Marcia West nails it, here. Is contemplative or centering prayer, biblical?
Text of forwarded message follows:
>GNOSTICISM, CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER & OTHER CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS
>By Marsha West
>March 30, 2007
>http://www.newswithviews.com/West/marsha39.htm
>
>Christians are being exhorted to put their minds
>on hold through meditation and take a step into
>the supernatural realm. Is it biblical to
>connect with the supernatural realm? In an
>interview with Emergent leader Rob Bell,
>founding pastor of Mars Hill in Grand Rapids,
>MI, he made the following comment: "Central to
>the Christian tradition, for thousands of years,
>have been disciplines of meditation, reflection,
>silence, and breathing. It was understood that
>to be a healthy person, to be fully connected
>with God, and fully centered you would spend
>significant parts of your day in
>silence–breathing, meditating–praying allowing
>the Spirit of of God to transform you and touch
>you." So ordinary people spent significant parts
>of their day in silence, meditating?
>
>Even if it were true, nowhere in the Bible are
>God's people encouraged to stop using their
>minds and to connect with the supernatural
>world. Believers are to worship God with their
>heart, strength, mind and soul. In an altered
>state of consciousness the mind is not engaged, it's blank!
>
>For over two thousand years (not "thousands of
>years") Christians have followed a whole host of
>unbiblical practices that God regards evil. But
>that hasn't stopped untold numbers from
>participating. Example: Even though God forbids
>fortune telling (divination) countless people,
>including Christians, have visited mediums to "look into the future."
>
>For over 5,000 years meditation has been
>practiced by Eastern religions and has become
>mainstream in Western culture. It's true, as
>Bell says, that Christian's have been practicing
>meditation for centuries. Christian meditation
>came about when monks began reading the Bible
>slowly. As they read they would ponder the
>deeper meaning of each verse. This is called
>"divine reading," or lectio divina. As a result
>of their Scripture meditation the monks found
>themselves spontaneously praying. Their prayer
>would move them to a wordless focus on God. They
>called this "wordless love for God"
>contemplation. More on contemplative prayer later.
>
>Lacking a biblical worldview and an
>understanding of Scripture is the main reason
>Christians are dipping into the forbidden waters
>of Eastern meditation to "know the unknowable."
>
>Contemporary Christianity is following "every
>wind of doctrine." Believers are listening to
>what their "itching ears want to hear."
>Regrettably, their itching ears are tuned to
>neo-gnostic heresy. One of the obstacles the
>Apostles faced were false teachers, the Gnostics
>being the most prevalent of the bunch.
>Gnosticism was condemned as a heresy in the
>first century church. Here's the crux of Gnosticism:
>
>"Christian Gnosticism is the belief that one
>must have a "gnosis" (from Greek "Gnosko," to
>know) or inner knowledge which is mystical
>knowledge obtained only after one has been
>properly initiated. Only a few can possess this
>mystical knowledge, limiting the number of those
>"in the know". … Gnosticism today seems to
>provide a lot of the form and color for the New
>Age portrait of Jesus where Jesus is seen as the
>illumined Illuminator: one who serves as a
>cosmic catalyst for others' awakening. As such
>it is as false and heretical as the Gnosticism
>of the first century and needs to be roundly
>condemned for the heresy that it
>is."<http://www.newswithviews.com/West/marsha39.htm#_ftn1> [1]
>
>Most of us think it's cool to have inside
>information. Makes one feel important. Even
>special. Who wouldn't want to cultivate a
>special experience with God that no one else has?
>
>Sadly, Christians involve themselves in New Age
>practices like yoga meditation so they'll "be in the know."
>
>You say, "My church isn't into any of that New
>Age stuff." No, but you'll read about the New
>Age stuff in books purchased in your local or
>online Christian bookstores. You'll also see an
>abundance of false teaching on Christian blogs all over the Internet.
>
>Or you'll hear name it and claim it prosperity
>preachers on TV acting as if the Almighty is
>actually whispering into their ear as they
>impart their false teaching to millions of viewers.
>
>You can't even escape Gnostic heresy in modern
>Christian music. You could be singing it in
>church! Listen to the lyrics of so-called
>worship songs and be amazed! And be sickened.
>
>Last, but not least, the Oprah Winfrey Show if
>rife with Gnosticism. Those who tune into
>Oprah's program (a number of gullible Christians
>do) will hear her guest's share their esoteric mystical experiences.
>
>It's all about experience. "The Gnostics thought
>that one must directly experience the spirit to
>learn the truth, this being apart from the word.
>Stepping over into the supernatural, experience
>becomes the teacher and gives them real
>knowledge. What was and is now being taught is
>spirit to spirit communication that is
>completely outside the Biblical revelation given
>by the apostles."<http://www.newswithviews.com/West/marsha39.htm#_ftn2> [2]
>
>This fits liberal "Christianity" to a tee. The
>Word of God is out of date so experience becomes
>the teacher. In his essay "What are we talking
>about?" DA Carson points out that some leaders
>in the Emergent Church movement claim "changing
>times demand that fresh questions be asked of
>Scripture, and then fresh answers will be heard.
>What was an appropriate use of Scripture under
>modernism is no longer an appropriate use of
>Scripture under postmodernism." This is a
>classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater! But I digress.
>
>The "knower" believes that the masses are not in
>possession of spiritual knowledge, and only the
>truly "enlightened" can experience God. Thus the
>reintroduction of contemplative, aka centering, prayer into the Church.
