WARNING
This emergent church/spiritual formation poison is spreading into many churches. As it infects the more traditional Church of the Nazarene--is evidence it can infect any denomination."Contemplative spirituality practices, which are nothing more than “Christianized” transcendental meditation, are being taught in Nazarene universities, seminaries, and churches. Professors such as Thomas Oord of Northwest Nazarene University are teaching Open Theism, the heresy that God does not know the future, among other heresies. Professors such as Karl Giberson at Eastern Nazaren College are teaching that evolution is fully compatible with the Bible.
Trevecca Nazarene University has a prayer labyrinth on campus, and some Nazarene churches now use prayer labyrinths, which is a practice from pagan cultures that was invented and used thousands of years before Christ. There is nothing Christian about it, but now it is becoming more commonplace in the Nazarene church. Leaders at Point Loma Nazarene University and others are promoting contemplative spirituality practices.
Even Nazarene Theological Seminary is going “contemplative”, promoting a “spiritual formation” retreat at a Catholic retreat center a few days before General Assembly. These practices promote an unhealthy and unbiblical emphasis on experiences and teach methods that supposedly will help you get closer to God and hear His voice, rather than a reliance on what God has revealed in the scriptures to find His will and “hear His voice.” This is also called monastic mysticism, and it is not from the Bible.
Nazarene Theological Seminary recently promoted a preteen retreat, complete with teaching young kids how to use prayer stations, prayer beads, and other contemplative practices, custom designed and tailor made according to what “were meaningful for his or her own personality.” Degrees are now available in spiritual formation (another phrase for contemplative spirituality), and you can now study to be a spiritual director, which is perhaps the evangelical equivalent now of a priest who does confessions in the Roman Catholic system.
If practices and teachings that are coming into the Christian church are clearly unbiblical, it is our duty as Christians to oppose them, even if we have to oppose our leadership. Mystical experiences and the undermining of the authority of scripture have no place in the Christian church.
Many have left the denomination disgusted and heartbroken, and have found a church home outside of their former Nazarene church, where the Bible is taught as the inerrant, infallible word of God.
This is not just a Nazarene problem. It is a cancer that is spreading everywhere. This could very well be a major turning point in the history of many denominations. I believe we are seeing, in this emergent church movement, some of the influences that are misleading so many Christians around the world." ReformedNazarene
Are we witnessing the "Omega" apostasy? The "Alpha" apostasy began with the charismatic movement at the turn of the century and pantheism.
Referring again to the days and experiences of 1904 it is written:
"Be not deceived; many will depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. We have now before us the alpha of this danger. The omega will be of a most startling nature." Testimonies, Series B, No. 2, pg. 16, written July 24, 1904 E.G.W. This shows plainly that an apostasy had then begun of which the alpha was but one part or phase or feature, and that a later development of the same apostasy would be called the omega and would be of a most startling nature.
To know exactly what part of the apostasy God meant when He said alpha note the following, written of the book known as Living Temple:
"Living Temple contains the alpha of these theories. I knew that the omega would follow in a little while; and I trembled for our people." Testimonies Series B, No. 2, pg. 53 E.G.W.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you,
and exhort you that
ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:3
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| A prayer labyrinth in the Methodist Church As the New Age creeps into mainstream Christianity via spiritual formation |
Below is an example of this poison of spiritual formation creeping into other churches-such as the Methodist Church (from Davidson United Methodist Church website)
"Here are a few ideas that can help us explore the mystery of spiritual formation:
1. We have been formed by the Spirit of God: “you sent forth your Spirit and it
formed them” (Judith 16:14)
1. We have been formed by the Spirit of God: “you sent forth your Spirit and it
formed them” (Judith 16:14)
Uhm...did they just quote from the book of Judith as Scripture? 2. We are engaged in the process of having Christ formed in us by the Holy Spirit:
“until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19)
The first idea declares who we are; the second affirms who we are becoming."
“until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19)
The first idea declares who we are; the second affirms who we are becoming."
As you can see above-this poison of spiritual formation has entered the mainstream-not just charismatic or evangelical, but also mainline churches.