An Open Letter to the Church
If I may borrow the words of Jude, as the reason for this letter: (1 ) “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.”
*(Italicized) numbers are references found at the bottom of the post.
As was true in Jude’s day and throughout the ages, the church is surrounded by false spiritual narratives and practices, and each member of the body of Christ must choose daily to forsake the world and cling to Him. As a fellow member of this body, I not only want to draw your attention to this topic but to encourage you. I offer this letter to you as well as the previous and the related future posts, as a resource. Not as a member who is merely expressing discontent, but as one who wants to contend, along with you, so that the body may be strengthened, edified, that the Bride of Christ may be presented to Him pure.
It would be unrealistic to believe that any given congregation could exist and thrive without having to confront misconceptions, misinterpretations, and even introductions of false gospels. The New Testament is filled with warnings to the Church against the infiltration of falsehood. Including doctrines that introduce a false Jesus and a false Holy Spirit. Paul explains in (2) 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 11:2-4, 12-15 that we are surrounded by a spiritual reality that acts upon our physical world. (Not convinced? Check out (3) Ephesians 6:10-19 also). As Christians we rely on the grace and forgiveness of God. We know that we are not exempt from temptation to sin, and indeed we often fall prey to temptation and need to repent and be reconciled to other people and to God. What is just as real as temptation, and what we cannot afford to assume we are exempt from, is deception. If the Holy Spirit acted as a force field around believers such that they would never have to worry about walking into deception, then there would have been no need for Paul, Peter, and Jude to warn us to stay vigilant (Paul- (3) Ephesians 6:10-19), to arm ourselves (Peter-(4) 2 Peter 3:14-18), and to fight for the faith (Jude- (5) 3-4). If Eve was successfully deceived while in her state of original perfection and relationship with God, how could we possibly think that we are exempt?
With the possibility of deception in mind, I ask you to consider with me a doctrine that has been introduced to the Church slowly over recent decades and increasingly, even overwhelmingly in our current hour. A doctrine that clearly addresses a need and thus is readily accepted, one that claims Jesus Christ and His gospel but at its source springs a different gospel and a contrary spirit. ((2) 2Corinthians 11:2-4)
This doctrine I am referring to is Spiritual Formation. By all accounts, here in the American church, this is the doctrine of the hour. Its missionaries are many and growing, I will address some of them, beginning with one in particular (in my next post), but before all of that I offer you a word from one of the fathers of this doctrine, the late Dallas Willard. In an article on his (6) website entitled Spiritual Formation: What is it? How is it done? He gives an excellent defense for the felt need and relevance of Spiritual Formation. He says:
“We have a problem today in Evangelical circles. We're not only saved by grace, we're paralyzed by it.” “…we have now come to the place where we can be a Christian forever without becoming a disciple.” “Now, spiritual formation talk has emerged within evangelical circles because of a pervasive felt need--felt on the part of many people within the laity as well as within the clergy--for "something more" than the group and individual activities that have been recognized and encouraged in conservative religious circles in recent decades.” “The subsequent rise of talk about spiritual formation occurred because of the felt (though often unarticulated) need to find something deeper: something that actually lead to the transformation of life, that actually moved people in the direction of "the good tree", that looked into the tangled depths of the heart and said, "There must be a way of doing something about that." “Spiritual formation could and should be the process by which those who are Jesus' apprentices or disciples come easily to "do all things whatsoever I have commanded you." What I call "the great omission from the great commission" is the fact that Christians generally don't have a plan for teaching people do everything that he commanded. We don't as a rule even have a plan for learning this ourselves, and perhaps assume it is simply impossible. And that explains the yawning abyss today between being Christian and being a disciple. We have a form of religion that has accepted non-obedience to Christ, and the hunger for spirituality and spiritual formation in our day is a direct consequence of that.”
For all of my (7) disagreements with the theology that Willard developed over his journey into Spiritual Formation, I agree whole heartedly with his summary of the state of the church and its need to be awakened into genuine obedience to Christ. I must also say here that I do not believe that Dallas Willard or John Mark Comer (who’s work I will focus on specifically in the next post) had/have the intention to deceive. They were/are sincere in their pursuit of obedience to Christ and their desire that the church (broadly speaking) would do the same. However, there is a great disparity between where the Spiritual Formation movement hopes to lead the Church to and the direction it is actually heading in. This truth becoming evidenced, that one can be both sincere and sincerely wrong.
Willard makes the following statement (same article) in the context of Christians having gone to cultural spirituality, Vedic (ancient Eastern spirituality that precedes Hinduism), or New Age (which is indeed mostly Vedic practices revived) in order to find the meaning and spiritual depth they are looking for:
(6)“The hunger of the human heart that is unfed by what is authentic will go for what is inauthentic. If human beings need something vital badly enough, they may even destroy themselves trying to get it.”
It was clearly his intention to lead Christians away from these empty spiritualities and on to Christ. Unfortunately, these words ring prophetic over his own work and the work of those who follow after him in the ministry of Spiritual Formation, because somewhere along the line those same Vedic practices were sown in and took root among the good and necessary disciplines that are the markers of authentic obedience to Christ.
