atholic mystic, distinguish between
meditation and contem!lation. According to them, meditation is the !rocess for arriving at the state of
contem!lation. otal mental silence and !hysical quietness is achieved through meditation, which leads into
contem!lation, the non-verbal communication by (,od.( For &atholic mystics, 'ew Agers, and non-&hristian
meditators, one of the !rimary !ur!oses of meditation1contem!lation is to e9!erience ,od and be infused with *is
love. :n cha!ter 46 of her (he )ay o =erfection,( eresa of Avila describes the love she e9!erienced during
contem!lation0 (:n case you should think there is little gain to be derived from !racticing vocal !rayer !erfectly, :
must tell you that, while you are re!eating the =aternoster YFur FatherZ or some other vocal !rayer, it is quite
!ossible for the Lord to grant you !erfect contem!lation. :n this way *is #aJesty shows that *e is listening to the
!erson who is addressing *im, and that, in *is greatness, *e is addressing her, by sus!ending the understanding,
!utting a sto! to all thought, and, as we say, taking the words out of her mouth, so that even if she wishes to s!eak
she cannot do so, or at any rate not without great difficulty.
($uch a !erson understands that, without any sound of words, she is being taught by this Aivine #aster, )ho is
sus!ending her faculties, which, if they were to work, would be causing her harm rather than !rofit. he faculties
reJoice without knowing how they reJoice+ the soul is enkindled in love without understanding how it loves+ it knows
that it is reJoicing in the obJect of its love, yet it does not know how it is reJoicing in it. :t is well aware that this is not
a Joy which can be attained by the understanding+ the will embraces it, without understanding how+ but, in so far as it
can understand anything, it !erceives that this is a blessing which could not be gained by the merits of all the trials
suffered on earth !ut together. :t is a gift of the Lord of earth and *eaven, )ho gives it like the ,od *e is. his,
daughters, is !erfect contem!lation.(
Although eresa of Avila wrote0 (she is being taught by this Aivine #aster, )ho is sus!ending her faculties,( it is
not by the sus!ension of our faculties that we come into the fullness of ,od-s love or by which *e teaches us.
:t is by reading and understanding ,od-s word that we learn to walk in *is word, fulfilling the command of Oesus. *e
said that whoever loves *im kee!s *is commands, which results in the !erfection of *is love0 2 Oohn 406 %ut whoso
kee!eth his word, in him verily is the love of ,od !erfected0 hereby know we that we are in him.
he first ste! in any mystical meditation is always to rela9 the body. A !erson is encouraged to find a !lace where he
will not be disturbed, so the meditative !rocess will not be broken. Boga is often used as a way of bringing the body
to a rela9ed state. :t-s not necessary, but what is em!hasiRed is that the body be comfortable in order to avoid
distraction. here is a form of yoga where one concentrates on the various !arts of the body 7arms, legs, etc.8 to
bring them to a !oint of rela9ation. he adherent is told to concentrate on each !art of the body and release tension in
each !art one by one. :f !ursuing healing, he visualiRes flowing water or rushing air washing away the tensions and
an9ieties or the im!urity of the !art of the body that is sick, then visualiRes healing coming to that !art.
)hether a !erson is !ursuing healing or a dee!er s!iritual e9!erience, the !oint throughout the meditative !rocess is
to never allow the mind to be distracted. :f it does become distracted, re!etition of the mantra holds the mind focused
until the other thoughts or distractions subside. $ometimes a symbol is !ictured in the mind and used instead of, or
along with, the verbal mantra. Fther !ractitioners use a !hrase from $cri!ture or even the name of Oesus.
he re!etition of $cri!tural !hrases to attain an altered state of consciousness is not why ,od gave us $cri!ture.
$cri!ture was given so that we could understand ,od and *is ways, and our need for *im, by knowing *is !lan of
salvation. $cri!ture is to be read and studied and understood with a fully alert mind, not used as a technique to bring
a !erson to a state of silence in which he does not or cannot think at all.
