Posted on 10/19/2013 8:50:26 PM PDT by jodyel
Lighthouse Trails has watched in dismay over the past few years as Charles Stanley’s In Touch magazine has made the decision to promote contemplative/emergent names. When our editors picked up a copy of the August 2013 issue and saw a feature article written by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, we decided to call In Touch Ministries to find out who was responsible for the content in the magazine. Sadly, the response we received from the editorial department at In Touch left us with a sinking feeling that the evangelical church has been seduced and there was no turning back.
We’ll talk about the phone call in a minute but first a look at Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.
In June of 2011, Lighthouse Trails free lance writer Mike Stanwood wrote “Contemplative Spirituality Lands on Charles Stanley’s In Touch Magazine . . . Again.” In this article, it was revealed that in the January 2011 In Touch magazine issue, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove was featured in an article written by In Touch Managing Editor Cameron Lawrence. That article, titled “The Craft of Stability: Discovering the Ancient Art of Staying Put,” highlighted the “ intentional Christian community” at the Rutba House (Wilson-Hartgrove’s home) and their “daily prayer routine.” The In Touch article stated that Rutba House is an evangelical community rooted in the Protestant tradition and that Wilson-Hartgrove is an ordained Baptist minister, yet it also reported that Rutba’s community principles are borrowed from Benedictine monks and that all of their efforts are based on St. Benedict’s “rule of life.”
In Stanwood’s article, he points out that Wilson-Hartgrove is part of the “New Monasticism” movement within the emerging church. To help you understand just how serious this situation is with Charles Stanley and his ministry, read this following section of Stanwood’s article:
Wilson-Hartgrove is most recently known for co-authoring Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals with new monastic activist Shane Claiborne. Other books he has authored may also fall into the emerging/contemplative category. For example, one such book called New Monasticism: What It Has to Say to Today’s Church (1) has been endorsed by mystic proponents Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle, Tony Campolo, and Catholic priest and centering prayer advocate Richard Rohr. The mystics resonate with the “new monasticism” – this is plain to see.
On the surface, the new monasticism may look OK with its many good works of helping the poor and the needy. But the underlying belief system does not line up with biblical doctrine; rather it is about establishing an all-inclusive kingdom of God on earth now where individual salvation is replaced with a community salvation for the whole world. Atonement has less emphasis on Jesus Christ as the only atonement for man’s sins and instead becomes an at-one-ment where all of creation is “being” saved by coming together as one (and yes, seeing the divinity of man). This is the kind of “atonement” that McLaren, Tickle, and Rohr would resonate with.
It is important to see that they don’t just resonate with the good works coming out of the new monasticism; born-again Christians have been performing good works by helping the poor and needy for centuries and continue to do so. While this new monasticism supposedly distinguishes itself by its good works, in reality it is mysticism and the foundational beliefs of mysticism (i.e., panentheism, kingdom now, etc) that distinguish it. And it is that element that Tickle, McLaren, and Rohr embrace.
Additional resources on Wilson-Hartgrove’s website include a DVD called Discovering Christian Classics: 5 Sessions in the Ancient Faith of Our Future, a five-week study with contemplative advocate Lauren F. Winner (Girl Meets God) for high school or adult “formation.” A description of this DVD states:
“You will discover the meaning of conversion and prayer from the Desert Fathers and Mothers; how to love from the sermons of St. John Chrysostom; St. Benedict’s Rule of Life and how it became one of the foundations of Western Christian spirituality; how to have an intimate relationship with God according to The Cloud of Unknowing; and what it means to ‘pick up your cross” in the Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis.’”
Another book Wilson-Hartgrove has authored, called The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture, refers readers to the wisdom of Lao-tzu, the desert monastics, Thomas Merton, Benedictine spirituality, panentheist and interspiritualist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Benedictine nun Joan Chittister.
