DIABOLICAL CONNECTIONS

I am going to take you on a journey. I hope I won't lose you, but if you follow carefully, you should be able to see how "Christian" contemplative prayer is endorsed by the New Age in what I am about to reveal and why it should be avoided at all cost. My question is, "Why on earth would a New Ager promote contemplative prayer unless it fit with their spirituality?"

Fasten your seatbelt, because here we go...

Last summer when I was doing some web-surfing on the subject of the United Nations and some of its New Age connections. I was watching a YouTube video of Dr. Don Beck, who is a "geopolitical commentator and founder of the New Age global Center for Human Emergence, briefing an audience at the United Nations in 2007. He challenged the Security Council to adopt a radically new, fresh approach to global governance."(1) The method he proposes that is supposed to bring about peace in the Middle East is called Spiral Dynamics. It is a method based on the theory of evolution.

Here is that video of Don Beck:





Now, Don Beck is the founder of the Center for Human Emergence. This is his baby. Here are a few quotes from his website:

“The Center for Human Emergence will help facilitate the conscious emergence of the human species using a synthesis of profound breakthroughs in human knowledge and capabilities, encompassing natural pattern coherence, mega-integration, unification, expanded whole mind capacity, deep intelligence and consciousness" - Dr. Don Beck (2)

“Countless beings, I vow to help cross the ocean of existence.
Eternal Suffering, I vow to end.
Innumerable spiritual methods, I vow to study and comprehend.
Awakening to Truth, I vow to realize.” - Bodhisattva Vow (3)

“It's natural that an intelligent species would be successful enough to hit the limits of its own growth without knowing it was going to do so. It's natural that through our successes we have overindustrialized, overpopulated, polluted and used up our environment. It may be that this whole predicament is a natural phenomenon and that this intelligent species is now getting a signal : evolve or die.” - Barbara Marx Hubbard (4) (proponent of the New Age)

One-world religion anyone? Or how about a One-world government? This is what this is heading to.

Here is a video explaining Beck's theory and method, Spiral Dynamics:

On the Human Emergence website, on this page, Ken Wilber is listed as one of the key personnel of this organization. Ken Wilber has his own New Age organization called The Integral Institute (all-is-one). This is where it gets interesting.

Here is the description of another video (seen below the following paragraphs) called The Mystic Heart (Part 1 of 6), a dialogue between Wayne Teasdale (proponent of contemplative prayer) and Ken Wilber:

"In this dialogue series, Brother Wayne Teasdale and Ken Wilber discuss the advent of an integral mysticism in the postmodern world. Reflecting on their own spiritual experiences, the relation of science to spirituality, the lives of the great inter-spiritual pioneers, and how youth culture is revitalizing the mystical traditions, Brother Wayne and Ken show how an integral perspective can bring the revelations of mysticism into everyday life. In so doing, we learn to give fullest expression—as parents and professionals, students and seekers—to the Mystic Heart in each of us.

If, as historian Arnold Toynbee put it, the introduction of Buddhism into the West "may well prove to be the most important event of the 20th century," we might also argue that the re-discovery of the contemplative roots of Christianity will be equally important. And as we enter the 21st century, it stands to reason that the recognition of a common mystical ground between Buddhism, Christianity, and the other World Religions will be the most important event of all."(5)

Ken Wilber is definitely promoting New Age contemplative spirituality through contemplative prayer. This is a quote from a paper written by Wilber (you can read the entire paper if you click HERE):

'The Ascending path is the path of "vertical transcendence" (Goodenough, 2001), the path of spiritual awakening which culminates in union with God- the mystical experience of unity. The process of spiritual awakening generally requires an ardent and sincere devotion to the spiritual path, which involves various spiritual disciplines. The outer aspect of spiritual discipline entails the cultivation of virtue in thought and action through the practice of generosity, kindness, truthfulness, loving service, etc. The outer practice is balanced and sustained by the inner practices - meditation, yoga, contemplative prayer, "Jesus prayer", sacraments, etc. - which allow the practitioner to "touch the divine, the exquisite emptiness, or the mystery and learn to bring that into one's life" (Kornfeld, 1984).' (6)

So, please tell me why seminaries like the Mennonite Brethren "Biblical" Seminary are promoting these types of things in their Spiritual Formation curriculum? If you don't believe it, click HERE to see their 2008 syllabus for the course. Please note exercises called, "The Jesus Prayer", "Apophatic (Breath) Prayer", "The Prayer of Examin", "Labyrinth Prayer", "Body Prayer", and "Celebration of the Eucahrist" which the seminary students are required to participate in in order to receive a grade. These are all contemplative disciplines of the mystical sort. The New Age proponents have inroads into Christendom through pseudo-evangelicals like Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Eugene Peterson and (the late) Henri Nouwen, to mention a few. These men are all scholars, and in their deceptive ways they appeal to other scholars. They have infiltrated our Christian institutions at an alarming rate.

To show just where the mystical pathway leads, I will leave you with a telling quote:

"Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God."
(From Sabbatical Journey, Henri Nouwen's last book page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition) ~emphasis mine

When Henri Nouwen died he was a "Bhuddist/Hindu/Christian" just like the others that continued their walk down the contemplative pathway. It eventually leads to a belief that all faiths worship the same God, that all paths lead to spiritual unity in God. If this information doesn't keep you awake at night, I don't know what will. If you a follower of Christ and you understand the implications of this movement, you will separate yourself as far from it as you can. It is diabolical and deceitful, and it looks as though it may be the strong delusion that God will send to those who don't sincerely love the truth. It is coming to a church near you. Will you be found among the faithful when the Lord returns? At the rate the church is falling into apostasy it could be any day now.


For more information on the contemplative prayer movement, I suggest you take the time to study the Light House Trails Research Project website. Click HERE to go directly to the page.

(1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdZNA_umTYA
(2) http://www.humanemergence.org/vision.html
(3) http://www.humanemergence.org/vision.html
(4) http://www.humanemergence.org/organization.html
(5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDuAHdaleNU&feature=related
(6) http://www.uvm.edu/giee/Tom/spirit/docs/IntegralSpirituality.html