According to eresa, meditation is the focusing on and reflection on some religious theme, often the life of Oesus
while on earth. Fr it could be the sim!le !rocess of re!eating a !rayer, such as the Fur Father. #ystical meditators
often use a breathing technique to bring the body into a rela9ed state, and in some cases the breathing itself is an
actual !art of the mantra. A !erson concentrates on his breath and does not try to control it. Fften a two syllable
mantra is used, focusing on the first syllable when breathing out, and then on the other when breathing in.
$ometimes, the !erson counts each breath.
22
Fften the consciousness is altered through the meditator-s visualiRation of himself as a symbol, such as a candle or a
bird. hrough such visualiRation, he (becomes( the symbolic obJect, and at this !oint enters a dee!er realm of the
occult. his is the !oint at which he is (detached( from his thoughts and bodily senses and enters the state of
contem!lation, where he can do nothing but wait for (,od( to mystically invade him.
htt!011users.stargate.net1]eJt1'ews?;'26.htm
*piritual formation or contemplative spiritualit/ is Catholic pagan>occultic m/sticism. !his is "hat Richard @oster
has $een $ringing to Christianit/.
Richard Foster s!eaks on !ersonal renewal by meditative !rayer where one centers down becoming quiet and !assive
and then uses guided imagery and visualiRation of &hrist. *is book &elebration of Aisci!line was on the &hristian
bestseller list for many months. :n his cha!ter on meditation he stresses discovering (the inner reality of the s!iritual
world which is available to all who are willing to search for it.( )hile Foster does say one should distinguish
between Eastern meditation and &hristian forms, and that they are, (worlds a!art( Foster also encourages (centering(
e9ercises and concentrating on one-s breath, also a common Eastern technique0 unfortunately, his methods offered
have similarities to new age or Eastern techniques that are used in meditation. Foster/s meditation aimed at centering
oneself begins by concentrating on breathing. :nhale dee!ly, slowly tilting your head back as far as it will go. hen
e9hale, allowing your head slowly to come forward until your chin nearly rests on your chest. Ao this for several
moments, !raying inwardly something like this0 (Lord, : e9hale my fear over my geometry e9am, : inhale Bour
!eace. : e9hale my s!iritual a!athy, : inhale Bour light and life. hen, as before, become silent outwardly and
inwardly. %e attentive to the inward living &hrist.(
his clearly is combining eastern ways with &hrist and it has a &hristian veneer but is decidedly unbiblical. he
%ible forbids this0 CFor thou hast forsaken thy !eo!le the house of Oacob, because they are filled with customs from
the east, and are soothsayers like the =hilistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.E :saiah
40T.he %ible tells us to kee! our minds on guard and !rotected. o bring oneself into a !assive mental state, this
ty!e of consciousness is a ste!!ingstone to the occult. For when the mind is not !rotected anything can enter in.
Em!tying thoughts means falsehood can be sent in without any resistance. 4 &or. 2306 states Ccasting down
arguments and every high thing that e9alts itself against the knowledge of ,od, bringing every thought into ca!tivity
to the obedience of &hrist.E %iblical meditation is having our minds actively engaged on contem!lating ,od-s word.
Oames G0< says to submit to ,od resist the devil and he will flee from you. Resistance is key to staying sober in
mind. o do this one must be aware of their surroundings, thinking. "nlike 'ew Age meditation, biblical meditation
doesn-t involve mysticism or em!tying the mind. Rather, biblical meditation involves obJective contem!lation and
dee! reflection on ,od-s )ord as well as *is works, not on images or dreams. &hristian meditation calls us to look
to ,od, not inward. he !ur!ose is that our minds may be filled with godly wisdom and insight so that our hearts
may be filled with comfort, ha!!iness, and Joy. o echo the o!ening words of the !salmist, (%lessed is the man ...
YwhoseZ delight is in the law of the LFRA, and on his law he meditates day and night( 7=salm 202, 48. )e think and
use our mind to gras! what is being e9!ressed by his word and allow it to affect our heart.
htt!011www.letusreason.org1'A#4<.htm
*o far "eve seen that going into silence& centering pra/er& pra/er Journaling& $reath pra/ingM these are all a part of
the spiritual formation movement that is s"eeping into Christendom. Another aspect of spiritual formation is the
pra/er la$/rinth.
