Yancey - influenced by Mystics

Speaking of Zondervan (see Books and Things that Zondervan Loves)...

Philip Yancey, author of many books and frequent writer for Christianity Today, has been with Zondervan for quite a few years (I read 30 somewhere). He's extremely popular. Christian book stores are filled with his books. Evangelical churches use his DVD’s and books for adult Sunday school classes. He is often quoted by pastors from pulpits. His writings are even the newest addition to America’s beloved Our Daily Bread. But what many people don’t know is that when it comes to prayer, Yancey turns to the mystical approach. In a recent *Publisher's Weekly interview, Philip Yancey’s own words about prayer reveal that instead of turning to the Scriptures, or to biblically solid authors of the past, he turns to mystics...

Publisher’s Weekly: Many of your books have been about how Christians feel the burden of spiritual practice. Which writers most influenced your thinking about prayer?

Philip Yancey: No Protestants come to mind, to be honest, so, much I have learned about prayer is from the Catholics. One book I discovered was by Mark Phibido, called, Arm Chair Mystic. Of course, if you want to go deeper, there’s Thomas Merton.

-thebereancall.org

Okay, so it's spelled wrong there. It's actually Mark E. Thibodeaux, S.J., and he is a spiritual director, retreat director, and Jesuit priest, and you can see his book here. It takes the reader through the first steps of contemplative prayer, prayer exercises, etc. Of course, this should not be surprising, as the Jesuits were founded by Ignatius of Loyola, who wrote a series of rules called the spiritual exercises (see here) which everyone seems to be teaching these days. Also not surprising is the sad fact that Yancey is only one of many highly respected authors read by evangelicals who have turned to mysticism (such as Eugene Peterson, for example). But the funny thing is, when you mention this to people they look at you as if you are loony. However, it’s a verifiable fact. For Yancey to say “if you want to go deeper, there’s Thomas Merton”, well, that is just so blatantly, obviously unbiblical, since Merton was a Catholic monk who said:

"I see no contradiction between Buddhism and Christianity ... I intend to become as good a Buddhist as I can."
-Thomas Merton - Contemplative, Mystic, Panentheist
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/merton.htm

But then, everyone from around the world seems to be drawn to the spirituality of Merton these days.

Yancey is not the only one promoting Merton and contemplative spirituality. It's everywhere. But it looks like it's time for those who call themselves Christians to start making a choice - to ride down the popular pantheistic slide of universalism into the pit of yuck, and stand idly by as your pastors and Christian books stores make the big compromise, or to open up your eyes (and mouth) and take a stand for the truth. Your choice. Some might say, so what if Yancey's nice little benign stories are showing up in Our Daily Bread? How does that affect me? Well, that's for you to decide. Will you choose to read books and things by authors whose foundation is God's Word, or the experiences of some ancient mystics?

Read more about the Yancey interview (or listen to mp3) here:

The Inspirations Of Mr. Yancey
www.thebereancall.org

*Read the actual Publisher's Weekly interview HERE.

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Related post (more Yancey quotes):

Another book filled with more of the same old thing

Updates (November 2010):

GotQuestions.org drops links to Phil Yancey books
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=5391

PHILIP YANCEY – “turning the grace of God into lasciviousness” Jude 4
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=5408