Christianity Today Presents The "Christ Alternative"

Christianity Today's tag line claims that it is a "magazine of evangelical conviction". It should be convicted for heresy...

Here's the evidence from the article, Journey To The Center.

Joanna Quintrell brings the Christ alternative to alternative spirituality seekers.

I had a strong sense of the presence of God," she says, "and a message from him: 'Take out a piece of paper. I want to tell you something new.'" Quintrell found herself filling up a sheet of paper as though by dictation. "I had never had anything like that happen. I knew it wasn't coming from me."

At the time, Quintrell served as executive pastor of Redwood Covenant Church in Santa Rosa, California. The words that filled the sheet of paper before her added up to something quite different from anything her church was doing:

Journey Center: Christ-centered spirituality, healing, and wholeness.

...Quintrell's church embraced her ministry vision, retooling her position to director of spiritual formation. She launched a program called the Journey Center, as per what she felt were her instructions. The center offered classes in contemplative prayer, spiritual direction, and spiritual formation.

...Since some of the offensive words are Jesus, church, and Christianity, their work isn't easy or comfortable. Volunteers have learned that Christ carries positive connotations, for many are into "Christ consciousness."

"They mean something different," Quintrell says, "but Christ is a bridge word. So we usually pray in the name of Christ the healer." As Quintrell has read more about alternative spiritualities, she has been amazed to find all the words that were in her original vision: journey, Christ-centered, healing, wholeness. "From the beginning," she says, "God gave us a bridge."

A stronger bridge came in human form. While researching popular alternative spiritual directors, Quintrell contacted one named Ruah Bull, who sent a brochure about her practice. She offered techniques in chakra balancing and past-life regression.

Something happened the moment they met. "As we walked up to each other, it was as if we had stepped under a waterfall of love. We grabbed each other and hugged. Then we sat for the next two or three hours, sharing our stories."

Bull's included radical feminism, goddess worship, Buddhist meditation, and Native American spiritual practices. As she explained to Quintrell, Jesus kept showing up unbidden. He had appeared in a group exercise in guided meditation. When Bull visualized a door, turned the handle, and stepped into the room where she was supposed to meet her higher self, Jesus was there.

...Bull changed too. "Every month she was more open," until one day, at a meeting at Quintrell's church, she announced her decision: "Joanna, I have waited to be in your community to do this: I want to follow Jesus." Bull now calls herself a "contemplative Catholic."

Editor's Note: The author correctly introduces the article with the words, " Christ Alternative ". Put another way, contemplative / interfaith spirituality is ANTI-CHRIST. Quintell describes her "automatic writing" experience, though she seemed unaware of the real power behind the influence... automatic writing is one form of divination.