More on various aspects of prayer:
Synopsis on Barnes and Nobles website ...
“Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer is Awakening a Generation,” by Peter Greig and Dave Roberts.
An extraordinary story about the adventure of faith and the power of persevering prayer...
On a summer's day in 1727 a community of Moravians started praying and didn't stop for more than 100 years. Throughout history God has mobilized such movements and moments of 24/7 prayer - from the Upper Room of Pentecost to Azusa Street in Los Angeles, through ancient Celtic saints and extraordinary characters like Alexander the Sleepless.
This is the story of a movement of the Spirit in our time, a move as ancient as it is modern.
A new generation is learning to pray and obey like never before. From Communist China to Washington DC and from the ranks of the Salvation Army to anarchic German punks, the 24-7 Prayer movement has been interceding continually, night and day, since 1999 in more than fifty countries. This is their extraordinary story; an honest account of pain and perseverance alongside pioneering mission and miraculous answers to prayer.
And from the Lighthouse Trails Research Newsletter, more on the authors and the contents of the book:
SourceRed Moon Rising: 24-7 Prayer Leads Youth into Contemplative and New Age Thought
Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer is Awakening a Generation (2003, Relevant Books), by UK author Pete Greig, is becoming an increasingly popular book among Christian youth. Greig is the founder of an international prayer movement called 24-7 Prayer and Boiler Rooms. In a magazine interview with Greig, he explains that his organization is now in over 65 countries and has partnered with groups such as Salvation Army and YWAM and has established "modern day monasteries based on the example of the ancient Celts."
While Greig's book and ministry may, at first glance, appear to be a movement of prayer, research shows that both the book and the movement are heavily influenced by contemplative spirituality and New Age thought. And while youth around the world are taking shifts (to pray) in Greig's boiler rooms (prayer rooms), they may be getting into something entirely different than biblical prayer. If your youth group is considering incorporating Red Moon Rising and 24-7 Prayer into their agenda, a second look may be worthwhile.
Greig tells readers to look to Brennan Manning's book, Abba's Child. It is in Abba's Child that Manning says Dr. Beatrice Bruteau is a "trustworthy guide to contemplative consciousness." Bruteau is the founder of The School for Contemplation and believes God is within every human being. She wrote the book, What We Can Learn from the East and says:
"We have realized ourselves as the Self that says only I AM, with no predicate following, not "I am a this" or "I have that quality." Only unlimited, absolute I AM"
Also in Manning's book, he says: "[ I ]f I find Christ, I will find my true self and if I find my true self, I will find Christ." Thomas Merton believed what Bruteau and Manning have stated, that God is already within every human being, we just need to become aware of this. When Greig tells readers to turn to Abba's Child, he is pointing them towards the mystical, panentheistic views of Thomas Merton.
Red Moon Rising instructs readers on lectio divina, but warns readers that their "inner fundamentalist" voice may be telling them this isn't biblical - in actuality that may be the voice of the Holy Spirit. The book cites contemplative proponents like Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren and Henri Nouwen and talks about a paradigm and cultural shift that is taking place in the world.
On the 24-7 Prayer website, a section called Labyrinths and Liturgy states: "t's about time we pooled our resources and created a collection of homegrown liturgies, and make them available for anyone out there who wishes to use them in their prayer rooms or as part of their personal rhythm of prayer."
Throughout Greig's site, articles and discussion cover topics such as monks, monasteries, and meditation. One article, titled "The Cross and the Cellar", is written by Morton Kelsey. Kelsey, an Episcopalian priest, was a strong advocate for contemplative spirituality and said: "You can find most of the New Age practices in the depth of Christianity.... I believe that the Holy One lives in every soul (A Time of Departing, p. 67).
In another article Greig says 24-7 Prayer is part of a "global prayer explosion" that includes the Catholic Renewal Movement, Taize worship, IHOP, and other prayer movements.
The 24-7 Prayer organization has another ministry outlet called "The Order of the Mustard Seed." Based on an 18th century order, participants are asked to take a vow and then wear a specially made ring. When we study the Mustard Seed website a clear picture begins to unfold, that this vow is a vow to be contemplative. Contemplative and occultic concepts, references, quotes, etc. so fill the pages of this site, that it would take much more than this article to describe it's depth of deception. In one Mustard Seed article, Greig states his admiration for Henri Nouwen, saying: "I am firmly in the Henri Nouwen fan-club, yearning for greater spiritual depth and getting excited about Rhythms and Rules of Life." But these rhythms and rules are filled with mysticism and spiritual darkness. "Rules have been the heartbeat of life for many of those we esteem the most," Greig adds and then lists several contemplatives including Thomas Merton and Mother Teresa (see her address: "Contemplatives in the Heart of the World"). A "Vision Study Guide" gives instruction on the spiritual disciplines including the silence and sacred space.
Unfortunately, as we have shown over the past few years, this cultural shift that is occurring within Christendom is one steeped in mysticism and a joining together of all the world's religious traditions. And when Greig talks about his vision for an army of young people who have a "violent reaction to compromised religion," this sounds similar to Erwin McManus' "barbarian way," Teen Mania's "battle cry" and Kids in Ministry's army of children with supernatural proclivities. It is frightening to see a growing trend that sounds more like a preparation for the Crusades than the language of Jesus Christ and the disciples. Couple this with contemplative mysticism, and we may have a combination that will bring about unmentionable results.
