Henri Nouwen Concerns

Henri Nouwen is popular among many in the church today and mention of his writings and statements seem to be at an all time high. Many first heard of Nouwen when Rick Warren quoted him in The Purpose-Driven Life (p. 269). Francis Chan quoted him in Crazy Love and I've heard his name a lot lately in the writings and sermons of many in the postmodern circles of the church.

What's the attraction, I wondered as I read some of his stuff and then it hit me. Nouwen serves as a source of introduction to contemplative practices of the new spiritual formation teachings. Many in the church seem enamored with this idea of going “deeper” through certain prayer practices and other rituals like Lectio Divina and rituals borrowed from the Desert Fathers and Roman Catholicism.

Rick Warren tweeted Nouwen just a few days ago (http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2010/09/rick-warren-tweets-new-age-mystic-henri-nouwen/ ) and so I thought I'd provide any who would be interested with some quotes representing some of Nouwen's troubling teachings.

My hope and prayer is that leaders and layman alike in this fellowship will seek their counsel and wisdom from the Bible as opposed to the writings of a man like Henri Nouwen. Consider these items:

In Nouwen's last book, Sabbatical Journey, page 51, 1998 Hardcover Edition, Nouwen wrote:

"Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God's house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God."

Here's some other troubling statements and beliefs:

“Prayer is soul work because our souls are those sacred centers where all is one, ... It is in the heart of God that we can come to the full realization of the unity of all that is.” (From Bread for the Journey)

"a place for everyone in heaven"
(Life of the Beloved - p. 53)

"to become the Beloved, we must claim it" Nouwen says we are all the chosen ones. (Life of the Beloved)

"The God who dwells in our inner sanctuary is the same as the one who dwells in the inner sanctuary of each human being." Here and Now by Henri Nouwen; page 22

These statements sound strikingly similar to the famous quote by New Age priestess Marianne Williamson which basically talked about the glory of God being in everyone. Of course, the source of these teachings are the same and the deception is mightily working as some in the chruch claim that these writers are inspirational in what they are saying.

Henri Nouwen himself promoted Thomas Merton, Taoist Philosopher Chvang Tzu, the writings of the Desert Fathers, Teilhard de Chardin(Catholic priest who believed Jesus would not return in person but rather as a cosmic Christ), and Hindu Spiritual Writer Eknath Eswaran.
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/nouwen.htm

Ray Yungen writes:

“Nouwen's endorsement of a book by Hindu spiritual teacher Eknath Easwaran, teaching mantra meditation, further illustrates his universalistic sympathies. On the back cover, Nouwen stated, "This book has helped me a great deal."

Nouwen also wrote the foreword to a book that mixes Christianity with Hindu spirituality, in which he says:

“[T]he author shows a wonderful openness to the gifts of Buddhism, Hinduism and Moslem religion. He discovers their great wisdom for the spiritual life of the Christian ... Ryan [the author] went to India to learn from spiritual traditions other than his own. He brought home many treasures and offers them to us in the book.”

Nouwen apparently took these approaches seriously himself. In his book, The Way of the Heart, he advised his readers:

“The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart ... This way of simple prayer ... opens us to God's active presence.”

But what God's "active presence" taught him, unfortunately, stood more in line with classic Hinduism than classic evangelical Christianity

from “Henri Nouwen and Buddhism”
by Ray Yungen (Excerpt from A Time of Departing, 2nd ed.).
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/nouwenbuddhism.htm

Mike Oppenheimer from Let Us Reason Ministries writes:

“Henri Nouwen, a promoter of contemplative prayer and a universalist is referenced by Rick Warren in his book Purpose Driven Life (page 269). Henri Nouwen - “Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen to the voice of love ... For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required” (In the Name of Jesus, p. 6,31-32). We should expect more Biblical discernment from national leaders.” http://www.letusreason.org/current73.htm

beloved, I think you can see why I'm concerned. These quotes were offered for your perusal and it is my prayer that folks won't be misled by dangerous teachers like Henri Nouwen.

Part 1 of an Important Sermon Posted

It's up, at long last. Funny how “tweenagers” can video a clip of themselves chewing gum and singing the latest Justin Bieber hit and just hit “post” or some other such magic button and they can get broad-casted globally in minutes...And it takes us literally hours to post the first 15 minute clip of an important sermon.

But, as stated earlier, “It's Up” and I'm referring to Part 1 of a sermon delivered at Garden City GBC in Roanoke, Virginia two weeks ago entitled “Concerns about Temple/Mosque Visits”. You can watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/powertostand

or here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/powertostand#p/a/u/0/gkQ5wpfsM2I

Folks, I welcome your comments and input concerning this issue and I have tried to cogently and concisely share my concerns with this practice being used not only in the FGBC but a growing number of denominations as well. Please receive the information in this sermon as a plea for discernment and a sharing of my concerns. Hopefully, you will see that I have tried speaking the truth in love.

Parts 2-4 will be up in the next few days. If you are informed by what you see, consider bookmarking our Youtube page and this blog.

In Christ, Steve

Prayer Requests from the "Star City"

Greetings in Christ Jesus from Roanoke, VA: "Star City of the South",

Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank you very much in Hawaiian) for all the prayers and intercession for my family, ministry, and myself. The body of Christ has been precious in their agape love at this time in my life.
Here's some additional prayer requests for your consideration:


Please pray for our Blue Ridge district youth rally at Camp Tuk-A-way this Sunday Sept. 12th. Pray for salvation and rededication for our young people.

Pray for our Monday night Bible study in our living room. Slowly growing and we saw our first salvation last night. Awesome! Pray for continuing effective outreach to Roanoke and beyond.

