— Critical issues concerning the Church —

Fellow Soldier,

Under the leadership of false teachers Rick Warren, Brian McLaren and C. Peter Wagner, et al, are three overlapping global moves to revamp the church: Purpose-Driven (PD), Emergent Church (EC) and New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).  Their commonalities are mysticism, pantheism, pietism, syncretism, make-believe Bibles and deceit.  They are well-funded, organized, highly motivated and coming to a church near you ... if they haven’t already.

Our purpose here is to alert you to mysticism's insidious ways and its dangers.  In a sentence: mysticism always leads away from scripture and into powerless religion; even the occult.  This ancient enemy of the Cross has had easy access to the flock by an undiscerning church and generations of conditioning through “classic” works of mystics promulgated by Rome, the above-named and many others.  Beware!

Mysticism and The Church

IN with candles, chants and contemplation
OUT with the Word of God!

"... there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" (2Peter 2:1).

If a group or person teaches: centering, Kything,¹ contemplative or breath prayers,² they’re promoting mysticism.  If they hype the works of Guyon, John of the Cross, Lawrence, Molinos, Teresa of Avila, Thomas a’ Kempis, et al.² — they’re into mysticism.  If they laud: Bell, Blanchard,⁷ Crabb, Foster,⁶ Fox, Hybels, Keating, Lucado, Manning,⁶ McLaren,⁴ Meninger, Merton,⁹ Nouwen, Pennington, Peterson,⁸ Piper, Schullar, Sweet,⁹ Swindoll, Warren, Wagner,³ Webber, Willard, Yancey, et al.⁵ ... they are encouraging mysticism.  If they draw from Awana,⁷ Emergent Village,³ Message Bible,⁸ Nav-Press, Renovare,¹⁴ Saddleback, Willow Creek Community Church or Youth Specialties,⁶ etc. — you’re being exposed (however unwittingly) to the idea that one can commune with God without going through Jesus.⁹

Heretical mysticism!

Sadly, a couple of our own past favorites are listed above ... as perhaps, are some of yours.  However, calling them out is not to suggest that everything they say is unbiblical.  Indeed, many are vastly more learned and fruitful than we'll ever be and multitudes have been edified by the orthodox offerings of some.  However, like us all, they too are susceptible to the enemy's wiles and doctrinal drifting (as judged by God's Word).  Realize also that we are not on a fault-finding rampage nor do we broach this subject only because of its virulent nature and burgeoning popularity.  Frankly, it's personal.  Having been delivered from mysticism's clutches, we know first-hand, its symptoms, signs, sad and sorry fruit.  We are also mindful of the unpopularity of naming errant church luminaries and/or classic works, and present day Pied Pipers during their own fifteen minutes of fame.  That notwithstanding, deception in the church must be challenged, regardless of source.  Please hear what the Spirit is saying and realize we are not against the Lord's beloved; we love the church.

Included in the isms, schisms, movements, metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, occultic ideas and practices which the Lord has delivered we two through and from ... is mysticism; also that which we absorbed from the Benedictines during our own monastic experience.  We know first-hand, the ill fruit of Garrett, Guyon, Kelsey, Lawrence, McNutt, Sanford (Agnes) and other of Rome’s teachers ... as well as the dangers of the Jesus-Prayer and contemplative conditioning ... of candles, chants, censors, icons, religious relics and Roman rituals.

We address you in Christ’s love, in the fervent hope of saving you spiritual sorrow and deadly disappointment.

Warning comes none too soon.  On March 6, 2011, Rick Warren, pastor of California's Saddleback Community Church, and Tony Blair, a former Prime Minister of England (and recent RCC convert) announced their plans to form a world-wide religion,15 in which mysticism can be a uniting force.  Like a coyote after a cat, it is racing through the church.  Hardly a week passes without a Christian publisher, notable leader, ministry, seminary, or denomination, blindly joining in through the EC, NAR or PD movements.  Some of the most widely respected authors, pastors, teachers and institutions have become its endorsers and/or evangelists; albeit, some unwittingly.  However, from a biblical view, so-called “Christian” mysticism and its trappings are a slam-dunk, no-no.  As to why so many are being deceived suggests doctrinal disadvantagement, deficient discernment, or at worse ... demonic duplicity.

Mysticism embraces a belief system using ancient mystic practices to induce altered states of consciousness (e.g., “the silence”).  Rooted in the occult, today's version is commonly wrapped in Christian terminology and lubricated by visual trappings and music.  It offers a smooth highway into the pantheistic and panentheistic beliefs that God is in everything, is everything and therefore can be contacted directly by any and EVERYone (who follow its methods) ... without the need for intermediaries.

Without Jesus Christ of the Bible

Spearheaded by the forenamed movements, mysticism is the commonality of an ungodly, world-wide revolution engulfing the church.  At its core is another Jesus and another gospel.  Be not deceived!  In spite of orthodox-looking Statements of Faith and truth these moves do espouse, their overall practice is deceptive, heretical and calculated to merge Christianity into a one-world religion headquartered in Rome.  Like a cosmic black hole, it has already fed on historic Protestant denominations and is in the process of sucking into its satanic center, a large fellowship of line-by-line churches that had been a balanced bulwark of the faith.  It is tragic, it is prophetic, it is real ... and it is happening in plain view of the discerning.

Appealing to a believer’s heart-cry for greater intimacy with God and pride’s insatiable appetite for knowledge and doing things its own way, mysticism’s proponents claim their methodology will slake both.  But sadly, their formulae obviously circumvents the all-sufficient redemptive and atoning work of Jesus Christ.  It’s the glaring dichotomy between proper Statements of Faith ... and practice that arouses concern.  Unquestionably, mysticism's essentially unopposed broadside against the church is satanically orchestrated. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph 6:12).  Equally certain: mysticism’s contemplative prayer practice opens one to demonic invasion.

