Perils of the Emerging Church

Heaven’s Last Call
“In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as
watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last
warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from
the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn
import--the proclamation of the ﬁrst, second, and third angels' messages.
There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow
nothing else to absorb their attention.” 9T, 19

Ted Wilson Warns Adventists Against
“Spiritual Formation” and the Emerging Church

“Stay away from non-biblical spiritual disciplines or
methods of spiritual formation that are rooted in
mysticism such as contemplative prayer, centering
prayer, and the emerging church movement in which
they are promoted.”

Revealing accounts of a New Age spirituality that has inﬁltrated much
of the church today. Exposes the subtle strategies to compromise the
gospel message with Eastern mystical practices cloaked under
evangelical terminology and wrappings.

Contemplative Spirituality: A belief system that uses
ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of
consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and
the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The
premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all)
and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this
movement are "spiritual formation," "the silence," "the
stillness," "ancient-wisdom," "spiritual disciplines," and many
others.

Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a
platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer
is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used,
and in nearly every case you will find contemplative
spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the
heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement.

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com

... your eyes shall be opened,
and you shall be as gods ...
(Genesis 3:5)

In the last days ... 2 Tim. 3:1

Ever learning, never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim. 3:7

Not endure sound doctrine ...
2 Tim. 4:3

2 Tim. 4:3
Teachers ... turned to fables.
2 Tim. 4:4

2 Tim. 4:3
Teachers ... turned to fables.
2 Tim. 4:4
Depart from the faith ... giving heed
to seducing spirits ... doctrines of devils.
1 Tim. 4:1

ANN Church Spiritual Formation

SDA Worldwide “Spiritual Formation” Initiated

SDA Worldwide “Spiritual Formation” Initiated
“The Adventist world church created the International
Board of Ministerial and Theological Education
(IBMTE) in September 2001, designed to provide
overall guidance and standards to the professional
training of pastors, evangelists, theologians, teachers,
chaplains and other denominational employees
involved in ministerial and religious formation, or
spiritual formation, in each of the church’s 13
regions around the world.” ANN, Feb. 3, 2004

Lighthouse Trails Recognizes Dangerous
“Emerging Spirituality” Entering Adventism

Dr. Jon Dybdahl
Contemplative spirituality is strongly
presented in his 2008 book, Hunger:
Satisfying the Longing of Your Soul, where
Dybdahl favorably instructs
on contemplative practices such as lectio
divina, visualization (p. 64), the Jesus
Prayer, and breath prayers (p. 52).
Hunger is brimming with references to
contemplative mystics: David Benner,
Morton Kelsey, Adele Alberg Calhoun,
Tilden Edwards, Richard Foster, Ken Boa,
and Brother Lawrence (see critique on
Hunger).

Peter Scazzero
Emotionally Healthy
Spiritually (used at Andrews)
is a who’s who of
contemplative mystics and
panentheists; some of those he
points readers to are Basil
Pennington, Tilden Edwards,
Henri Nouwen, Meister
Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, and
several others.

J. P. Morgan
J.P. Moreland’s Kingdom Triangle (used in Dybdahl’s
class at Andrews) explains maturity through “spiritual
formation.” Moreland tells readers that a “treasure of
deep, rich knowledge of the soul” is in the writings of the
Desert Fathers, Henri Nouwen, and Richard Foster, (p.
153) each of whom points followers to eastern-style
meditation (i.e., mantra-style). During a series Moreland
did for Focus on the Family (click here) Moreland says
that “Catholic retreat centers are usually ideal for solitude
retreats.”

Richard Foster
"Deep within us all
there is an amazing
inner sanctuary of the
soul, a holy place, a
Divine Center"

Why I am a missional, evangelical,
post/protestant, liberal/conservative,
mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/
contemplative, fundamentalist/Calvinist,
Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist,
catholic, green, incarnational,
depressed - yet hopeful, emergent,
unfinished Christian. A confession and
manifesto from a senior leader
in the emerging church movement.

Why I am a missional, evangelical,
post/protestant, liberal/conservative,
mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/
contemplative, fundamentalist/Calvinist,
Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist,
catholic, green, incarnational,
depressed - yet hopeful, emergent,
unfinished Christian. A confession and
manifesto from a senior leader
in the emerging church movement.

“I discovered other Roman Catholic
writers -- 20th century writers such
as Flannery O’Conner, Thomas
Merton, Henri Nouwen, Romano
Gaurdini, and Gabriel Marcel, as
well as the medieval mystics and
others.” P. 62

Emerging Church
Leader Leonard Sweet
“In the words of one of the greatest theologians of
the twentieth century, Jesuit philosopher of
religion/dogmatist Karl Rahner, “The Christian of
tomorrow will be a mystic, one who has
experienced something, or he will be
nothing”(Leonard Sweet, Quantum Spirituality, p.
76)
The power of small groups is in their ability to
develop the discipline to get people "in-phase"
with the Christ consciousness and connected with
one another. (Leonard Sweet, Quantum
Spirituality, P. 147)

Alex Bryan - Kettering College President

Tim Gillespie - Loma Linda Univ. Church
Sam Leonor - Chaplain La Sierra

Valuable Resources:
The Real Roots of the Emergent Church

New Resources: www.whitehorsemedia.com
1-800-78-BIBLE (2-4253)

“We need not the mysticism that is in this book. Those
who entertain these sophistries will soon find themselves in a
position where the enemy can talk with them, and lead
them away from God. It is represented to me that the writer
of this book is on a false track. He has lost sight of the
distinguishing truths for this time. He knows not whither
his steps are tending. The track of truth lies close beside the
track of error, and both tracks may seem to be one to minds
which are not worked by the Holy Spirit, and which, therefore,
are not quick to discern the difference between truth and error.
1 SM, 202

“The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great
reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this
reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of
our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to
take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has
given to the remnant church, would be discarded. Our religion would be changed.
The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years
would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of
a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be
introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a
wonderful work. The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the
God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new
movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being
removed, they would place their dependence on human power, which, without
God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm
and tempest would sweep away the structure.” 1 SM, 204

“I was made sad to hear of your decision, but I have had reason
to expect it. It is a time when God is testing and proving His
people. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Only
those will stand whose souls are riveted to the eternal Rock ...
But if you have decided to cut all connection with us as a
people, I have one request to make, for your own sake as
well as for Christ's sake: keep away from our people, do not
visit them and talk your doubts and darkness among them.” 1
SM, 162-162

You shall
know the
truth, and
the truth
shall set
you free.
John 8:32

Perils of the Emerging Church

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