Vatican: Lectio Divina is Privileged Ecumenical Method

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 22, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The president of the Vatican's council for promoting Christian unity, Cardinal Walter Kasper, addressed the Synod of Bishops in Vatican City. He described the Bible as the "principal instrument of ecumenical dialogue."

Cardinal Kasper then referenced spiritual aspects of unity, stating that Lectio divina prayed in common is the privileged ecumenical method.

Editor's note: The Vatican isn't the only proponent of building spiritual unity with Contemplative / Spiritual Mysticism (CSM) . Here's just a few examples from modern Evangelicalism:

• Red Letter Christian and ecumenical Baptist Tony Campolo apparently agrees with the Vatican..."mysticism provides some hope for common ground between Christianity and Islam."


• Youth Specialities CORE 2008 Generation Change Youth Conference call to change the world included a session. See more Deep Breathing, Lectio Divina, Ignatian Contemplation, Labyrinths at Youth Specialties. And don't miss Gary Gilley's examination of Youth Specialities in Is That You, Lord?


• NavPress Promotes Lectio Divina For Kids: NavPress goes into greater detail by describing the very Roman Catholic "Lectio Divina" for Kids. NavPress endorses Roman Catholic mystic Brother Lawrence as well.


• Emergent personality Tony Jones teaches “the soul-shaping discipline of lectio divina.” Actually that’s a bit of a play on words on Dean’s part because Jones has also written a book Soul Shaper: Exploring Spirituality and Contemplative Practices in Youth Ministry. Within it Tony Jones fills you in on the historical background concerning “centering prayer,” one of these “ancient spiritual disciplines” practiced by what have become known as “Christian” mystics...more on Tony Jones here.


• Right off the shelf of Christianity Today's Building Small Groups Store.com for only $14.99 you can introduce your church to Lectio Divina in Going Deeper With God...


• Zondervan Publishing's 2007 National Pastors Convention...new "ancient wisdom" practices like contemplative prayer, lectio divina, labyrinths and more to have a really deep and meaningful relationship with God."
  

Former New Ager Brian Flynn of One Truth Ministries takes a glimpse at the unbiblical, mystical practice of Lectio Divina:

By using this practice, we are turning the Bible into a mystical device for personal revelations rather than a source of knowledge. By taking passages of Scripture, which have an intended meaning, and breaking them down into smaller, separate segments, often for the purpose of chanting over and over, the true meaning of the passages are lost. Rather a form of occult mysticism is practiced—with the hope and intention of gaining a mystical experience that God never intended when He gave the inspired words to His servants.

Roman Catholic Mysticism & The Emerging Church
Apprising Ministries presents Richard Bennett of Berean Beacon. Bennett, who was himself a Roman Catholic priest in Trinidad for 22 years, describes how contemplative mysticism originally flowered in the antibiblical monastic traditions of apostate Roman Catholicism and is being adopted by "Evangelicals"....

"Ancient ways such as Lectio Divina, centering prayer, The Jesus prayer (mantra), centering prayer, the Ignatius Examine, the Stations of the Cross, and the labyrinth...lethal wickedness leading to the lust of the mind where you think you have made direct contact with God"

Apprising Ministries focuses on the Contemplative Spirituality/ Mysticism (CSM) movement with modern evangelicalism. Listen to Pastor-teacher Ken Silva discuss the flood of mysticism in Evangelicalism today on Crosstalk...

There is a growing fascination among evangelicals who are claiming to find truth by embracing elements of medieval mysticism as well as the modern, Eastern influenced mysticism... As you listen to this program you’ll learn about other personalities, past and present, that support a union of Christianity and mysticism. You’ll also discover how this movement is actually leading people toward neo-pietism as it attempts to connect them into union with God.




Don't miss Chris Arnzen of New York's Iron Sharpens Iron radio program speaks with Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. The topic is the influx Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism into the evangelical camp under the guise of Spiritual Formation through the growing influence of The Cult of Guru Richard Foster who is not an evangelical but a Quaker mystic.

Editor's note: Please know that Apprising Ministries is a non-denominational work which depends entirely upon the generosity of God’s people. Undoubtedly the most important thing you can do is to commit to holding AM up in prayer. While every ministry ultimately depends on the Lord to provide for it, the primary way that He does so is through His people. In this way they also get to share in its mission, and its blessings. Click here to support the continued work of Apprising Ministries.

See more related posts regarding the Ministry, Mysticism and Mayhem train and how it is moving full steam ahead toward it's final destination...Rome.