>
>How is centering prayer different from biblical
>prayer? Centering prayer is a meditative
>practice where the focus is on having a mystical
>experience with God. Individuals choose a sacred
>word or symbol (such as God, Jesus, Father) and
>repeat it over and over during the twenty-minute
>exercise. Sitting comfortably in a meditative
>posture, with back straight and eyes closed, the
>sacred word is introduced as the symbol of
>consent to God's presence within. Should outside
>thoughts emerge in your mind, you must return
>"ever-so-gently" to your sacred word. At the end
>of your prayer time you're to remain in silence
>with eyes closed for a few minutes.
>
>Sounds like a good way to relax, doesn't it?
>Trouble is, contemplative prayer has no
>Scriptural support whatsoever. Moreover, it's
>the exact opposite of how the Bible instructs
>believers to pray. Read the prayer of Jesus in
>Luke 11:1-4 below.<http://www.newswithviews.com/West/marsha39.htm#_ftn3> [3]
>
>"In that day you will no longer ask me
>anything," said Jesus to the apostles. "I tell
>you the truth, my Father will give you whatever
>you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked
>for anything in my name. Ask and you will
>receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:23-24).
>
>Paul says, "Do not be anxious about anything,
>but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
>thanksgiving, present your requests to God"
>(Philippians 4:6, NLT).; "Epaphras, who is one
>of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends
>greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for
>you, that you may stand firm in all the will of
>God, mature and fully assured" (Col. 4:12).
>
>Biblical prayer advocates engaging your mind,
>even wrestling in your mind, as did Epaphras,
>not emptying your mind! Yet Pastor Rob Bell
>encourages Zachary Lind to do just that.
>Following is a snip of an interview Lind did
>with Bell. (For clarity I edited out phrases
>like "like," "you know" and "I mean."):
>
>Interviewer Lind: … the book you recommended to
>me a few weeks ago [by] Richard Rohrr…talked
>about contemplative prayer … [I read] half of
>the book and still don't really know what his
>definition of that is. But he starts getting
>into it. And he says … you have to at least sit … past 20 minutes.
>
>Bell: Yeah, yes.
>
>Lind: It takes a certain amount of time before
>you're sort of selfish things get aired out.
>Like you might be all about you for 20 minutes,
>but then after that it's like, you're kind of a blank slate. You know…
>
>Bell: Uh-huh.
>
>Lind: You're kind of ready to intake anything.
>He talks a lot in that book about a beginners
>mind and … being kind of like a child and coming
>up to Jesus, and really just ready to be written
>on. And … maybe I'm wrong but I kind of feel
>like from what I hear … there's a lot of that going on …
>
>Bell: Yeah, well you have to essentially
>discipline your life around forming the depths,
>and that takes just phenomenal discipline that I
>don't even pretend to
>have.<http://www.newswithviews.com/West/marsha39.htm#_ftn4> [4]
>
>At this point the conversation drifts away from
>contemplative prayer. Bell gave no warning with
>regard to the dangers of meditation even though
>Lind admits that he's ready to take anything,
>"Ready to be written on." Written on by whom?
>The Bible warns of deceiving spirits! "The
>coming of the lawless one will be in accordance
>with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
>counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in
>every sort of evil that deceives those who are
>perishing. They perish because they refused to
>love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thess. 2:9-10).
>
>After listening to the interview what you will
>come away with is that Rob Bell is leading
>Christians into dangerous Eastern religious
>beliefs and rituals. Convinced they're having an
>esoteric experience with "God," many Christians
>are actually embracing Hinduism.
>
>Biblical prayer is comprehendible communication
>with God. Prayer is not an esoteric, yoga
>meditation. Granted, many contemplatives are
>ignorant of the true nature of meditationbut
>such ignorance is inexcusable and indefensible!
>The truth about the dangers of meditation is
>readily available in books and on the Internet.
>Contemplative spirituality, like Gnosticism,
>promotes pursuing a magical mystical experience with "God."
>
>Overlooked are passages such as Joshua 1:8: "Do
>not let this Book of the Law depart from your
>mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you
>may be careful to do everything written in it.
>Then you will be prosperous and successful."
>This command is from God! He wants His people to
>meditate on Scripture; He doesn't want them
>emptying their minds. Leaders in the Emergent
>movement have succeeded in persuading those who
>practice centering prayer to put aside God's Word and focus on a blank wall!
>
>Will practicing Eastern mysticism really help to
>open you up to a greater spiritual experience
>with God, or just the opposite? Since God
>opposes mysticism in any form, perhaps
>contemplatives are really experiencing visits
>from demonic spirits. Meditate on that!
>
>In 1 Cor. 2:15-18 Paul informs us that we have
>"the mind of Christ." In Romans 12:2 he reminds
>us that God's people are not to kowtow to this
>world, "but be transformed by the renewing of
>your mind." Then you will be able to test and
>approve what God's will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will.
>
>In the words of William Hendrickson, "Even if we
>or a holy angel must be the object of God's
>righteous curse, were any of us to preach a
>gospel contrary to the one we humans previously
>preached to you, then all the more divine wrath
>must be poured out on those self-appointed
>nobodies who are now making themselves guilty of this crime."
>
>Footnotes:
>
>1, What is Christian Gnosticism? -
><http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-gnosticism.html>Got Questtions website
>2, The Gnostic Jesus, a Gnostic Christianity -
><http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain18.htm>Let Us Reason website
>3,
><http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011:1-4;&version=31;>Luke
>11:1-4 - Bible Gateway website
>4,
><http://www.findingrhythm.com/blog/?p=82>Interview
>With Rob Bell - Finding Rhythm website
>
>© 2007 Marsha West - All Rights Reserved
>
>
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