"nderstand, &hristians looking for ways to bring in new relevancy within church worshi! did not (rediscover( the
labyrinth as a s!iritual tool. As we shall see, it has been !art of the esoteric world for a very long time. )hich is
why, today, labyrinth walks and (!rayer Journeys( are being !romoted by Rosicrucian grou!s, at 'ew Age festivals
and celebrations, and throughout the neo-!agan world. 'ot sur!risingly, one of America-s largest witch, shaman, and
neo-!agan assemblies, the 4336 =agan $!irit ,athering at )isteria, F*, held a night-time $ummer $olstice
Labyrinth ritual, which was described as a (transformative, walking meditation through an all night labyrinth formed
by 2333 lighted candles(.
*undreds of &hristians have taken !art in labyrinth !rayer walks, and many churches across 'orth America and
Euro!e are embracing this tool as a means to e9!and their s!iritual e9!erience. he Rev. Oill ,eoffrion, a (certified
23
labyrinth facilitator( and author of such books as Christian .ra/er and La$/rinths and .ra/ing the La$/rinth,
writes0
()e are currently in a !eriod of historic labyrinth revival. &hurches, retreat centers and &hristian cam!s are !lacing
these !rayer tools inside and outside. &hristians all over the world are installing labyrinths in their yards and gardens.
#any are using the labyrinths as a ministry tool, bringing !ortable versions to !risons, national denominational
conferences and church grou! meetings. :t is conservatively estimated that there are over 6,333 labyrinths in the
"nited $tates alone. ,od is blessing the use of the labyrinth+ many are being drawn closer to Oesus, e9!eriencing
healing and gaining s!iritual clarity as they !ray on its !ath.(
(he Labyrinth is an archety!e, a divine im!rint, found in all religious traditions in various forms around the world.
%y walking a re!lica of the &hartres labyrinth, laid in the floor of &hartres &athedral in France around 2443, we are
rediscovering a long-forgotten mystical tradition that is insisting to be reborn. he labyrinth is a shared esoteric
tradition+ in 'ative American culture it is called the #edicine )heel and #an in the #aRe. he &elts described it as
the 'ever Ending &ircle. :t is also called the Kabala in mystical Oudaism. Fne feature they all share is that they have
one !ath which winds in a circuitous way to the center.(
htt!011www.crossroad.to1articles41361teichrib1labyrinth.htm
%eing westerners, we often fail to realiRe that seemingly harmless -!hysical- techniques can have significant
questionable s!iritual im!act on our lives. Fne of the !atterns with the doRens of new-age fads swee!ing 'orth
America and the )est &oast in !articular is that they all !o! u! out of the blue but claim to have rediscovered an
ancient secret technique that we all need. #any of them, including the fast-growing Labyrinth fad, even reconstruct a
!lausible but misleading &hristian history used to !ersuade well-meaning &hristians.
htt!011www;.telus.net1st@simons1arm3Q.htm
he Rev. Oill ,eoffrion states that (,od is blessing the use of the labyrinth+ many are being drawn closer to Oesus,
e9!eriencing healing and gaining s!iritual clarity as they !ray on its !ath.(
Fn the surface this sounds great. %ut is ,od really blessing this (new thing(L &an ,od bless something that has its
origins in esoteric doctrine and ancient !agan mythologiesL Adding to its historical !agan significance is the fact that
the labyrinth has never lost its occult meaning. Labyrinths are still being used, and will continue to be used, as an
instrument of !agan s!irituality.
:f ,od is going to bless labyrinth !rayer Journeys, how is *e going to deal with Aeuteronomy 2402-2G, 2Q0P-2; and
E9odus ;G023-2<L :n each of these $cri!ture !assages ,od e9!licitly tells *is !eo!le to refrain from anything used
in !agan !ractices. #oreover, the entire book of Oeremiah is a warning against involvement in alternative religious
!ractices. htt!011www.crossroad.to1articles41361teichrib1labyrinth.htm
What do pra/er la$/rinths& contemplative pra/er& spiritual formation have to do "ith the *eventh7da/ Adventist
Church5 If these things "ere to come into our church and $e encouraged $/ our leadership this "ould $e most
startling indeed. <ecause of its spiritualistic>pantheistic overtones this could ver/ "ell $e the omega of apostas/ that
3llen White foretold "ould come into our church.
