Prior
Below we give examples of what we have called 'the way of contemplation'. However, the reality is so diverse that it is impossible to give a complete overview here. What we describe below is only limited and intended as an illustration of what has been said above about the way of contemplation. So that the reader himself, on the basis of God's Word, can distinguish in practice what is not good. More information can be found on the websites below: [1]
It is also good to think of the following
- When we name protestant or evangelical (church) communities, it does not mean that it also applies in all local communities of such an organization or movement. Fortunately, there are local communities that distinguish what is biblical and what is not and categorically reject the unbiblical, even if it does not happen in sister communities.
- If what the Bible calls idolatry is not rejected and tolerated or possibly even promoted in a local community, that does not mean that all members of that community are personally guilty of it.
- The Bible makes it clear that leaders have a greater responsibility than the 'ordinary' believers. That was true in the time of the Old Testament as well as in the time of the New Testament and also today. That is why names of persons are mentioned here and there.
- Contemplation and charismatic expressions are increasingly intertwined in reality; moreover, the views of people within the movements about certain subjects are often very different. We quote texts from books, articles or websites to give an idea of the language used. It should be borne in mind that other persons or organizations may indicate these kinds of things with somewhat different words.
The Roman Catholic Church
We must first dwell on the Roman Church, since she is particularly the bearer of contemplation within Christianity. The contemplative ("monastic") practice is possibly the most important spiritual movement within this church. Biblically this makes it an idolatrous church, since it maintains and promotes contemplation (= idolatry).
In addition to the practice of the mystical experience of God, it is also the official teaching of the Roman Church that we humans become God. The 1995 Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way: “The Word was made flesh to make us 'partakers of God's own being' (2 Peter 1:4). The Word of God became man, and He who is God's Son became the Son of Man, so that man may become the Son of God by bearing the Word within himself and receiving the sonship. "For the Son of God became man to make us God." The only-begotten Son of God, because he wanted us to share in his divinity, took on our nature, that, having become man, he might make gods of men.”[2]
The Protestant Church of the Netherlands
Meditation also beats its thousands, if not more, in Protestant circles. On the website of the PKN you will find a multitude of information about 'meditative life' under the heading 'spiritual formation'. If you look at the activities there, for example, you will be shocked that in this small country within the PKN at the moment (June 2015) almost 40 activities/courses are being held where silence, contemplation and meditation are the subject! A wide range of forms, in which you can see how great the diversity is: silent meditation, meditative singing, meditative dancing, image meditation, Christian mantra meditation, Christian body meditation and Lectio Divina.
We quote:
“Meditation can also help you get closer to the sources of existence and experience what it is all about. To come into harmony with yourself, with creation and with God. To feel more and more connected to what is of lasting value. . . . . . . .
Meditation has been practiced for centuries, both within the Christian tradition and within other religions or worldviews. . . . . . .
There are various forms of meditation. Broadly speaking, there are forms from the western tradition and forms from the eastern tradition. There are forms from a religious or ideological tradition, but also new forms such as those applied within psychology. Within the Christian tradition, meditation mainly concerns forms that are directly related to intensive reading of the Scriptures and forms that promote a meditative life, such as focusing attention on a psalm text, an icon or a prayer word or phrase. , and praying 'repeatedly'. These meditation forms show similarities with Eastern meditation forms when it comes to the importance of attention and mindfulness in the here and now[3].”
We will return separately to the Lectio Divina and the 'repeated prayer'.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is also called 'sacred reading', 'divine reading' or 'reading the Bible with your heart'. It is a very misleading way to get Christians on the path of contemplation. It is a way of Bible reading that is combined with the practice of silence and meditation (as above) and - with the necessary practice - leads to receiving direct messages (impressions or words) from God. It will come as no surprise that the Lectio also comes from the monastic tradition. Henri Nouwen writes about the Lectio, among other things[4]: “. . . Reading God's word should lead us first of all to contemplation and meditation. When we read spiritually about spiritual things, we open our hearts to the voice of God “. He calls the Lectio Divina”the ongoing incarnation of God in our world”.
This is not a boring activity either; on the contrary, these are also special inner experiences. Someone who had been introduced to the Lectio in a Vineyard congregation confirmed to me that the experience he had with it was indeed wonderful! Fortunately, he realized that these were wrong practices and turned away from them.
It has been a practice for some time that has been widely promoted in all kinds of circles and churches in Protestant Netherlands. The Lectio is actively promoted by Jos Douma (GKV) [5] [6]. But it was also introduced in 2006 in the circle of the Assembly of Believers (VvG).
There's plenty to read about the Lectio elsewhere, which we just need to look at here refer.
The conclusion should be clear: Lectio Divina is idolatry! Perhaps it is one of the most deceptive forms, because it uses the Word of God after all! That is why it appeals to many serious Christians, who think they are particularly 'inspired' by God in this way.
Hearing God's Voice
One of the things that is widely proclaimed today is that God wants to speak to us personally. You can hear His voice and with it the messages He has for you. These are of course always very special and personal experiences. But you don't just hear God's voice; of course you have to be open to it and you do that of course by looking for 'the silence'. It is, so to speak, 'a hidden and intimate association with God'. Those who promote this use texts like:
“You build a real friendship with God by constantly walking with him. To walk with God means to involve Him in everything, to talk to Him all day long.”