In a Beliefnet interview one year ago, Wilson-Hartgrove shared how “we need the wisdom of those who’ve gone before us.” This wisdom he is referring to comes not from the Bible, but from the contemplative “Benedictines (who) taught us to start the day with common prayer.”1
After seeing what is at the core of Wilson-Hartgrove’s spiritual wisdom, it is not surprising to learn that he recently made an appearance at the [very emergent] Wild Goose Festival .2 According to an article in the Christian Post, the Wild Goose Festival was a “four-day revival camp in North Carolina featuring music, yoga, liberal talk and embracing of gays and lesbians.”
The fact is, anyone who is drawn to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, as Wilson-Hartgrove is, has got to be following a different spirit and another gospel or at the very least greatly deceived. Chardin, who is attributed to the term “cosmic Christ,” did not hide the fact in his writings that he believed, not in the Christ of the Bible, but a christ consciousness in every human being.
While we do not challenge Wilson-Hartgrove’s sincerity or concern for the poor and needy, we must challenge his consistent promotion of contemplative mystics and emergent leaders, and he certainly does not seem like a proper fit with In Touch Ministries, that is unless In Touch is going emerging. The reason we say this about Wilson-Hartgrove’s sincerity has to do with the phone call we had with two editors of the editorial staff of In Touch magazine on July 24, 2013. One of the editors we spoke with was Cameron Lawrence, the Editor in Chief (and also the one who wrote the 2011 In Touch article featuring Wilson-Hartgrove). Lawrence asked us if we had ever spoken with Wilson-Hartgrove personally, suggesting that he was a sincere man who lived out the Gospel by helping the needy. We answered him by stating that the issue at hand was not a private matter but rather a public issue because Wilson-Hartgrove is a public figure (books, conferences, articles, etc). We said that it did not matter what he might say in a private conversation, but it did matter what he was teaching others. And it mattered greatly that In Touch was promoting him.
When we spoke with Cameron Lawrence, we told him we wanted to know who was responsible for putting the article by Wilson-Hartgrove in the magazine to which he told us “the entire editorial staff” made the decision. We asked him if he would be interested in seeing some of our documentation to which he answered, “I have been on the Lighthouse Trails website, and I didn’t find it helpful.” The other editor we spoke with, who wished to remain anonymous, said it sounded like we were on a “witch hunt” to which we responded, “No, we are part of a Gospel-protection effort.”
At times like this, it is difficult not to become discouraged by the lack of interest in Christian intelligentsia and leadership regarding the contemplative/emerging issue. What more can we say to show them what seems so obvious to ourselves and many other Bible believing contenders of the faith? A number of years ago, when the Be Still DVD (a contemplative infomercial) came out and we saw Charles Stanley’s name in the credits as someone who supported the DVD, we contacted his ministry and spoke with a personal assistant. He accepted our offer for a free copy of A Time of Departing but said that Charles Stanley would be too busy to read it.
If the mystics whom Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove gravitates to are right, then Jesus’ words that He is the only Way to the Father are wrong. You can’t have it both ways. The opposite view – the contemplative – is that God is in all things, including all people. This is what all mystics believe, across the board. And if that were true, then the need for a Savior would vanish, and there wouldn’t be any need for ”one way” to God because man is already indwelled with God and a part of God.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Endnotes: 1. New Monasticism & The Emergent Church: FS Talks with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: http://blog.beliefnet.com/flunkingsainthood/2010/06/new-monasticism-the-emergent-church-fs-talks-with-jonathan-wilson-hartgrove.html.
2. Learn more about the Wild Goose Festival here: Left-Leaning ‘Wild Goose’ Festival Draws Ire of Evangelicals
always wondered that myself. plus he didn’t step down as he had said he would if he ever divorced.
Erwin Lutzer.
Yes, I know and thank God for those 144,000 in the Trib period!
But we sure could use a Spurgeon or a Moody or a Peter Marshall or a Martyn-Lloyd or a Bunyon or an Edwards....any Puritan will do. :)
Someone bold and unafraid just like Paul...someone whose love for Christ is all-encompassing and someone on fire for the Him.
I, too, use an Inductive Study Bible. NASV
See my post 36.
Second link shows him backtracking from what he said, so perhaps he realizes it was an error?
