Roll Over Menno

Ancient beliefs and practices, many of them pagan, are being introduced to the post-modern church. Some of these practices are being taught by Mennonites.

For example, see this Religion Link article (from last year) that mentions the practices of fixed-hour prayer, prayer beads, spiritual journaling and Lectio Divina:

AUG. 13, 2007
BELIEFS & PRACTICE

Prayer beyond words

Many people who pray are moving beyond words – whether audible or silent – and using yoga, dance, painting, walking, meditating to connect with God. Prayer that is expressed physically with the body – through the use of a religious object or through a form of art – appears to be on the rise, reflected in the number of books, retreats, workshops and classes on them (see list below).

People of faith are also using words to pray in creative ways, such as spiritual journaling. And worshippers are reaching across denominational and faith lines to try different forms of prayer. Today you can find Methodists walking the Catholic Stations of the Cross and Mennonites performing Anglican-based fixed-hour prayer.

If you read the entire article, you will notice that one of the people listed is a Mennonite who teaches the ancient practice of fixed-hour prayer. Arthur Paul Boers is the associate professor of pastoral theology at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. He has also written a book called The Rhythm of God’s Grace: Uncovering Morning and Evening Hours of Prayer.

According to the article, fixed-hour prayer is “the practice of praying set prayers at set times of the day and night. While common in Islam – Muslims pray at five prescribed times of the day – in Christianity fixed-hour prayer is most commonly known as a monastic practice. Many Christians, especially mainline Protestants, are now reviving the practice, which is also known as the divine office, praying the hours and common prayer.”

All quotes can be read in the entire article at this link:
http://www.religionlink.org/tip_070813.php

Also this week, Roll Over Menno will be looking at another practice that is being taught by Mennonites - prayer beads.

ROM Index: High

Gather ’Round Christian education materials are published by Mennonite Publishing Network and Brethren Press for Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church USA, and the Church of the Brethren, and are also used by congregations in at least half a dozen other denominations.
(Gather ‘Round summer curriculum connects all ages - mennonitechurch.ca)

One of these denominations who is working in cooperation with the Mennonites is the United Church of Canada (see United Church of Canada endorses their Gather ’Round curriculum - mennonitechurch.ca)

What does this tell us about Mennonite Church Canada when its curriculum is endorsed by its newest cooperative user, the United Church of Canada, which (among other problems) also endorses and teaches New Age Practices?

For example, Ste-Genevieve United Church in Quebec has something called Healing Pathway Ministry
(http://stegennys.org/healing.html). This the description:

Christian Healing Involves The Trust That
God Works Through Dimensions Of Reality
That We Cannot Fully Understand,
To Bring Healing And Health

Symbols such as Prayer, Laying on of Hands, Touch, and Anointing with Oil are genuine instruments of healing that can open us to a power which medical science, by itself, does not possess. In practicing this healing, we are reclaiming the healing ministry Jesus taught his disciples.

HEALING PATHWAY Training has been offered at the United Church of Canada’s Naramata Centre
(http://www.naramatacentre.net/programs-healingpath.asp) in Naramata, British Columbia, and within congregations since 1993. This program has roots in - and is affiliated with - Healing Touch International, and Healing Touch techniques are similar to those used in Therapeutic Touch and adapted for this United Church program.

But is this really what Jesus taught his disciples?

The healing touch that is taught at the Naramata Centre has nothing to do with Jesus, yet HEALING PATHWAY is a program that is offered through United Church of Canada’s own training center to every United Church across Canada. It is not, as they claim, Christian healing, but just another name for New Age energy healing (therapeutic touch).

Read more about what Healing Pathway and the Naramata Center of United Church of Canada is about here.

Here is a biblical explanation of Therapeutic Touch from Ankerberg Theological Research Institute:

Therapeutic Touch

If you are ever in the hospital, you may discover your nurse asking permission to perform a treatment on you known as therapeutic touch. This is where she passes her hands along and a few inches above your body. Therapeutic touch is a form of psychic healing now practiced by at least thirty thousand nurses in America—and thousands more in other countries.

Incredibly, it is also accepted in scores of hospitals. It was developed by spiritist Dora Kunz, president of the occult Theosophical Society, and a nurse by the name of Delores Krieger. Krieger combined Dora Kunz’s occult approach with other Eastern beliefs, such as manipulating “prana” or what is thought to be “mystical life energy” within the body. Therapeutic touch thus claims to work in a very simple way by channeling psychic energies from the therapist to the patient for healing.

