Sacred Ecumenical Travels and Roads to Contemplative Spiritual Formation

I noticed a book the other day called Sacred Travels - Recovering the Ancient Practice of Pilgrimage by Christian George (foreword by Calvin Miller). It's about travelling the globe and visiting "historical places where Christian faith shaped entire civilizations." The author draws the reader to rediscover an ancient practice - the spiritual discipline of the religious pilgrimage that leads to soul transformation. He tracks the footsteps of men like Luther to Spurgeon and travels to places like Iona and Assisi, to gain a better understanding of God's inner work in pilgrims, past and present. No doubt this is a fascinating book for those who love to travel vicariously to various places of Christian heritage through the eyes of another, but what else will the reader learn from this 'sacred' road?

Here are a few more things in the book...

Come with Christian as he breaks bread with Benedictines in Ireland and worships with the Taizé community in France. Experience the transforming power of spiritual pilgrimage. And discover what it means to be a pilgrim as you follow God wherever he leads.

-http://www.ivpress.com/likewisebooks/book.php?code=3502

Okay, so as interesting as this book may seem, what kind of spiritual transformation might one receive from connecting with Benedictine monks, and chanting by candle light with the ecumenical community of Taize?

An endorsement by the very contemplative Karen Mains (hungrysouls.org) gives us a hint:

"Christian George resurrects the sadly neglected Christian practice of the pilgrimage, saying in effect that not only do we travel to know the world better, we need to take spiritual journeys in order to learn more about ourselves."
-www.ivpress.com, Karen Mains (of www.hungrysouls.org)

So then, is a spiritual pilgrimage all about...us?

Another endorser of this book is the contemplative Heather Zempel, who says:

Three cheers for Christian George for digging up this important spiritual discipline and re-imagining it for emerging generations . . . He demonstrates from personal experience the life-changing potential and spiritually transformative power of sacred travel.
-www.ivpress.com, Heather Zempel
(threadsmedia.com/store/studies/sacred-roads/)
(www.discipleshipgroups.blogspot.com)

Sacred travel? I understand that these people are coming from the contemplative spiritual formation end of the perspective, where it's all about finding sacred spaces, experiencing the presence of God, and knowing your true self, and that divine spark within. (Not to mention that also in this book are quotes from Richard Foster and the Common Book of Prayer etc.) But here's the surprising thing...another endorser for this book is Warren Wiersbe! Here's what he says:

"If you are weary of 'religious fast food' and of competing on the 'fast track,' then slow down and walk awhile with Christian George. You will discover the richness of the authentic pilgrim life. This is a stimulating guidebook for pilgrims who are serious about making progress in the things that matter most."
-www.ivpress.com, Warren Wiersbe

This is somewhat disappointing - and not to make a huge deal about this, but the point here is this. There is such a slippery subtlety afoot these days as spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, and contemplative prayer makes ecumenical inroads within the protestant church. The line is getting blurrier, the common ground becoming more acceptable. Yes, we are all on level ground before the cross, but does that involve making a pit stop for the richness of the Catholic Eucharist experience, or an interfaith community chant here and there? Is this becoming so accepted the even Bible believing Christians (and scholars) are beginning to think this pathway is the authentic and stimulating way to go? Seems to me like these sacred travels and roads and things all lead to the same thing - contemplative spirituality.

*Just a side note, but Heather Zempel (www.discipleshipgroups.blogspot.com) is another speaker with Mindy Caliguire at a Willow Creek event later this October (*click here to learn more about that and what kind of things Caliguire teaches - shocking, actually). Zempel, a likeable personality, has just come out with a brand new teaching series called Sacred Roads. See here: (threadsmedia.com/store/studies/sacred-roads/)
[These things all have common roots in the contemplative spiritual formation movement.]

Related:

Please Contemplate This
by T.A. McMahon, The Berean Call Newsletter, 03/00
www.deceptioninthechurch.com

*Note: As this is a prescheduled post, please e-mail me if there are any broken links, as I probably have not double checked them as I usually do. I'm not blogging this weekend, but I will certainly check my e-mail now and then. Thanks.