Another book filled with more of the same old thing

In my spare time, I've been paging through a book my friend asked me to look at. I had no idea it was so loaded with these names and things. Kind of makes me wonder...is Philip Yancey a Roman Catholic? He is being read and praised by so many Christians I know, and I don't know much about him at all, and I don't know about all his other books, but this one, Reaching for the Invisible God, is over flowing with quotes and references to Roman Catholic and Jesuit priests, contemplative mystics, saints, etc. And what do you know...there's even a quote from Dag Hammarskjold, the mystic who designed the meditation room at the UN. I don't know why, but it seems like these authors have always got to throw a quote from old Dag in their books about God, in spite of his occultic spirituality that lives on, and was/is in opposition to God. For example, Peter Scazzero's book does the same (on pg. 73, The Emotionally Healthy Church).

Anyways, about this book, fortunately for me, my discerning friend has circled all these names and written notes in the side columns of Yancey's book, and done all the ground work for me. Some days I feel like a little ant, scouring every crack for crumbs. It's not so easy on the eyeballs, and is a very different pastime from curling up in a chair and reading a novel. So far, from what I've read, it looks like Yancey starts off each morning with centering prayer. Surprise, surprise. Who knew? But then, so does another author popular with Christians, Tony Campolo, who recently said he has tapped into Roman Catholic spirituality, St. Ignatius and Thomas Keating, and centering prayer, and how he experiences God by going into a deep silence every morning. Interesting thing how Campolo practices contemplative meditation, and centers himself down to get into the silence, or the thin place (see here). Therefore, why should it be surprising to find out that Yancey also practices centering prayer (pg. 84-86)?

Quote:

When I begin the morning by intentionally centering on God, from that still point I hope that serenity and peace will expand to effect the most of my day...even if I get only that half-hour of calmness...the effort still proves worthwhile." (p 85, 86, Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God)

Oh, and looky here, a few paragraphs below that he writes about universalist Anne Lamott. Looks like my discerning friend missed that one. Which does make me wonder, how many more things are slipping past the eyes of the undiscerning Christian who is reading all these books instead of the Bible? Seems everyone in the post-modern church is praising Lamott these days (see here and here). Go figure.

Funny how so many of these best selling authors are all writing supposedly about God, but when you take a closer look, they seem to throw in the same old people and their same old mystical experiences and practices. One might almost think we are in an unseen battle against some creepy conspiracy to get us all interested in ancient mysticism and meditating and distract us from the truth in God's Word.

How odd that some churches are now replacing Bible studies with many of these books. I know of one church that is using Philip Yancey's books and things in their Sunday morning adult classes. Oh, one more thing, funny how they are now using Yancey as one of their writers in the very popular, widely read Our Daily Bread. Surprise. And that's not all. But that's a huge can of crawly worms to open for another day, and soon to be blogged as well.

It takes time to trudge through the sludge, (or swim through the sewage, as one reader referred to it) and when I have finished checking out these books and things I will definitely blog about them, but not this week. Later...