“Your life can be an adventure full of surprises every day, if you are guided by God. For that it is important that you learn to understand his voice.”
Dallas Willard [7] believes that God speaks directly and personally to His people through “a still little voice” in their minds. Today, perhaps most Christian leaders will promote the same views; often combined with all kinds of charismatic views (e.g. Wilkin van de Kamp[8] and Jan Zijlstra[9]). Also in the corner of the Baptists eg Blackaby[10], who sees it as a mission to help Christians “experience God”! Understanding God's voice is often associated with all kinds of other ideas, such as experiencing 'intimacy with God' or experiencing 'God's presence'.
Sarah Young beats her thousands with her journals “Close to Jesus” and “Close to Jesus for Young Teens” in which she relays messages she would have heard from 'Jesus'. Sarah Young discovered, according to the book's cover, “It is truly possible to hear God's voice every day, and experience His presence and peace. Be encouraged by her beautiful diary and open your heart to the voice of the Good Shepherd.”
It seems to be one of the most normal views in Christian Netherlands that you can hear God's voice, experience Him in that way and that it is the normal way in which God wants to deal with each of His children. But the ideas and 'biblical explanation' on which this is based are wrong and we will have to go into more detail elsewhere.
For the moment it is sufficient to note that this phenomenon of “understanding God's voice” also falls into the category of idolatry. Don't be fooled: what you hear is not from God, but from the demons! Stay away from it!
Pray
Praying alone and with other believers is incredibly important; let there be no doubt about that. God Himself has said it is one of the things He expects of His people:My house will be called a house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). God thinks it is important that we approach Him in prayer and for our own hearts it is very beneficial and beneficial.
But unfortunately today there is much that takes on a different meaning under the banner of 'praying'. As far as I can judge, it has always been that way. The Lord Jesus Himself (Matthew 6:7) mentions to His disciples that there is a danger that they, like the Gentiles, would start praying with 'vague of words'. The original Greek word for "circumcision" also means "meaningless (vain) repetitions." That is what the pagans do, says the Lord, who pray to their gods with 'mantras'. And if you pray to God in that way, it is idolatry.
This is where the previously discussed contemplation comes into play again. As Thomas Merton puts it [11] in his booklet 'Contemplative Prayer': “Without contemplation, prayer is but a fruitless activity of the mind. . . What matters is a contemplative focus of the whole prayer life. . . By the contemplative orientation we mean that the prayer should be empty, "useless" and pure . . . Without contemplation and inner prayer, the Church cannot fulfill her mission to transform and save humanity.” He often calls this prayer 'the prayer of the heart' or 'the prayer of Jesus'.
This contemplative 'praying' is also called centering praying. Others refer to this as 'the Jesus prayer'[12] using the name 'Jesus' as a mantra. Jos Douma is one of those promoting this [13].
Paul tells the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:15) that we should use our minds when praying. Without it, it will not work and we will end up in idolatry!
The Evangelical Broadcasting
The biblical gospel is no longer brought to the EO. Instead, they proclaim 'another gospel', by preaching the contemplation. In the so-called Learning House of the EO (Leerhuis.eo.nl) you can learn how to find God in the silence. It partly consists of short videos of the program in question, in which an attempt has been made to let a few famous Dutch people find God in the silence of a monastery. The lyrics and videos show how you can practice meeting God.
We're not going to quote here; there would be no end to it. See for yourself on the EO website. What I have found is that
- A great deal is made to introduce the contemplative practices among the church people.
- It is clear that these things are 'borrowed' from the Roman Church. Extensive references to the desert fathers, Ignatius of Loyola, Benedictus and Henri Nouwen.
- The content is a mix of things described above: meditation, Lectio Divina (“praying with the Scriptures”), contemplation, silence.
- Finally, there is no reference whatsoever to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even under the heading “The Cross of Jesus” or “Forgiveness for Sinners” where you might expect something from the biblical message, there is no trace of Christ's atoning death. One does not get any further than that “the solution to all evil (…) can be summarized as 'love', 'acceptance, 'forgiveness'”.
How sad that the EO is not preaching the gospel of God, but rather pointing people the way to the devil!
A thousand thanks
Finally, I refer here to the Open Letter to Ann Voskamp, in response to her book 'A thousand thanks', in which she describes her way to contemplation.
See further on contemplation for example also this:
Footnotes
[1] For example http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/ , www.rejoicenow.nl, www.verhoevenmarc.be of www.testalles.nl
[2] See http://www.verhoevenmarc.be/PDF/RKK-mensIsGod.pdf
[4] In “Spiritual Guidance” p. 98-101, ISBN 9401407002
[5] www.josdouma.nl; https://ontdeklectiodivina.wordpress.com/
[6] Eg : www.verhoevenmarc.be/_Lectio Divina.doc;
[7] Dallas Willard, “Understanding God, Growing in Intimacy With God” (Inside Out Publishers, Amersfoort 2004)
[8] See among others www.vrijzijn.net, also for others involved in this 'ministry'.
[9] See video on CIP.nl – 11 July 2010.
[10] See www.blackaby.net
[11] Thomas Merton “Contemplative Prayer”, 2015, Meinema Publishers, ISBN 9789021143835
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