Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

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Some of the most influential writers who have popularized contemplative prayer in the evangelical church are Richard Foster and Brennan Manning. Both these men have written popular Christian books about contemplative prayer. And both quote the Catholic mystics such as Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating. Failure to understand its nature results in great long-term pain and confusion. Receiving the gift of God in the Wall, however, transforms our lives forever. (P.97.) David Sheldon has spent over 50 years studying theology, teaching, and discipling. He received his Bachelor of Arts in History, with an emphasis in Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Early Church history in 1973 from The Ohio State University. He received his Master of Divinity Degree in 1981 from Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN.

To achieve the state of emptiness, they employ a “mantra,” a word repeated over and over to focus the mind while striving to go deep within oneself. The effects are a hypnotic like state: concentration upon one thing, disengagement from other stimuli, a high degree of openness to suggestion, a psychological and physiological state that externally resembles sleep, but in which consciousness is interiorized and the mind subject to suggestion. I’ve become convinced that it is not wise or prudent to be distracted from the work I feel I “cannot not do”– especially in light of the diminishing amount of time available to me. Scazzero says that his way to Emotionally Healthy Spirituality is a painful process, which requires much hard work:

Contemplatives fully schooled in the Contemplative paradigm embrace panentheism. Dr. Ken Kaisch, a prominent teacher of the contemplative, has written in his book, Finding God: “The first and important result [of this prayer] is an increasing sense of God’s presence in all things.” William Johnson also states in his book The Mystical Way, that: “God is the core of my being and the core of all things.” (compiled from Ray Yungen). The first is that it’s not a success unless it’s “bigger and better.” Numbers aren’t all bad. In fact, quantifying ministry impact with numbers is actually biblical. When it comes to the church and numbers, the problem isn’t that we count, it’s that we have so fully embraced the world’s dictum that bigger is better that numbers have become the only thing we count. When something isn’t bigger and better, we consider it—and often ourselves—a failure. What we miss in all this counting is the value Scripture places on internal markers. Through being united with Christ, a Christian has died to the old life of sin and their lives are now gloriously united with Christ. Sinning Christians are Christians who have lost sight of the gospel.

Peter Scazzero: The deficits of emotionally unhealthy leaders are especially evident in four areas: Scazzero has found that he is in demand among evangelical pastors nationwide. He has been invited to speak to AOG pastors’ conferences, CMA pastors’ meetings, and even to Focus on the Family retreats. He quotes primarily from famous Catholic monastic mystics both living and dead, and he proudly announces that he attends a Trappist monastery in MS on a regular basis participating in the rigors of monastic life. It appears that his audiences have no problems with the source of his material. Trappist monks, and other emergent universalists get generous quotes in his writings and are ALWAYS quoted favorably. One can only assume he sees their teaching found in their writings as beneficial and that his evangelical audiences either don’t care or know to whom he refers in his writings. We have found, after 40 years of soul care ministry with individuals, couples, and families, that it is essential to develop a biblical understanding of the role of suffering as all believers will face obstacles on their way to becoming transformed into the image of Christ.Any grandiose scheme, such as promised in EHS, would need a biblical doctrine of suffering, which is central to becoming more like Jesus. The ideal place in EHS to reveal such a doctrine is in Scazzero’s Chapter 4, “Journey through the Wall: Letting Go of Power and Control.” Scazzero begins the chapter by saying: Pete launched New Life Fellowship Church, first in English in 1987, and then in Spanish (Iglesia Nueva Vida) in 1991, serving as lead pastor of both congregations. Julio Rodriguez took the leadership of Iglesia Nueva Vida in 1996, expanding that work and planting over twenty new churches throughout Latin America from that time till today. One significant distinctive of New Life was her location in Corona/Elmhurst, Queens and her commitment to bridge racial, cultural, economic and gender barriers through the power of the gospel. As a result, the church became well-known as one of the most multiracial churches in the United States with people from over 73 countries.

Lastly, Scazzero, as noted already, undermines the authority of Scripture. His constant comments in the vein of ‘Bible studies are not enough’ are compounded by his minimal use of Scripture in the book overall. He quotes much more extensively from popular culture (novels/ films etc) and personal experience than from scripture. A typical line of argument is as follows:At the same time, the church launched a highly effective Community Development Corporation in 1989 to serve the poor and marginalized in the community through a variety of ministries such as: homeless outreach, a food and clothing pantry, a community health center, tutoring, English second language classes, and youth mentoring. The Launch of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship While Scazzero does use one valid Bible passage in building his doctrine of suffering, as usual he quotes favorably and gives more space to “John of the Cross,” which precedes the James verse. Who is John of the Cross? Britannica describes him as “one of the greatest Christian mystics” and “a patron saint of mystics and contemplatives” (bold added). [3]