Che e9!erience of the !ast will be re!eated. :n the future, $atan-s su!erstitions will assume new forms. Errors will
be !resented in a !leasing and flattering manner. False theories, clothed with garments of light, will be !resented to
,od-s !eo!le. hus $atan will try to deceive, if !ossible, the very elect. #ost seducing influences will be e9erted+
minds will be hy!notiRed.E Q 4P;
Che =rotestants of the "nited $tates will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to gras! the hand of
s!iritualism+ they will reach over the abyss to clas! hands with the Roman !ower+ and under the influence of this
threefold union, this country will follow in the ste!s of Rome in tram!ling on the rights of conscience.E ,& 6QQ
Centering pra/er is making contact "ith fallen angels. !his is precisel/ "hat is done in a sNance. Centering pra/er
is occult eastern m/stical meditation& Christiani+ed $/ the 1esert @athers of the fourth centur/. *elf7h/pnosis lies at
24
the foundation of this practice. inds indeed are $eing h/pnoti+ed. Centering .ra/er is identical to "hat the
<uddhist and Hindu does "hen he engages in meditation. !he hand of spiritualism through the movement of
*piritual @ormation "ith all its associated dangers is even no" $eing grasped $/ the hand of .rotestantism and "e
as *eventh7da/ Adventists are in great danger $ased on the "arning found in D! 'OI 9uoted a$ove.
C: saw the ra!idity with which this delusion Vs!iritualismW was s!reading. A train of cars was shown me, going with
the s!eed of lightning. he angel bade me look carefully. : fi9ed my eyes u!on the train. :t seemed that the whole
world was on board. hen he showed me the conductor, a fair, stately !erson, whom all the !assengers looked u! to
and reverenced. : was !er!le9ed and asked my attending angel who it was. *e said, .:t is $atan. *e is the conductor,
in the form of an angel of light. *e has taken the world ca!tive. . . . And they are all going with lightning s!eed to
!erdition./ his delusion will s!read, and we shall have to contend with it face to face+ and unless we are !re!ared
for it, we shall be ensnared and overcome.E FL% ;2P
Here is a small list of the promoters of Contemplative .ractice. Remem$er& Ait seemed that the "hole "orld "as on
$oard.B
%A:LEB, AL:&E 0 Founder of the Arcane $chool, an offshoot of heoso!hy - authored several books through a (s!irit guide.(
%LA'&*ARA, KE'0 Founder of Ken %lanchard &om!anies and (Lead Like Oesus( Leadershi! &onferences.
%RF*ER LA)RE'&E0 72T36-2TP28 &armelite layman, author of (=racticing the =resence of ,od(. %elieved ,od was in all things.
&A'F:ELA, OA&K0 &reator and author of the (&hicken $ou! for the $oul( series. 'ew Age.
&RA%%, LARRB0 &hristian &linical =sychologist, author, $!iritual Airector and Advisor for American Association of &hristian &ounselors.
EA)ARA$, :LAE'0 Founder of the $halem =rayer :nstitute in )ashington, A&
FF$ER, R:&*ARA0 Nuaker and Founder of Renovare and author of (&elebration of Aisci!line(, the ,eneral Editor of (Renovare $!iritual Formation %ible(, and
(=rayer0 Finding the *eart/s rue *ome(.
FF>, #A*E)0 Former Aominican !riest and author of (he &oming of the &osmic &hrist(+ develo!ed &reation $!irituality+ believes that ,od and &hrist are in
all things.
KEA:',, *F#A$0 &atholic monk, &o-father of the modern day &ontem!lative =rayer #ovement.
K:#%ALL, AA'0 Author of (he Emerging &hurch( and a leader in the Emerging &hurch #ovement. =romotes labyrinths and lectio divina.
#A'':',, %RE''A'0 Former &atholic !riest, author of (Ragamuffin ,os!el(, and (Abba/s &hild(.
