Sing4Him
October 18th, 2007, 10:18 AM
Here's a new article for you to gather some opinions and comments on:
Mennonite MB Herald Promoting Contemplative Spirituality
Source: Roll Over Menno
This month as Mennonite Brethren church members across Canada open their magazine from the Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, they will be reading once again about the promotion of contemplative spirituality for teens (in the Cross Currents section):
Spiritual Formation:
"By introducing young people to the rich experiences of the saints of old (the mystics, contemplatives, Desert Fathers) and contemporary authors such as Gary Thomas, teens can discover there are many ways to develop intimacy with Jesus, including spending time in nature, practicing solitude, or even being an activist."-Ropewalk: 7 strands for creating leaders
What is wrong with that? To begin with, Gary Thomas, in his book Sacred Pathways, lists different ways people can draw near to God through centering prayer:
"It is particularly difficult to describe this type of prayer in writing, as it is best taught in person. In general however, centering prayer works like this: Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing." Gary Thomas
Ray Yungen also says in A Time of Departing that there's no difference between this and Eastern-style meditation: "In essence, Sacred Pathways is a manual for mantra meditation." (p. 152 ATOD)Click here to read the rest of this news story:
http://rollovermenno.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/mb-herald-promoting-error/
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/
Mennonite MB Herald Promoting Contemplative Spirituality
Source: Roll Over Menno
This month as Mennonite Brethren church members across Canada open their magazine from the Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, they will be reading once again about the promotion of contemplative spirituality for teens (in the Cross Currents section):
Spiritual Formation:
"By introducing young people to the rich experiences of the saints of old (the mystics, contemplatives, Desert Fathers) and contemporary authors such as Gary Thomas, teens can discover there are many ways to develop intimacy with Jesus, including spending time in nature, practicing solitude, or even being an activist."-Ropewalk: 7 strands for creating leaders
What is wrong with that? To begin with, Gary Thomas, in his book Sacred Pathways, lists different ways people can draw near to God through centering prayer:
"It is particularly difficult to describe this type of prayer in writing, as it is best taught in person. In general however, centering prayer works like this: Choose a word (Jesus or Father, for example) as a focus for contemplative prayer. Repeat the word silently in your mind for a set amount of time (say, twenty minutes) until your heart seems to be repeating the word by itself, just as naturally and involuntarily as breathing." Gary Thomas
Ray Yungen also says in A Time of Departing that there's no difference between this and Eastern-style meditation: "In essence, Sacred Pathways is a manual for mantra meditation." (p. 152 ATOD)Click here to read the rest of this news story:
http://rollovermenno.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/mb-herald-promoting-error/
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/