Pray for our Hindu/ Muslim Outreach plan. The Hindu phase kicks off later this month with our first copies of the Bible 9along with a clear presentation of the gospel) being sent to gurus around the globe. This outreach involves getting the Word of God directly into the hands of Hindu spiritual teachers without taking people into their temples. Please pray for the gospel witness to boldly shine in this endeavor. The Muslim phase kicks off in November (Lord willing). If you want to get involved as an individual or a church please call me at 540-904-5420.

Pray for my wife and I's mission to India next summer. There's a lot of work to be done and opportunities for evangelism.

Please Pray for effectiveness in evangelism with the local Jehovah's Witness rep coming to meet me Thursday AM.

Please pray for continued follow-up with young people who prayed to receive Jesus this past summer at camp.

Please continue to pray for my leukemia (CLL) as find out this Friday whether or not I will be taking chemotherapy.

Pray for the continued gospel/discernment outreach with Power To Stand Ministries.

Pray for the churches and pastors of the Blue Ridge district to boldly proclaim the saving message of Jesus Christ and the efforts for discipleship in our churches.

Pray for the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health issues in our flocks.

Pray for your role in taking the Word to the world!



In Christ, Steve

Alert! Stop Temple/Mosque Visits!

Aloha & Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus,

My name is Steven Mitchell and I pastor the Garden City Grace Brethren Church in Roanoke, Virginia.

At week's end, the Grace Brethren's Celebrate 2010 Conference and Momentum Youth Conference will be in full swing and I am praying for a blessed time for all in attendance.

There is one event, however, that is being offered at both conferences concerning GBIM's Reaching Ethnic America campaign and this is the leading of tours to a Hindu temple and the possibility of visiting a Muslim mosque. These practices are of extreme concern for a growing number of people within the FGBC and I believe that it has reached the point where a loving warning is in order if you plan to attend these tours.

As a missionary who has spent time in India and is married to an Indian wife, my heart is really in this plea for discernment. Dear believer, please don't go into these pagan places of worship! Don't remove your shoes, eat a temple meal, or don the Muslim headdress (hijab) because these practices have religious significance to these false beliefs.

Please watch this Youtube clip where a friend and I lay out our concerns more fully:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtw-a7D6jm8

If you want more info and some more detailed discussion and talking points concerning the further danger of these temple/mosque visits, please visit our blog at this address and read the three-part series about this practice that is gaining momentum in the FGBC.

http://powertostand.blogspot.com/2009/11/plea-to-stop-visiting-templesmosques.html
http://powertostand.blogspot.com/2009/11/plea-to-stop-visiting-templesmosques_09.html
http://powertostand.blogspot.com/2009/11/plea-to-stop-visiting-templesmosques_23.html


Finally, I urge you upon viewing these articles of concern to be safe and refrain from anything that calls itself a “total immersion experience” into Hinduism or any other false religion(This is a quote from the latest issue of GBIM's Kairos magazine advertising the Cincinnati temple trip after Celebrate 2010). The Bible is clear that we, as God's people, ought not to participate in any aspect of pagan worship or religious practice ( 1 Corinthians 10:19-20).

Dear readers, please consider these concerns from my heart of hearts. Pastors, lovingly view the evidence and exhort your people accordingly. Parents, be wise concerning the potential dangers of this practice for your young people. Young people, dare to be different and stand against trends that would cause you in any way to compromise your stand with Jesus Christ. Beloved, be immersed in God's Word and you will have the discernment He provides to guide and protect you and help you worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

May the Lord bless you richly,

Steve Mitchell
Feel free to call me at 540-904-5420 or
Contact me at powertostand@yahoo.com

An Addendum To Temple/Mosque Visitation Concerns

Several things need to be noted concerning this trend of visiting Hindu temples and Muslim Mosques. it's no secret that some in our fellowship have been vocal about this practice and actively leading teams of adults and young people into these pagan places of worship in the name of trying to give people a "heart for the soil" of a lost person's soul.

I have spoken with the main leader of this practice in the FGBC at length about my concerns and made it clear that we disagreed about this issue. I think it's a terrible idea with potential and actual spiritual hazards and he absolutely sees the whole thing differently.I will continue to oppose this practice and he will continue to promote it.

I was cleared to have my blog posted on the FGBC website and was told that my concerns were valid about many of the issues I wrote about.

I was also cleared to post a series of articles on my objections to Temple/Mosque visitations under the condition that I did not mention specific names of those I disagreed with and used a cordial tone. Those at the website KNEW that I was going to post these concerns and gave me the go-ahead to do so.

Upon returning from India I posted the first part of my series and pretty much the very day that my second part went up, my blog was pulled from the FGBC blog page. I did not remove it. It was PULLED.

I had a phone conversation where I was told that what I had done was disappointing and apparently several in the FGBC were "upset" that I had disagreed with this practice.No actual address or citation of my actual writings were made to me. The issues were not dealt with but I was told that others were giving flack and getting flack over what I posted at some level unknown to me but there it is! The "powers that be" in the FGBC have deemed my concerns controversial and too hot to handle for the blog page.

Please understand, folks, that I am not trying to be edgy or controversial but was actually encouraged for a very short time that we had a fellowship wherein we could openly dialogue and even respectfully disagree with one another without the fear of being unreasonably censored or pulled from our respective slots on the blog page...or so it seemed.

I leave you with two things: 1) I think that this does not bode well for this fellowship in that this seems to be a clear case of information control going on. 2)I will continue to post freely on this blog if I feel the need to share concerns with whoever else may be concerned about what they see happening in the church today.