#AR> *"%%ARA, %AR%ARA0 :nfluential 'ew Ager who says of &hristians0 ("naware of our evolutionary !otential, they Y&hristiansZ !revent the action and
res!onse needed to transcend the terrestrial !hase of our e9istence. hey would annihilate the !ossibility of "niversal *umanity by claiming we have no right to
achieve it.(
#&LARE', %R:A'0 &onsidered the main leader of the Emerging &hurch #ovement, 'ew Age =romoter, =astor
#ERF', *F#A$0 'ow deceased &atholic monk who wanted (to become as good a %uddhist as : can.( 7$teindl-Rast, 2PTP8+ quoted often by Richard Foster.
'F")E', *E'R:0 Aeceased &atholic theologian, &ontem!lative "niversalist, author of (:n the 'ame of Oesus( and (he )ay of the *eart(.
=E&K, #. $&F0 =sychiatrist, Author of (he Road Less raveled(.
$&*"LLER, RF%ER0 =astor of &rystal &athedral and the (*our of =ower( television !rogram. =romotes =sychology
$A'FFRA, A,'E$0 Author of (*ealing Light(, taught that the (Kingdom of ,od is within you(.
$*A''F', ):LL:A#0 'ew Age biogra!her of homas #erton.
EA$AALE, )AB'E0 &oined the term (inters!irituality(.
ERE$A FF A?:LA0 &atholic nun, author of (%ook of Foundations(, Nuoted by Foster, =eterson.
"'AER*:LL, E?ELB'0 Roman &atholic, author of (#ysticism(, wrote ;P books and over ;63 articles.
)AL$&*, 'EAL AF'ALA0 Author of (&onversations with ,od( and 'ew Age leader who said, (he era of the $ingle $avior is over. )hat is needed now is Joint
action, combined effort, collective co-creation.( !. 26<
)ARRE', R:&K0 =astor and author of the (=ur!ose-Ariven Life(. \=romotes his ,lobal =.E.A.&.E. !lan involving G33,333 churches.
):LLARA, AALLA$0 Author of CRenovation of the *eartE
):LL:A#$F', #AR:A''E0 &ontributed to making (A &ourse in #iracles( well known+ currently involved with the Ae!artment of =eace.
BA&F'ELL:, #:KE0 he late founder and owner of Bouth $!ecialties+ !romoted &ontem!lative $!irituality. Y#ike !assed away in 433;Z.
BA&F'ELL:, #ARK0 $on of the late #ike Baconelli - very active in the &ontem!lative =rayer #ovement.
%LA&KA%B, *E'RB0 Author of (E9!eriencing ,od( workbook and seminars. aught among $%& and Roman &atholics. =romoted by Rick )arren.
*B%EL$, %:LL0 =astor of )illowcreek &ommunity &hurch, *osts conferences with &ontem!lative $!eakers such as Larry &rabb and %rian #cLaren. *osted
(Lead Like Oesus( 433G &onference with Ken %lanchard.
OERE#:A*, AA?:A0 =astor of (urning =oint #inistries(, Author of (Life )ide F!en(, $!eaker at Ken %lanchard/s (Lead Like Oesus $eminars( and America
Association of &hristian &ounselors.
L"&AAF, #A>0 Author and Founder of "!)ords. $!eaker on an instructional A?A on &ontem!lative =rayer, titled C%e $tillE which includes Richard Foster.
#F'K K:A, $"E0 #ystic Author of (,od-s Ooyful $ur!rise( a s!iritual memoir describing her advent into contem!lative &hristian s!irituality and ()hen the *eart
)aits(.
#FFRE, %E*0 Founder of Living =roof #inistries for women. $!eaker on an instructional A?A on &ontem!lative =rayer, titled C%e $tillE which includes
Richard Foster
'EE, )A&*#A'0 #ystic Author of (he $!iritual #an(.
FR%ER,, OF*'0 Author of (&loser han Bou hink(, 4336 favorably quotes contem!latives.
=EER$F', E",E'E0 Author of (he #essage( bible translation and the book (he &ontem!lative =astor(. Endorses Foster.
$E',E, =EER0 %uddhist, Author and Founder of $ociety for FrganiRational Learning. 'ew Age.