I have become very alarmed at what I’ve been seeing happening in the church. The emergent church stuff and this contemplative prayer and Christian mysticism and the *you are God* nonsense.
I have friends who are falling for this stuff and I am praying like never before that they see where they are headed. I believe that they are genuinely saved, but I hate to see them go down this path.
For myself, I am getting back to the basics and that means getting heavily into the Word.
Our mandate from Jesus is to preach the gospel and make disciples. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.
Here’s someone you might be interested in.
Alistair Begg
Truth for Life
http://www.truthforlife.org/about/about-alistair-begg/
I’ve heard him several times and have found him to be very challenging and solid.
There is also...
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Revive our hearts
https://www.reviveourhearts.com/
I heard some teaching of hers on suffering and its purpose in our life and it was very good. She said that God did not owe us a pain free life. That alone gives her credibility. They moved her radio program time on our local Christian station and I do not catch her anymore as I’m usually not around.
I agree, metmom...it is creeping in on the elect and that is frightening. I have to say I never thought I’d be alive when solid Christians started going for this stuff....but then again a lot of stuff is happening now that I never thought I’d see in my lifetime.
Great, I will check them out along with a David Jeremiah another member mentioned.
Thank you!
"In closing this, we’ll leave this aside; and in the interest of fairness, which I’m rarely given credit for, Interview with Dr. Ravi Zacharias on his latest book, “Why Jesus?” has been brought to my attention today.
Zacharias was asked in this January 2012 interview:
If in your book, you wrote how Eastern mysticism is completely erroneous, why did you state in one of your speaking engagements that Henri Nouwen was one of the greatest saints who lived in our time, when Nouwen is known to have been influenced by Thomas Merton and others who practice Eastern mysticism? (source)
Here is his answer:
I regret having said that. At the time, I based my comment on Nouwen’s story of the prodigal son which I felt was on target. But later as I learned more about Nouwen and Merton, I found their writings to be very troubling. I believe that doctrinally, Nouwen lost his way.
I used to read Malcolm Muggeridge too until I read his book, “Jesus Rediscovered”. Muggeridge was morally and culturally a good thinker, but he was not theologically sound. (source)"
An encouraging comment from Ravi.
No kidding!!!
The whole issue I see with the direction the church is going today is getting our eyes off Jesus.
It's now all about what God can do for you. Give you a house, health, money, a problem free life. People have become so obsessed with their circumstances, that they are not focusing on Jesus and just looking for what they can get out of God, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
And that's just what the word of faith preachers are promoting with Joel Osteen being among the worst.
It’s interesting.
Here we live in the freest and most prosperous country this planet has ever seen and I was reflecting on what a privilege it is, and God kind of chastised that thinking by pointing out to me that it isn’t as easy as I’d think. Maybe the material aspect is fine, but the spiritual atmosphere takes a real strength of character to handle.
The U.S. is the Laodicean church and the moral struggles are harder than physically struggling.
Yes, I saw that and referenced it in a couple of my posts...that he did seem to realize his error and regretted it. Wondering about the Mormon stuff though and him agreeing not to pray in the name of Jesus at that one venue.
You really do have to not care what anyone else thinks of you when you are standing up for Jesus and that has got to be hard in a public ministry. Of course, you know that ain’t an issue for me but I am not in public ministry either. Must be enormous pressure to compromise.
Reminds me of one interpretation of Matt 13:32 re: the parable of the mustard seed and the birds of the air which come and lodge there. Some may be angels, and some interpret some may be fallen who come to lodge there.
Like the tares, they will be sorted out at the harvest.
I can’t imagine......
I never heard that interpretation before. That’s an interesting one.
When the music program at Stanley’s church went insipid contemporary and theater-type razzle-dazzle, I knew everything else would slide downhill and the doctrine would suffer. (It always does; it starts with the music and then modernism creeps in from there.) That’s when he lost me.
My nephew goes to Stanley’s son’s church in Atlanta and they hosted Michelle Obama as an honored guest there a few years back. I know that what the kid does isn’t necessarily what the father believes, but it does reflect badly in general.
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