Willow Creek Fall 2007 Catalog Gives Clear Message
August 23, 2007
Source: Lighthouse Trails
Mega-church leader,Willow Creek Association, is sending a clear message through their 2007 Fall Resource Catalog – contemplative spirituality and emergent theology are the way to go. The 58 page catalog is filled with heavy hitters in both camps. Those listed include meditation promoter Jim Collins, contemplative proponents John Ortberg, and Rick Warren, along with Erwin McManus. The Be Still DVD, featuring many who promote contemplative (Beth Moore, Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Calvin Miller) is being offered in the catalog as well. This DVD is an infomercial for contemplative prayer (see our Be Still research). Another strong contemplative author in the catalog is Keri Wyatt Kent, author of several books and popular with young mothers.
Read the complete post here.
Posted in Beth Moore, Dallas Willard, Erwin McManus, Richard Foster, Rob Bell, Scot McKnight, Willow Creek
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December 2nd, 2007 at 11:11 pm
If the mystics like St. Teresa of Avila and Brother Andrew practiced contemplative prayer, why is it such a big issue. Are all of the people who are currently teaching on contemplative prayer implementing new age ideas and theology? I was just wondering. I don’t really have a problem with what people in the prophetic movement call soaking prayer but I’m not sure if that’s the same thing as contemplative prayer. I know that some people use some new age ideas in their propagation of contemplative prayer. I was just wondering if everyone that teaches on it does. By the way, soaking prayer is simply listening to low-key worship music and laying on the floor or sitting in a chair and waiting on God.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:28 am
River-Dweller,
You should go to http://lighthousetrailsresearch.com/ if you didn’t. You can get more info here about contemplative prayer and the dangers associated with it.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
I have been to that website. It helped me deciphering some of the stuff concerning the emerging church and I don’t like alot of the emerging church leaders like Rob Bell and Brian McLaren. They’re way too liberal for me. My favorite pastor is John Piper. I say all of that to give you some idea of where I’m coming from. Anyway, would also consider myself honestly to be very charismatic in my understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in the church today. I’m just not sure that I’m ready to throw out contemplative prayer entirely. I don’t want to get into theological liberalism or undue mysticism but it seems to me that there is some balance in the way that some people undertake the thing of contemplative prayer. I see it in its most balanced form as simply wating on God. However, as I said before I do want to be careful about my interaction with new age philosophies, ideas and sprituality that I see in a good part of the contemplative prayer movement.