$#:*, #:&*AEL ).0 &hristian #usician. =romoter of %rennan #anning/s book (Above All(.
$A'LEB, &*ARLE$0 $%& Evangelical =astor, Author (*ow to Listen to ,od(. Es!ouses the belief that ,od continues to s!eak to man today outside of *is
)ord. :n the P1P; :n ouch magaRine, $tanley quotes favorably from mystic Richard Foster-s book (he &elebration of Aisci!line( 7P1448.
$A'LEB, A'AB0 =astor, $!oke at Ken %lanchard/s (Lead Like Oesus( &onference in Fctober, 4336.
$):'AFLL, &*"&K0 Evangelical =astor of (:nsight for Living(, author of ($o, Bou )ant to %e Like &hristL Eight Essentials to ,et Bou here.( 7A book on the
solitude and silence of &ontem!lative =rayer.8
htt!011logosresource!ages.org1Furimes1!rayer.htm
25
-#antras- are tools for focusing the mind, and also for filling the mind with the grace of the deity. A mantra is the
word form of the deity, and is filled with the !ower of the deity. &onstant re!etition of a mantra not only hel!s in
concentration, but also creates the energy of the deity. A mantra need not be always connected with a deity. Fne can
also use a !ositive affirmation as a mantra. Re!eating the mantra along with each breath using a !articular count
focuses the mind on the entire !rocess of breathing, and at the same time infusing the body with the energy of the
mantra. Easy yet !owerful mantras are0 (Fm 'amah $hivaya(, (Fm 'amo 'arayanaya(, (Fm ,anesh(
htt!011www.rainbowray.com1%reathing^43and^43mantras.htm
%reathing and concentrating on !hrase can be also be soothing, !eace finding or s!iritual. E9am!les : use0
\7E>8 : am $afe D 7:'8 : Feel free
\7:'8 uning in D 7E>8 Lettin go.
: often switch the words : use from the :nhale and E9hale to relieve the !erce!tual duality of breathing.
htt!011echo!en.word!ress.com1my-breathing-e91
:t seems remarkable that yoga mantras and rosary !rayer, two culturally distinct !ractices, are similar in rate 7T
breaths !er minute8, duration 7mantras are usually re!eated more than 233 times and the rosary, 263 times8 and
cardiovascular effects. %ernardi and colleagues suggest that ibetan monks ada!ted the mantras from yoga masters
in :ndia and from there it !assed thorough the #iddle East to the crusaders, who introduced the !ractice to Euro!e.
hey !ro!ose that in the &hristian culture of the #iddle Ages where body consciousness was not encouraged, the
rosary !rayer may have taken hold because it was a method of slowing breathing, increasing concentration and, by
synchroniRing cardiovascular rhythms with breathing, inducing a sense of calm and well-being without actively
focusing on breath and the body.
htt!011altmedicine.about.com1cs1illnesswellness1a1Boga=rayer.htm
he actual !ractice of lectio divina begins with a time of rela9ation, making oneself comfortable and clearing the
mind of mundane thoughts and cares. $ome lectio !racticers find it hel!ful to concentrate by beginning with dee!,
cleansing breaths and reciting a chosen !hrase or word over and over to hel! free the mind. hen they begin with the
four ste!s0
Lectio - Reading the %ible !assage gently and slowly several times. he !assage itself is not as im!ortant as the
savoring of each !ortion of the reading, constantly listening for the (still, small voice( of a word or !hrase that
somehow s!eaks to the !racticer.
#editatio - Reflecting on the te9t of the !assage and thinking about how it a!!lies to one-s own life. his is
considered to be a very !ersonal reading of the $cri!ture and very !ersonal a!!lication.
Fratio X Res!onding to the !assage by o!ening the heart to ,od. his is not !rimarily an intellectual e9ercise, but is
thought to be more of the beginning of a conversation with ,od.
&ontem!latio - Listening to ,od. his is a freeing of oneself from one-s own thoughts, both mundane and holy, and
hearing ,od talk to us. F!ening the mind, heart, and soul to the influence of ,od.
'aturally the connection between %ible reading and !rayer is one to be encouraged+ they should always go together.