Among others, *these are the fruits produced by the disciplines of Spiritual Formation:
*Prayer - becomes meditative (in that it focuses in on the self in order to create a silent environment for God to speak, rather than being an outpouring of pleading, requests, praises, and thanksgiving, as prescribed in (8) Philippians 4:6-7. Examples of these kind of contemplative prayers include (9) breath prayer, (10) the Jesus Prayer, (11) centering prayer, (12) imaginative prayer. It should be noted that all of these prayer practices are intended to result in an altered state of consciousness in the practitioner. This altered state is the opening of one’s mind to interact with the spiritual realm, its known as the alpha state. It doesn’t matter that your intent is to draw close to Christ, your mind ends up in the same place as those who alter their consciousness under (13) any other intention. This is why Peter tells the church to be self- controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers (1 Peter 4:7).
*Scripture Reading- becomes the means of numbing the mind to silence in hopes of hearing a personal word from the Lord rather than being upheld as the Word of the Lord in and of itself. The main example of this way of reading scripture is (14) Lectio Divina (also intended to alter the consciousness in order to “hear from God”). In the absence of true communication with the Lord, which comes through humble outwardly focused prayer and sober minded thinking on the Word, the precious and free gift of peace that passes understanding also remains absent, and buying into mindfulness practices done in the name of Jesus becomes the means of striving for His peace. This joining together of Eastern mysticism with Christian terminology is so widely practiced now that hardly anyone cares to differentiate the two. But the Lord speaks in no uncertain terms about approaching Him in the same manner as the lost interact with the spiritual realm ( (15) 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; also see my post Set Apart Before the Throne).
For my brazenness in speaking out in opposition to these greatly respected and revered teachers, I have this to say: I do not pretend to speak by my own knowledge, for from myself I surely have nothing of value to offer, but the Lord has laid this burden on my heart to share with you what I have perceived by His Spirit, through His Word on this subject. Through subsequent posts I hope to set before you a compelling body of reference by which you can make a thoughtful decision of your own on the matter. I pray that my previous posts have laid the appropriate groundwork for you to hear what I have to say.
Grace and Peace,
Christie
1 Jude 1
2 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 11:2-4, 12-15 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
“For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (emphasis mine)
“And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”
3 Ephesians 6:10-19 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,”
4 2 Peter 3:14-18 “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
5 Jude 3-4 “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
6 https://dwillard.org/resources/articles/spiritual-formation-what-it-is-and-how-it-is-done
7 on Pg 243-244 in his seminal work: Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2002) Willard explains that traditions developed to emphasize and produce obedience to Christ, more often than not, fall prey to vanity and the original Christ glorifying intent gives way to self-preservation and glorifying of the tradition itself rather than Christ. He goes on to say: “If spiritual formation is to be the central focus of the local congregation, the group must be possessed by the vision of apprenticeship to Jesus in kingdom living as the central reality of salvation and as the basic good news, and they must have formed the clear intention to be disciples and to make disciples, as the central project of their group.” Now 22 years after these words were published, we have exactly this playing out. A Christian profession based on Spiritual Formation is more solidly rooted on the scaffolding of philosophy and psychology and spiritual practice that built up the movement than in the solid foundation of obedience to Christ and His Word. …Did Willard intend this? Certainly not, but he did rely heavily on his philosophical training in his teaching, and heavy dependance on philosophy and psychology are a common thread among those who would call themselves disciples of Willard’s and his teaching.
8 Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
9 Breath prayer- this prayer has you focus your breathing to the point of reaching alpha state. It is almost always recommended as the first step in a prayer practice.
10 The Jesus Prayer- “Jesus Prayer, in Eastern Christianity, a mental invocation of the name of Jesus Christ, considered most efficacious when repeated continuously. The most widely accepted form of the prayer is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jesus-prayer
This prayer may sound holy, but Jesus Himself tells us: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7-8
11 Centering Prayer- “Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, the Indwelling Presence … a prayer in which we can experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself.” (https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/centering-prayer-method/)
12 Imaginative prayer – Where practitioners are taught to read scripture and imagine that they are present in the stories, to the point where they have personal interactions with the characters, even Jesus, receiving messages from Him. We don’t need to visualize Jesus. He tells us Himself in John 20:29 “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Not to mention that our own hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Imagining meeting with Jesus is as much spiritual maturity and intimacy with the Lord as daydreaming about your crush in middle school and thinking of all the nice things you wish they would say to you is relational maturity. And lastly, this is something that the Buddhists do to worship their gods. See the following quote:
“Buddhist prayer activities, such as the recitation of sutras, the repetition of mantras, as well as visualization of deities, are all about connecting with our own inner capacity to develop constructive emotions such as compassion, enthusiasm, patience, and so on, and to engage in constructive actions of helping others.” - https://studybuddhism.com/en/essentials/what-is/what-is-prayer-in-buddhism
13 any other intention- “Mystics in every religious tradition speak of alpha states of consciousness and the lure of Divine Light, although they do so in their own metaphors and images. In their own ways they have learned how to enter alpha as they pray or worship. They learn how to become enlightened.” (Laurie Cabot, Power of the Witch, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing, 1989, p. 200)
14 Lectio Divina- “divine reading” this practice outwardly looks like a wise way to read and think deeply upon scripture but the intent of this one is to receive personal revelation beyond what the words of scripture are actually saying. Much like imaginative prayer, you let your heart decide what the Lord is trying to say to you.
15 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
-All scripture references are taken from the ESV