But despite its popularity and use in many hospitals, therapeutic touch is obviously not a scientific practice. In reality, it is an occult form of healing and should be labeled as such. For Christians, both because of the scientific facts as well as the biblical warnings found in Deuteronomy 18 against occult involvement, therapeutic touch is neither a safe nor innocent medical treatment.

-Source: Why Shouldn’t Christians Use Such New Age Holistic Health Treatments as Homeopathy and Therapeutic Touch?
http://www.ankerberg.org/ankerberg-articles/holistic-health.htm

Here is the point of the issue. If this is the spirituality within the United Church of Canada, should Mennonite Church Canada be partnering with them to teach children with their Gather ‘Round curriculum? How long will it take until this cooperative effort goes both ways, and their New Age Healing Pathways techniques are introduced into Mennonite Church Canada? Are Christians to gather ’round the table of the Lord, or the table of devils?

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. 1 Cor. 10:21

This is a red flag, to be watched.

ROM Index: on the alert

***UPDATE: THE GATHER ROUND CURRICULUM is now available at Kindred Productions, a ministry of the Mennonite Brethren churches of North America, here:
https://www.kindredproductions.com/index.cfm?pageID=13&section=37&ID=367

NOTE: UPDATE: 12:00 pm JULY 5
DUE TO A NEW DEVELOPMENT, THIS BLOG POST IS GOING TO BE REVISED SHORTLY - ASAP.

Update 4:30 pm
THIS BLOG POST HAS BEEN UPDATED. THE ORIGINAL POST REMAINS IN ITS ORIGINAL FORM. Scroll down for the update.
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The following is from an article in Canadian Christianity by Rob Des Cotes about prayer:

The shaping power of prayer
Rob Des Cotes

“…there is a particular ’shape’ that prayer requires from us in order to travel through it. There are laws of spirit - dynamics that we must conform to if we want to enter the atmosphere of prayer. Jesus once used the metaphor of passing through the eye of a needle for those who would seek to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Not every shape is capable of passing through such a particular opening. But those who, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, continue to seek passage towards God will gradually find themselves conformed to the shape of Christ with a humility and righteousness that this particular ‘gate’ requires.

Our regular practice of prayer is the most direct sculptor of our spiritual formation. The very nature of the Divine-human relationship that it represents forces us to become smaller, more humble, more receptive in order to be rightly related to its summons.

To pray according to the Spirit, we must learn to let go of our own design preferences in favour of the demands the spiritual environment we wish to enter will inevitably place on us. As we assume the shape dictated by the Creator’s hands we will be transformed into that which conforms perfectly with what we were ultimately designed for - relationship, in form and essence, with God. Like thread that has been brought to a fine point in order to fit through the eye of a needle, prayer and the life of faith fit us more and more perfectly for heaven’s gate.”

This article may be read here:
http://www.canadianchristianity.com/christianliving/080626work.html

Is this true? Is this what the Bible teaches us about prayer? What else does Rob Des Cotes teach about prayer? If the community he directs is any indication, it is a mixture of contemplative spirituality and interfaith mysticism.

Rob Des Cotes is a spiritual director and pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Vancouver, B.C. He is a graduate of Regent College who teaches Contemplative Traditions at Trinity Western University, as well as courses on spirituality and the arts at Carey Theological College and Columbia Bible College.

He is also the director of Imago Dei, a network/ministry that is formed around the principles of spiritual direction. Imago Dei is affiliated with the Mennonite Brethren denomination of BC., as can be seen on the list of BC Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches here:
http://www.bcmb.org/qry/page.taf?id=72

Here is the puzzling part. The mission of the BC Conference of MB churches is this:

“Glorifying God by working together to build healthy churches.”

But there is a huge problem with this statement, as you will soon see. Since Imago Dei is founded on spiritual direction and community, and not on the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God, they are pointing people to error instead of the truth. For example, on Imago Dei’s ‘Spiritual Direction’ page you will find the following recommendation for those who are seeking spiritual direction but live outside of the area.

“If you live elsewhere, we would recommend Spiritual Directors International (www.sdiworld.org) as a good resource to find a qualified spiritual director in your area.”

But is SDI truly a ‘good resource’ to be recommending to Christians or even those who are searching for answers?