Contemplative Spirituality Glossary of TermsThis information is from the Lighthouse Trails Research Project as seen at
this website.
Contemplative Spirituality Glossary of Terms
A -F
Ancient Wisdom: The supposed laws of the Universe that, when mastered, enable one to control one's own reality—another word for metaphysics or occultism.
Aquarius/Aquarian Age: Sign of the Zodiac represented by the water carrier, Earth Age associated with this astrological sign. The term New Age refers to the coming Aquarian age which is in the process of replacing the Pisces age. According to astrologers, every 2,000 years constitutes an age. New Agers predict this Aquarian age will be a time of utopia.
Alice Bailey: British-born occultist who wrote under the guidance of a familiar spirit and channeled nineteen books on the New Age. She also popularized the term.
Centering/Centering Prayer: Another term for meditation (going deep within your center). A type of meditation being promoted in many mainline churches under the guise of prayer.
Chakras: Believed by New Agers to be the seven energy centers in man which open up during the kundalini effect in meditation.
Christ-Consciousness: Taught by New Agers to be the state of awareness, reached in meditation, in which one realizes that one is divine and one with God and thereby becoming a Christ or an enlightened being.
Contemplative Prayer: Going beyond thought by the use of repeated prayer words.
Creative Visualization: Imaging in the mind, during meditation, what you want to occur and then expecting it to happen. In simple terms, you are creating your own reality.
Desert Fathers: Mystics who first taught the practice of contemplative prayer.
Ecstasy: The hoped for outcome of contemplative prayer or mediation
Existentialism: an atheistic philosophy in which everything is relative; there are no absolute truths
False Self :The false self is the ego or personality that is observable by others. One rids oneself of the false self to find the true self through mantra-meditation. New Agers would consider people like Buddha, Ghandi, and even Jesus Christ as examples of people who found their true self.
Contemplative Terms Recognize these "inside" terms used by contemplatives:
* Labyrinths
* Enneagrams
* Prayer Stations
* Breath Prayers
* Jesus Candles
* The Jesus Prayer
* Lectio Divina
* Taize
* Palms Up, Palms Down
* Yoga
* The Silence
* Sacred Space
* Ancient Prayer Practices
* A Thin Place
* Divine Mystery
* Spiritual Direction
* Ignation Contemplation
* Contemplative
* Centering
* Centering prayer
* Prayer of the Heart
* Dark night of the soul
* Practicing the Presence
* Divine Center
* Inner light
* Mantra
* Awareness of Being
* Slow Prayer
* Being in the Present Moment
* Beyond Words
* Spiritual Disciplines
* Spiritual Formation
Many of these terms are considered "inside" terms according to many contemplatives, such as Youth Specialties writer, Michael Perschon. On April 16th, 2006, Youth Specialties issued a new article by Perschon that coincidentally illustrates the very thing we are saying here.
"Fitness buffs have an inside language. The really serious ones like to use proper anatomy terms, like gluteus maximus instead of bum. They still mean bum but, like most experts, enjoy having some special knowledge others don't have. People who practice contemplative prayer are often no different. Like any other practice, contemplative prayer has its own inside language, which is clear to the initiated but means little to outsiders. Much of the writing on contemplative prayer uses this inside language." Michael Perschon, Contemplative Prayer Practices
G - Q
Guru: Master of Metaphysics who teaches students how to attain their optimal spiritual level.
Higher Self: Supposed God Self within that New Agers seek to connect with through meditation. Also called the Christ Self.
Kundalini: Powerful energy that is brought on through meditation, associated with the Chakras.
Mantra: Word or words repeated either silently or verbally to induce an altered state.
Meditation: Meditation is practiced by all major world religions and is often described as an essential discipline for spiritual growth. Yet, like mysticism, there is great diversity in the practice of meditation. While some see meditation as simply spending time thinking quietly about life or about God, others use meditation techniques to experience altered states of consciousness that allow them to have esoteric experiences. In addition, meditation is promoted in secular society for the personal benefits of health, relaxation and improved productivity.
New Age: The Age of Aquarius, supposedly the Golden Age, when man becomes aware of his power and divinity.
New Thought: Movement that tries to merge classic occult concepts with Christian terminology.
Occult/Occultism: Kept secret or hidden; the practice of metaphysics throughout history.
Pantheism: God is all things. The universe and all life are connected in a sum. This sum is the total reality of God. Thus, man, animals, plants, and all physical matter are seen as equal. The assumption—all is one, therefore all is deity.
Panentheism: God is in all things. In panentheism God is both personal and is also in all of creation. It is a universal view that believes God is in all people and that someday all of God's creation will be saved and be one with Him.
R - Z
Reiki: Spiritual energy that is channeled by one attuned to the Reiki power. Literally translated god energy.
Self-Realization: Full contact with the higher self resulting in knowing one's self to be God.
Theosophical Society: Organization founded by Helena P. Blavatsky in 1875, to spread the Ancient Wisdom (i.e. occultism) throughout Western society. The forerunner of the modern New Age movement.
The silence: Absence of normal thought.
Universalism: All humanity has or will ultimately have a positive connection and relationship with God. A universalist belief system or universalism states that every human being will be reunited with God whether they believe in Jesus Christ or not. This belief system also says that every human being has Divinity or God within them.