*owever, the dangers inherent in this kind of !ractice, and its astonishing similarity to transcendental meditation and
other dangerous rituals, should be carefully considered.
htt!011www.gotquestions.org1lectio-divina.html
Richard Foster/s books are arrayed with quotes and instructions from 'ew Age teachers who are well versed in the
beliefs and agenda of the occultists. Although many of his musings and enthusiastic devotions are C!leasantE to read,
indeed quite ins!iring to those who are unaware of the tra!s, they either directly contradict the %ible, or lead into
demonic !ossession. )hen : read C&elebration of Aisci!lineE for the first time, many years ago now, : was strangely
moved by it, until my eyes were o!ened by the *oly $!irit. :t seemed Cs!iritualE and seemed to !romise a new way
of living. Foster seems to !resent dee! love of &hrist in his teaching. $ome of the book is Just common sense, such
26
as the teaching about living a sim!ler life-style, being less concerned about material !ossessions. %ut, the CgoodE is
vastly out-weighed by the questionable sources and lead-in to the s!irituality of the 'ew Age.
Albert Oames Aager, of (#edia $!otlight( writes of the mystical !ractices Foster teaches and indulges himself in0
("nfortunately, all these e9ercises serve to do is o!en the !erson u! to demonic influences that assuage his or her
conscience with a feeling of eu!horia and even (love( emanating from the !resence that has invaded their
consciousness. his eu!horia is then believed to validate that the !erson is on the right s!iritual !ath. :t may result in
visions, out-of body e9!eriences, stigmata, levitation, even healings and other a!!arent miracles.(
)rites Aager0 (Like Oohn )imber of ?ineyard :nternational #inistries, it is out of the religious traditions of
Nuakerism that Foster has come with the message that today-s &hurch is missing out on some wonderful s!iritual
e9!eriences that can only be found by studying and !racticing the meditative and contem!lative lifestyle.(
Foster/s book (&elebration of Aisci!line0 he =ath to $!iritual ,rowth( is a book which calls for dee!er s!irituality
than that which the %ible teachesI Foster-s teachings are filled with %uddhism, Boga, . #., the e9ercises of :gnatius
of Loyola, Eastern religion, and e9tremely s!iritually destructive !ractices.
htt!011www.dece!tioninthechurch.com1Foster@E9!ose.htm
hings are changing. he goal is honorable, but what/s being done to get there is, quite frankly, a!ostasy. )e can
!ut many labels on these !eo!le who are !ushing for change in the !ostmodern church0 !ost-conservatives, !ost-
fundamentalists, !ost-foundationalists, !ost-!ro!ositionalists, !ost-evangelicals, !ost-everything, reformistsDor the
more !o!ularly known Cemerging churchE. )hatever the label, they all have some common characteristics about
how to re-do church and become a new kind of &hristian. &hristianity is being seen as more a narrative rather than
doctrines1!rinci!les or !ro!ositions of truth+ tradition, culture and the contem!orary e9!erience is being seen as the
source of theology rather than Just the %ible itself. he shift is towards a s!irituality-based e9!erience of ,od,
instead of a creed-based one+ and how this s!iritual formation should be done is to look to Richard Foster and Aallas
)illard for methods that stem from Roman &atholicism and eastern mysticism.
htt!011www.si9ste!s.org1category1emergent1
: have s!ent hundreds of hours and several years studying Richard Foster and other s!iritual formation mysticism
teachers and !sychology which has virtually taken over Evangelical &hristianity and the &hurch. %ut : mainly have
studied the %ible for much of the 63 years : have been a &hristian. :t has not been difficult to s!ot error, with this
foundation, because : sim!ly immediately see a red flag every time : read a statement or conce!t which does not line
u! with the !lumb line of $cri!ture. )ell all : can say is that : ho!e that you are now convinced that it is Richard
Foster who !ossesses and !romotes hollow and dece!tive !hiloso!hies contrary to $cri!ture.
htt!011www.abrahamic-faith.com1Oames1Richard-Foster.html
an/ of the people implicated in this paper certainl/ mean "ell and "ould not intentionall/ engage in spiritualistic
activities. / point is not to condemn an/one $ut rather to "arn a"a/ from an/ involvement "ith %e" Age ideas. It
"ould $e $etter to not even use spiritual formation terminolog/ to express Christian gro"th concepts $ecause of its
association "ith the emergent spiritual formation movement "hich is decidedl/ spiritualistic. And certainl/ "e
should not use their $ooks in our endeavors to help our people gro" in their Christian "alk.