Last year SDI, who Imago Dei recommends, had an ‘outreach’ event in Vancouver (Richmond, B.C.) called Coming Home to the Cosmos.

This is what they sang/prayed at the Spiritual Directors International, Richmond BC 2007 outreach called “Coming Home to the Cosmos“:

Sunday’s opening prayer:

Come dance with us, O Laughing Light
Bind our broken places in your scarves of brilliant hue
Whirl us into Joy
Sing us into Sound
Speak us into Words, endless yet one

O Cosmic Fire, even as this Sacred Circle begins to slowly close,
We ask you to open our hearts.

Open our hearts one more time
To receive your gifts
To drink in your grace
To spill over in your ever-flowing love

Holy One, this has been a Welcome Home.
Open the door once more
And we shall enter in
With joy.

And this is what was taught at the 2007 SDI “Coming Home to the Cosmos” Conference (to name just a few workshops - see here for more):

Ignatian Spiritual Exercises & Environment Joseph A. Bracken, S.J.

Sufi Mystical Psychology Robert Frager, Ph.D.

Exile and Homecoming in Thomas Merton Rev. Don Grayston, Ph.D.

Canku Wakan: First Nations’ Cosmology Rev. Tim Iisstowanohpataakiiwa

The Promise of Interfaith Spiritual Direction T. Falcon, D. Mackenzie, J. Rahman

This is what the Sufi Mystical Psychology teaching looked like:

Explore two interrelated Sufi models of spiritual psychology and implications for spiritual direction. “Transformation of the self” includes work with a sheikh (or guide) remembrance, and service. “Inner evolution” looks at gifts of each soul and how to balance the energies and motivations of our seven souls. 70%, 20%, 10%. Robert Frager, PhD, Director of the Spiritual Guidance program at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, USA, a sheikh or Sufi spiritual guide for over twenty years.

And here was an ad for the SDI conference (found here):

CANADA

PLACE: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

TIME: April 13-15, 2007

DESCRIPTION: Spiritual Directors International will hold its annual Conference in Vancouver, BC, CAN, April 13-15, 2007. Keynote presenter / cosmologist, Dr. Brian Swimme, will focus on the theme of “Coming Home to the Cosmos.” The conference is open to anyone interested in the ministry of Spiritual Direction including spiritual directors, students / interns, ministers, faculty, chaplains and other spiritual care providers. Fourty-four different workshops and activities will offer everything from interfaith / multicultural dialogue to First Nations Cosmology, and Ignatian Spiritual Exercises to Tibetan Singing Bowls…

This is what Spiritual Directors International called an “outreach” - directing people to a sheikh to learn Sufism (Islamic mysticism), meditating the Thomas Merton and Ignatius Loyola way, praying to the Cosmic Fire and Sacred Circle of native spirituality, and learning to use Tibetan Singing bowls? It should be obvious to any Bible believing Christian (let alone an MB affliatiated church) that SDI is an interfaith/interspiritual organization and a spiritually dangerous place to recommend to anyone for spiritual direction.

Yet this organization is a what Imago Dei considers as a good resource for spiritual direction?

Is this what the BC Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches calls “working together to build healthy churches”?

Perhaps it is time for the Mennonites in the BC MB Conference to grow some spines so they can get up from their comfy chairs of compromise and complacency and demand some accountability.

ROM: HIGH (like the pitch of a Tibetan Singing bowl)

——————————————————————————-
=======================================

UPDATE:

Rob Des Cotes commented today regarding this blog post. He is correct in saying that this blog post was mostly about SDI and its interspirituality. The main issue was that the BC MB Conference would allow one of their churches to promoted SDI. The good news is that Rob Des Cotes has informed ROM that the SDI link has been completely removed from the Imago Dei website.

One of the things that needs to be cleared up is this. Rob Des Cotes stated of this blog author: “Imago Dei is not based on “inter-faith mysticism” as he falsely charges, but on “the principles of spiritual direction” as he rightly notes.”

While this blog author did not state that Imago Dei is based on inter-faith mysticism, as can be seen by rereading the original post, if one were to browse the Imago Dei website, it would be very difficult to prove that it is not based on interfaith mysticism.