No voice from God’s camp would dare suggest direct access to His holy throne is possible by just “anyone.”  That door opens only to the repentant, sin-forgiven and spiritually born-again; those under the righteous covering of Jesus Christ.  Yet, an increasing number of otherwise "straight" preachers, teachers, publishers and entire denominations, are now promoting that very idea.  One's heart cries out, "Where's the discernment?!"

According to Apostasy Alert, “In spite of all the warnings being sounded in the church by discernment ministries concerning the occult connection to 'centering' and 'contemplative prayer', the practice is gaining, not losing strength in the Evangelical church.  But we’re merely looking at the beginners — the mere babies in this occult practice — those who don’t know where these monastic disciplines can lead.  There is a group of ‘charismatic catholics’ who are battling the advanced contemplatives in their circles to see where this monastic exercise can take them.  The advanced form of contemplative prayer is called ‘Kything Prayer.’  Catholic apologist Eddie Russell describes the practice: ‘This is a way of calling up another person’s spirit to enter you, so that you can use their energy and gifts for yourself.  You can also let others ‘centre’ into your spirit to call your spirit to them.  You can do this with saints as well as others who are dead and it’s all done in the name of Christian prayer.’

“In other words, advanced contemplative prayer can lead to spirit possession by so-called dead saints, that are really demonic spirits masquerading as those who once lived.  But the novices in the contemplative prayer fad in the EC would never agree to any such thing; would they?  Well, maybe not if it was presented to them in this way, but by delving in the spirit realm in their altered states of consciousness, they open themselves up to just such deception and spiritual oppression, if not outright possession.  It’s hard to imagine some contemplative prayer defenders such as Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, Nav-Press, Zondervan (and many more) putting their seal of approval on Kything, yet by endorsing centering prayer — they are leading people in that spiritual direction.”¹

Mysticism differs from Christianity as night does day.  It is subjective and experiential, allowing adherents to determine parameters and (imagined) relationship with God and its dangerous flirtation with the spirit world.  It can fairly be said that mysticism is the epitome of self-centeredness.  It is all about man — as are the three main movements now under way to entirely redefine the church (EC, NAR and PD).  Skirting the redemptive work of Christ, “Christian” mysticism is intended as a bridge between the church and other faiths to merge it with the final one-world, popish religion.  Indeed, as already cited, Warren and Blair have undertaken to create that very entity.  Beginning with the biblically innocent sounding “contemplative,” “centering” or “breath” prayer technique of the mystics, it’s the camel’s head in the tent; a Trojan horse.

Historic Christianity is defined by God’s Word, headed by Christ, its Chief Shepherd, and administered by the Holy Spirit indwelling those who’ve been regenerated (born again).  It is characterized by love-motivated and faith-born obedience to God as taught by scripture and empowered by His Spirit.  Though exhaustively codified, following Christ Jesus alone is always new, vital, secure and God’s expressed will ...“the Way.”  It's also entirely sufficient.

We urge you to take this warning seriously enough to separate from those who, after having been presented the Truth, persist in error.  "If any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed" (2Thess 3:14).  Scripture exhorts us to be good Bereans, "who ... received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11b).  As evil abounds, time unwinds and the Lord’s return looms, Christians need to make tough, unpopular, and even lonely choices.  But, recall: it’s alone we ultimately stand before our sovereign Lord. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2Cor 5:10).  Flee from evil and cling to Jesus!  "Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (Jas 4:7,8a).

A challenge: Search scripture, study the following references, including its two thoroughly documented, short books: A Time of Departing¹⁰ and Deceived on Purpose.¹¹ Combined, you’ll more fully understand the wholesale danger mysticism poses to you and to fellow believers.  Critically important, you will be better equipped to protect yourself and loved ones against mysticism and its many deceptive tentacles.¹¹
 

• References
•  
• 1. Mystic Madness: Spiraling Down The Pit  — J. Alnor, www.apostasyalert.org
• 2. Christian Mysticism — http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_mysticism
• 3. The New Apostolic Church movement —  www.letusreasontogether.org/latrain21
• 4. Emergent Church Markets Catholicism — R. Bennett, www.bereanbeacon.org
• 5. Who’s Who ... Western Mysticism — religiousworlds.com/mystic/whoswho.html
• 6. Contemplative Prayer, the Heart of Mysticism — G.E.Gilley, www.svchapel.org
• 7. Awana Embraces Contemplative ... — www.crossroad.to/lighthouse trails/awana
• 8. What kind of message is the ...? — www.crossroad.to/bible_studies/message
• 9. The Emergence of The “Mystical Church” — www.letusreasontogether.org
• 10. A Time of Departing — Ray Yungen, published by www.lighthousetrails.com
• 11. Deceived On Purpose — Warren Smith, pub. by www.mountainstreampress.com
• 12. The Emerging Church —  Roger Oakland, www.understandingthetimes.org
• 13. Mystical Bible, ‘The Message’ of Mysticism — Moser, watch.pair.com/message
• 14. Mystical & Occult Spirituality — M. J. Stanford, withchrist.org/MJS/renovare.htm
• 15. An open letter — Roger Oakland, www.understandthetimes.org/commentary/c95.shtml

ABOUT US:  Founded in 1993, Hallelujah Living Ministries is a donation-based, non-denominational Christian outreach to uplift, inform and challenge followers of Jesus Christ.  For more information or a copy of our always-free print newsletter, please include a  postal mail address along with your comments and prayer requests. Thank you for visiting  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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