'nterspirituality means a blending together of all religions. he very term itself contradicts biblical &hristianity, for
Oesus &hrist said there was only one !ath to ,od, only one door, and *e is that door. Fnce we start to understand
inters!irituality, we will be able to see how it is racing into the world at an alarming s!eed. :n this issue, we are
talking about inters!irituality, ho!ing to show the vehicle through which it enters. hat vehicleL #ysticism. Fr in
other words contem!lative s!irituality. )hether it is called #, yoga, centering, or contem!lative !rayer, the
method is the same and most definitely the results are the same. he methodL #antra meditation. he resultsL ,reat
s!iritual dece!tion. htt!011www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com1newslettermarch.htm
Contemplative Spirituality0 A belief system that uses ancient mystical !ractices to induce altered states of
consciousness 7the silence8 and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but is often wra!!ed in &hristian terminology.
he !remise of contem!lative s!irituality is !antheistic 7,od is all8 and !anentheistic 7,od is in all8.
27
C)e need not the mysticism that is in this book 7Living em!le8. hose who entertain these so!histries will soon
find themselves in a !osition where the enemy can talk with them, and lead them away from ,od.E 2$# !. 434
If /ou "ish to understand more a$out these issues& read the $ooks AHidden AgendaB $/ ;an ?oerman 8*1A author:&
AA !ime of 1epartingB $/ Ra/ 2ungen and A@aith 4ndoneB $/ Roger Fakland
htt!011www.amaRon.com1*idden-Agenda-Oan-?oerman1d!126<46QG62;1refMsr@2@2123;-PPG;243-Q364TTPLieM"FQSsMbooksSqidM22Q4QQ444TSsrMQ-2
htt!011www.amaRon.com1ime-Ae!arting-Ray-Bungen1d!13P<42624<;
htt!011www.amaRon.com1Faith-"ndone-emerging-reformation-dece!tion1d!13P<P2;2623
What can $e done a$out this Fmega of apostas/ that is alread/ at "ork in our church5
C'ever before have : carried so sad a heart as since : have seen the a!ostasy of men and women who have had great
light, and an abundance of evidence of the truth for this time. his brings to me a grief that should be s!ared me, in
these closing days of earth-s history. %ut : have no !ower to change the seductive working of the enemy. he
$cri!ture has said that such things will come. : acce!t the word of the Lord, and submit to the conditions that arise.E
Letter 4TT, 2P3T, !. 2. 7o O. E. and Emma )hite, August 6, 2P3T.8 <#R 2P;
*u$mitting to the conditions that arise does not mean that "e keep silent.
C)ith stern and commanding voice EliJah cries0 .*ow long halt ye between two o!inionsL if the Lord be ,od,
follow *im0 but if %aal, then follow him. And the !eo!le answered him not a word./ . . . in this fearful crisis, in the
!resence of the idolatrous !riests and the a!ostate king, they remained neutral. :f ,od abhors one sin above another,
of which *is !eo!le are guilty, it is doing nothing in case of an emergency. :ndifference and neutrality in a religious
crisis is regarded of ,od as a grievous crime and equal to the very worst ty!e of hostility against ,od.E ; 4Q3
%eutralit/ in a religious crisis is not an option for 0ods people. We must stand for the right though the heavens fall.
C#ark this !oint with care0 hose who receive the !ure mark of truth, wrought in them by the !ower of the *oly
,host, re!resented by a mark by the man in linen, are those (that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be
done( in the church. heir love for !urity and the honor and glory of ,od is such, and they have so clear a view of
the e9ceeding sinfulness of sin, that they are re!resented as being in agony, even sighing and crying. Read the ninth
cha!ter of ERekiel.E ; 4T<
A concerned $eventh-day Adventist !astor
!astorJcw_gmail.com
Last Revised0 Oune 24, 433Q
28