The Emerging Church Trap (Part 5) Avoiding the Bait

Complimentary Story
This is Part 5 of my series analyzing increasingly popular “Emerging Church” teachings, which typically encourage practices like “contemplative prayer,” “centering down,” “seeking the silence” (leading to “emptying the mind”), “spiritual disciplines,” and the other mind-altering techniques often practiced by Roman Catholic mystics and many Eastern religions. Such practices have worked their way into Protestant Churches worldwide.
 
The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola
 
A contemporary of John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila (referred to in Part 4), Ignatius Loyola was a 16th-century Spanish soldier who not only became a Roman Catholic mystic but who also directed an army of Jesuit militants commissioned by the Pope to counteract the work of Martin Luther in Germany and destroy Protestantism. Inside a cave in Manresa, Spain, Ignatius emptied his mind. Then Otherworldly “impressions” did “come” from a ghostly entity claiming to be the Virgin Mary. That ghost gave “directions.” I will obey, Loyola decided.
             
In the language of Emerging Church leader Leonard Sweet, as written in his book, Quantum Spirituality, Loyola’s “experience” inside that clammy cave began in “mysticism” and ended in the “theology” of his book, The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola. On the front cover of my personal copy of Loyola’s book, the subtitle is listed as: “St. Ignatius’ Profound Precepts of Mystical Theology.” After outlining a rigorous, 4-week course of strict mental “exercises,” Loyola unveiled the goal of his entire regime in the last chapter entitled, “Rules for Thinking with the Church.” There, the Spanish soldier-turned-mystic wrote these words for all the world to see:
      
       RULES FOR THINKING WITH THE CHURCH. In order to have the proper attitude of mind in the Church Militant we should observe the following rules:

              1. Putting aside all private judgment, we should keep our minds prepared and ready to obey promptly and in all things the true spouse of Christ our Lord, our Holy                Mother, the hierarchical Church ...

              6. To praise the relics of the saints by venerating and praying to these saints. Also to praise the stations, pilgrimages, indulgences, jubilees, Crusade                         indulgences, and the lighting of candles in the churches ...

              13. If we wish to be right in all things, we should always be ready to accept this principle: I will believe that the white I see is black, if the hierarchical Church so defines it. [1]
 
Get it? From Loyola’s perspective, the goal of his “Spiritual Exercises” is to lead a man to lay “aside all private judgment” and obey the Pope; so much so, that even if that man sees white, it’s really black, or if he sees black, it’s white, “if the hierarchical Church so defines it.”
 
Make no mistake about it. The historical Roman Catholic Church that commissioned Ignatius Loyola to counteract Protestantism isn’t dead. It’s fully alive today, especially under the revived leadership of Pope Francis. In the words of prophecy specifically for the end-times, “Mystery Babylon … has made all nations drink of the wine [false teachings] of the wrath of her fornication [with the “kings of the earth” and their non-Christian religions]” (see Revelation 17:5; 14:8).
 
Emerging Church advocates appear clueless about these prophetic facts. They know little about Scripture’s warnings against Babylon, or of God’s earnest appeal, “Come out of her, My people” (Revelation 18:4). Unfortunately, such is the case with Dan Kimball, author of, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations. Kimball’s book has two glowing Forewords; one from Rick Warren, and the other by Brian McLaren. Beneath the heading, “Restoring the ancient disciplines to create vintage Christians,” Kimball eerily echoed Richard Foster (discussed in Part 4 of this series) when he wrote,

       We have neglected so many of the disciplines of the historical church, including weekly fasting, practicing silence, and lectio divina [a meditation method                          developed by Catholic monks]. Emerging generations, in their search for proven, ancient, authentic forms of connection with God, are very attracted to these ancient             disciplines and historic spiritual rituals ... I believe that emerging generations are simply waiting for their leaders to lead them into a new level of discipleship by practicing the ancient disciplines of the faith. [2]

Here, in one sweep, Dan Kimball describes where the Emerging Church movement is heading. “Emerging generations,” he says, that is, all of today’s supposed “postmoderns” in our rapidly changing world, “are simply waiting for their leaders to lead them into a new level of discipleship through the ancient disciplines of the faith.”

Biblically speaking, this “new level of discipleship” is saturated with old lies. Don’t misunderstand me. Again, words of truth do occur in Emerging Church writings. Even Ignatius Loyola, on pages 145-200 of his “Exercises,” lists over 50 pages of nothing but Bible verses for his Jesuit soldiers to meditate on. Yet in the same book Loyola also recommends:
 
       ... chastising the flesh, thereby causing sensible to pain.  This is done by wearing hairshirts, cords, or iron chains on the body, or by scourging or wounding oneself, or by other kinds of austerities. [3]
 
Loyola called such monkish works “exterior penances” to help his soldiers “satisfy for past sins.” [4] Honestly, is this “ancient discipline” what today’s “emerging generations” really need? Will scourging one’s body produce peace of mind? Hardly.
 
Once again, my earnest advice concerning all Emerging Church teachings and mystical practices is: Buyer Beware.
 
Stick to the Bible.
 
“If you continue in My Word [not men’s theories]” declared Jesus Christ, “you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31,32, emphasis added).
 
To be continued …
 
Steve Wohlberg is the Director of White Horse Media. His newest pocketbook is, The Emerging Church Trap: Avoid the Bait. Printed copies are only $1 each (quantity discounts too). Also on DVD. For questions or orders, call 1-800-782-4253. Follow Steve on Twitter (@WhiteHorse7), or Facebook (www.facebook.com/stevewohlberg), or quickly sign up for his free E-newsletter by sending an email to: signmeup@whitehorsemedia.com.
 
[1] THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES OF ST. IGNATIUS. Translated by Anthony Mottola, PH. D. Image Books. Published by Doubleday a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. New York: NY 10036,  pps. 139-141.
[2] p. 215
[3] Spiritual Exercises, p. 62
[4] Ibid.

Learn how to email this article to others