Bethel University New President: "Catholic friends taught me about contemplative prayer."

[Sing4Him]

Bethel University New President: "Catholic friends taught me about contemplative prayer."



Bethel University in St. Paul, MN has elected a new president. James (Jay) Barnes III has been chosen to fill the spot. Bethel University has been a proponent of contemplative spirituality for some time. The new president may follow suit as he states in his "Faith Journey" profile on the university site, "My Catholic friends taught me about contemplative prayer."

Those who have researched contemplative spirituality know that the present day contemplative prayer movement was brought to mainstream Christianity largely through Catholic contemplative monks Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, and Basil Pennington. If Barnes promotes this Catholic contemplative prayer at Bethel, students will receive the spirituality of these three men, each who believe[d] that eastern mysticism is an avenue through which man awakens to his inner divinity. A search throughout Bethel's website shows that many of the books being used at the school are written by contemplatives, panentheists, universalists, etc. Some of those include: Henri Nouwen, Anne Lamott, Marjorie Thompson (Soul Feast), Thomas Merton, and Richard Foster.

For a list of Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities that are going toward contemplative, click here :http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/Colleges.htm



http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/

[Sing4Him]

Bethel has been very disappointing. My dad went here back in the 1940's. At that time it was Biblically sound. (many Swedes attended then)

Now it has gone apostate. Very sad to see.

[His Bride]

Why do so many Protestants think that this being unequally yoked is okay? It's absurd! When I came out of the RCC I never dreamed this would be happening today.

[pegmo]

Why do so many Protestants think that this being unequally yoked is okay? It's absurd!

You know when I first came out of the RCC, this shocked me too. At the E-free church we were attending, almost everyone had some sort of Catholic connection. Not Ex-Catholic connection, but current. Many were married to Catholics, or had children married to Catholics, or were working at the local Catholic University or were sending their kids to the Catholic university. I couldn't believe it.

Now I understand better that those compromises dulled their ability to discern correct doctrine etc and they have allowed alot of error in their church as a result. Somewhere along the line, many of them chose their own desires over the Word of God in this matter. And many of them felt compelled to defend their own choices in these areas by attacking those who tried to stand on the Truth about Catholicism. And the pastors and leaders became hampered in their ability to address it as well since it became so prevalent.

Since we only became Christians 4 years ago, and don't know the history of the Christian church over the last generation or so, not sure where, when and why believers let the fence down and opened the gates to this error. Its a huge problem.

[pegmo]

I also live in Minnesota and have watched the deterioration of Bethel just over the last 4 years. It makes a big difference who they pick to lead these organizations as they can change the culture very, very quickly.

The pastor of the same E-Free church went back to Bethel over his last sabattical, and his teaching and approach really went downhill after that. He used drama instead of sermons, he took away our bible reading plans and our weekly prayer requests, he incorporated prayers to mystic nuns into the worship service, he said the most important people in the Sunday service were the new seekers, and He warned us about getting Fat on the Word instead of doing good deeds (among other changes). Wish he and Bethel both had more discernment.

[His Bride]

Wow Pegmo, you have really been exposed to it! I became a believer in 1980. In the mid to late 90's I began to see differences. I was still fairly young in the Lord, but some things just jumped out at me, or gave me pause. With a background in RCC I saw the compromises that were starting to occur, mostly with Evangelicals and CAtholics together, and such. Then I began to hear sermons by some of my favorite bible teachers give way to the touchy feely watered down gospel. I had heard about the Purpose Driven Church, and suddenly the follow up with the PDL happened. My spirit groaned against it all. I felt so alone. It sounds to me that you are being very discerning. Praise God. The last church we attended went Emerging. Though I spoke to the pastor he denied it. However, when Harry Potter was on the pre-service power point we never returned. I thought all was lost, but the Lord led us to a church with a great young pastor who is teaching on, believe it or not, apostasy. We are studying the book of Jude. Never give up, but never give in either. Not yet, anyway.

[Diamond]

I also live in Minnesota and have watched the deterioration of Bethel just over the last 4 years. It makes a big difference who they pick to lead these organizations as they can change the culture very, very quickly.

The pastor of the same E-Free church went back to Bethel over his last sabattical, and his teaching and approach really went downhill after that. He used drama instead of sermons, he took away our bible reading plans and our weekly prayer requests, he incorporated prayers to mystic nuns into the worship service, he said the most important people in the Sunday service were the new seekers, and He warned us about getting Fat on the Word instead of doing good deeds (among other changes). Wish he and Bethel both had more discernment.


What an interesting post from you...very insightful...prayers to mystic nuns??
Bad to get "fat" on the word? I have stopped going to church because I feel
starved for the word...there is a famine right now. I truly believe that most of our church leaders have left the word behind and are going for the deeds aspect....more emphasis on the environment and deeds...volunteerism. I used to be much more involved in church when I wasn't being hounded to do more than I am now. We have moved to different states over the course of 20+ years and my old church I stopped going to has invited Tony Campolo for the third time in a row....Red letter christians and all....this church has been headed in the wrong direction for a few years now and no one dares to question the pastor. He's kind of a rock star of sorts...plays guitar and has
his own blue grass band...he's the one who keeps on inviting Campolo back.

[pegmo]

I know there are good bible based churches out there still. We have recently found one. But there are many more of the other kind.

And I think its hard to find good colleges and seminaries these days that produce discerning, Word preaching, expository pastors. So I suspect the supply of good bible based churches will continue to decline as churches have no source of pastors other than those trained in all these non-christian practices like contemplative prayer that have flooded the teaching institutions in the name of tolerance and love of all things "spiritual".