Imago Dei may have removed the link to SDI (and that is wonderful), but consider the following facts:

These are some of the things you will still find at Imago Dei which were not mentioned in the original post:

-Awareness Examen of Ignatius Loyola
-Lectio Divina
-Contemplative liturgies (and/or multiple quotes, articles, prayers and excerpts) by the following contemplative mystics:

Thomas Merton (mystic, interspiritualist, see here)

Henri Nouwen (contemplative who didn’t believe Jesus was the only way, see here)

Madam Jeanne Guyon (Catholic Mystic, see here)

Julian of Norwich

Jeff Imbach (contemplative, Jesuit spirituality)

Richard Rohr (Fransciscan monk and Catholic priest, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation where he recently presented the Jesus and Buddha Awakening Seminar, see here: http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/ )

St. John of the Cross - Dark Night of the Soul (Spanish mystic who the Catholic church named a feast after, see here)

St. Teresa Avila (Spanish mystic who levitated, see here and here)

Evelyn Underhill (had occult mysticism connections)

William Barry S.J. (Jesuit priest: http://www.campioncenter.org/staff/barry.htm)

The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence (contemplative monk)

James Houston (contemplative)

Blaise Pascal

Meister Eckhart

Brother Roger of Taize

Thomas Keating (Catholic monk, father of Centering Prayer, based on Buddhis/Hindu/Catholic/Eastern meditative practices, he often shares the platform with New Ager Ken Wilber, see here)

Centering prayer by Fr. Basil Pennington (Catholic monk who teaches Eastern techniques through centering prayer)

St. Ignatius (founded the Jesuits)

The link to SDI may not be on Imago Dei anymore, but there are still links on Imago Dei to the following:

-Loyola House, a Jesuit Retreat and Training Centre (where you can click on Sacred Space and either pray with the pope or do an on-line meditation, OR sign up for their retreat next month called Mysticism of Earth: An Ignatian Ecology Retreat which looks like an earth worship primer where people learn to pray for garbage and the 15 billion year history of the universe)

-Soul Stream (contemplative/Merton/Nouwen/Jesuit, see here)

-Taize (ecumenical place in France where people go to chant and have community with the monks, see here)

I could go on but as you can see, we are no better off than before Rob Des Cotes wrote to say that Imago Dei is not based on interfaith mysticsm.

From these facts, would it be incorrect to conclude that Imago Dei is indeed based on interfaith mysticism? Even if they have removed the SDI link, are they still pointing people to error or to truth? Has this blog maligned Rob Des Cotes or Imago Dei if they are the ones who are promoting these things? Is this truly Christ centered, Biblical work? Is a public ministry and website, promoted by a public Conference of Mennonite Brethren churches website open to public examination? Do people who give money to the MB Conference have a right to ask questions and demand accountability? Has this blog “left an uneducated opinion” of the work Imago Dei is doing? Does this go against the things that Menno Simons himself renounced? Would this still make Menno roll over in his grave? The readers of this blog can make their own decisions on these issues. It would be very good to hear from them to help clear things up.

As far as the first excerpt from the Canadian Christianity article by Rob Des Cotes goes, if anyone wishes to discuss the concepts he has written, feel free to contact him. He seems like a very nice person who is open to discussion. However, the author and adminstrator of Roll Over Menno feel that the teachings of Imago Dei are contrary to what the Mennonite Brethren church should be promoting and do not wish to discuss this any further. Because this blog has a small readership, this blog post probably won’t make much of a ripple in the Mennonite puddle, but please feel free to leave your comments below.

How many post-modern Mennonites who have grown up in the MB denomination realize that the Mennonite Brethren church began because of an awakening and revival of spiritual life in the 1800’s?

(…) 2. The Beginning of the Mennonite Brethren Church. As the groups of Brethren increased and became more united, they raised objections to certain practices and inconsistencies of conduct on the part of members of the church and insisted on church discipline. Since this was not carried out as they believed that it should be done, they requested that communion service be administered to them separately. This the church elders declined to do. Thereupon a group of the Brethren met in December 1859 and held a communion service among themselves. This event soon became known and caused a great turmoil in the church. Some of the Brethren were called before the church and were asked to apologize and to promise that they would refrain from this in the future. They, however, did not concede to this, but rather justified their action and claimed Scriptural ground for the step they had taken. Thereupon six members of the Gnadenfeld church were asked to withdraw from the congregation.

On 6 January 1860, a number of the Brethren met in the village of Elisabeththal, Molotschna, and took steps to form a separate church. They drew up a written statement addressed to the elders of the church, in which they declared themselves an independent church and stated their reasons for taking this step. They also stated their intention to remain within the Mennonite brotherhood of the settlement. This document was signed by 18 men. This event is regarded as the beginning of the Mennonite Brethren Church, and the 18 men as constituting the first congregation. (…)

Please read more about this here:

Mennonite Brethren Church
http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/contents/M4639ME.html

Who are the true “brethren” in Christ? Those who deny the atonement and enter into complacency and compromise with the spirituality of this world? Or those who love Jesus and His Word enough to remain true to Him? Is it time for repentance and personal revival in the Mennonite Brethren church and seminary?

If you don’t think so, browse the following articles on this blog and read about what is making Menno Simons roll over in his grave.

See how far the Mennonite Brethren have departed from their beginnings and their faithfulness to God…

The ‘new old spirituality’ of the US Mennonite Brethren

Contemplative Mennonite Retreats

MB Herald Promoting Error

Centering Prayer and Mennonites

More Mystics in the Mennonite Seminary

MB Herald promotes book that challenges the sacrificial atonement of Christ

***Canadian MB Conference - Top Five areas of concern

***Attention Mennonite Brethren!!!

If you go to the Mennonite Brethren Conference (Canada) website (here) and click on ‘Ministry Quest’ or ‘Canadian Youth Workers Conference’ you will find yourself on the website of the Canadian Youth Workers Conference which is going to be held in Toronto Dec. 4-7, 2008. This conference is put on by Youth Specialties and Canadafire.

While it’s important to equip those in the body of Christ who work with youth, is this a good event for youth workers to be attending? It appears that this conference may be another means by which Youth Specialties is teaching contemplative spirituality to youth.

For example, if you browse the Canada Fire on-line store you will a book called Contemplative Youth Ministry (by Youth Specialties). This is not surprising as Youth Specialities is an extremely contemplative youth ministry. (See here.)

Another concern is who the Youth Workers Conference is associating itself with. Can you see what is tucked away in their interdenominational (ecumenical) association list?

• The Presbyterian Church in Canada
• Apostolic Youth Ministries International
• CBM Youth
• Sonlife
• Canadian Youth Network
• Christian and Missionary Alliance
• Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
• Nazarene Youth Ministry International
• YFC Canada
• Evangelical Missionary Church
• Brethren in Christ
• MB Conference
• Salvation Army of Canada
• North American Baptist
• Fellowship of Evangelical Churches of BC/Yukon
• Christian Reformed Church of N. America
• United Church of BC
• Canadian Youth Worker
• Southern Baptist Convention of Canada
• Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network (http://www.ccymn.ca/en/index.php)
• Muskoka Woods Sports Resort
• The Wesleyan Church
• Independent Christian Churches
• Mennonite Church of Canada

Among the speakers listed at the Youth Workers Conference are Bruxy Cavey, Shane Clairborne, Tony Campolo and Mark Oestreicher. To find out about what kinds of things these speakers believe and may be teaching at the conference, click on the following links:

Read a review of Bruxy Cavey’s book The End of Religion here:
http://www.svchapel.org/resources/BookReviews/book_reviews.asp?ID=374

Shane Claiborne/New Monasticism Archive here:
http://www.apprising.org/archives/shane_claibornenew_monasticism/index.html

Tony Campolo:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/tonycampolo.htm

Youth Specialties President Mark Oestreicher:
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/youthspecialties.htm

Read about the spirituality of Youth Specialties from their own articles here:

Spirituality and Youth Ministry: What Are We Doing?
http://www.youthspecialties.com/freeresources/articles/spirituality/ym.php

Desert Youth Worker: Disciplines, Mystics, and the Contemplative Life
By Mike Perschon
http://www.youthspecialties.com/freeresources/articles/spirituality/desert.php

Contemplative Prayer Practices
By Mike Perschon
http://www.youthspecialties.com/freeresources/articles/spirituality/contemplative.php

(Mike Perschon is a part-time associate pastor of Holyrood Mennonite Church.)

In conclusion, if your church is sending its youth leaders and workers to this convention, perhaps they need to be warned that instead of being grounded in biblical truths, they may be getting a large does of ecumenical, monastic, emerging, contemplative spirituality and bringing it back to the teenagers in their care.

ROM Index: High

Related:

Gathering 2008 Alert