Following what Paul said to the Thessalonians, "...test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21,22)
It creates great concerns to see so many people spending time with conspiracy theories and planting seeds of fear inside of the Adventist movement. For sure a legacy from the Second Great Awakening, marked by revivalism, pietism, strong sectarian or separatist tendencies [1] – and this is how Satan is destroying the Adventism, holding the movement hostage 150+ years in the past! HELLOOO, we had a prophetess in the 19th Century by the birth of the feminist movement! – what a sensitive God to the issues of a time (and how EGW suffered, not only because gave a message for her time, but for simply being a woman). This retrograde solution was the same Pharisees tried to use in their time, "if we just hold back to what we know it's right, if we keep things good as they were in the past, everything will be alright and God will not punish us anymore!" [2]
Very interesting is what Contemplative Outreach [3] (one of the proponents of Centering Prayer) has to say about Centering Prayer related to Transcendental Meditation – what is in question by Rick Howard's book,
Centering Prayer does not "empty the mind" or exclude other forms of prayer. It is not a "technique" that automatically creates "mysticism" or a means "to reach an altered state of consciousness."
It is important not to confuse Centering Prayer with certain Eastern techniques of meditation such as Transcendental Meditation. The use of the sacred word in Centering Prayer does not have the particular calming effect attributed to the TM mantra. Nor is the sacred word a vehicle leading to the spiritual level of one's being as it is in TM. There is no cause-and-effect relationship between using the sacred word and arriving at some altered state of consciousness. The sacred word is merely the symbol of the consent of one's will to God's presence and action within based on faith in the doctrine of the Divine Indwelling. The sacred word is simply a means of reaffirming our original intention at the beginning of our period of prayer to be in God's presence and to surrender to the divine action when we are attracted to some other thought, feeling or impression.
Throughout the period of Centering Prayer, our intention predominates: the movement of our will to consent to God's intention, which according to our faith, is to communicate the divine life to us. Hence, unlike TM, Centering Prayer is a personal relationship with God, not a technique.
The Divine Indwelling is simply, "the fact of the special presence of God and the special role of the three Divine Persons with or in the just." [4] In other words, the Trinity's work within us! Are we not temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Co 6:19)? Isn't that a mystery? Isn't that mystical?
Why do I have a hard time accepting theories and proposals coming from people like Rick Howard, once involved with Transcendental Eastern mystic experiences? It is explained by psychology as "pendulum effect" caused by polarization [5],
Polarization in communications and psychology, is the definition given to the behavior of a social or political group to split based on opposing views. Over time, more and more members of the original group join one or the other split group and fewer and fewer members remain neutral. This brings the two sides or "poles" further and further apart.
During polarization, there is a tendency for the opposing sides of the argument to make increasingly disagreeable statements, thereby creating more and more distance between the two sides. This is known as the "pendulum effect". Thus, it is commonly observed in polarized groups that judgments made after group discussion on a given subject tend to be more extreme than judgments made by individual group members prior to the discussion.
The same pendulum reasoning can be heard on ex-rock musicians, ex-Satan worshipers, ex-hippies, ex-Adventists, ex-girlfriends and boyfriends (lol)... and some others "exes"! How hard is for human beings being balanced?
Just a quick research on egwwritings.org to find the words, "meditation" 669x, "meditation+prayer" 229x, and "contemplation" 761x! [6] Here are some very interesting quotes from her,
The opposition grew so fierce that Paul was not allowed to continue his labors at Damascus. A messenger from heaven bade him leave for a time, and he “went into Arabia” (Galatians 1:17), where he found a safe retreat. {AA 125.2}
Here, in the solitude of the desert, Paul had ample opportunity for quiet study and meditation. He calmly reviewed his past experience and made sure work of repentance. He sought God with all his heart, resting not until he knew for a certainty that his repentance was accepted and his sin pardoned. He longed for the assurance that Jesus would be with him in his coming ministry. He emptied his soul of the prejudices and traditions that had hitherto shaped his life, and received instruction from the Source of truth. Jesus communed with him and established him in the faith, bestowing upon him a rich measure of wisdom and grace. {AA 125.3}
When the mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite, the effect on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. In such communion is found the highest education. It is God’s own method of development. “Acquaint now thyself with Him” (Job 22:21), is His message to mankind. {AA 126.1}[7]
Enoch faithfully rehearsed to the people all that God had revealed to him by the spirit of prophecy. Some believed his words, and turned from their wickedness to fear and worship God. Such often sought Enoch in his places of retirement, and he instructed them, and prayed for them that God would give them a knowledge of his will. At length he chose certain periods for retirement, and would not suffer the people to find him, for they interrupted his holy meditation and communion with God. He did not exclude himself at all times from the society of those who loved him and listened to his words of wisdom; neither did he separate himself wholly from the corrupt. He met with the good and bad at stated times, and labored to turn the ungodly from their evil course, and instruct them in the knowledge and fear of God. He taught those who had the knowledge of God to serve him more perfectly. He would remain with them as long as he could benefit them by his godly conversation and holy example, and then would withdraw himself from all society — from the just, the scoffing and idolatrous, to remain in solitude, hungering and thirsting for communion with God, and that divine knowledge which he alone could give him. {1SP 62.1}[8]
Satan leads many to believe that prayer to God is useless and but a form. He well knows how needful are meditation and prayer to keep Christ’s followers aroused to resist his cunning and deception. By his devices he would divert the mind from these important exercises (disciplines?), that the soul may not lean for help upon the Mighty One and obtain strength from Him to resist his attacks. I was pointed to the fervent, effectual prayers of God’s people anciently. “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly.” Daniel prayed unto his God three times a day. Satan is enraged at the sound of fervent prayer, for he knows that he will suffer loss. Daniel was preferred above the presidents and the princes because an excellent spirit was in him. Fallen angels feared that his influence would weaken their control over the rulers of the kingdom, for Daniel was high in command. The accusing host of evil angels stirred up the presidents and princes to envy and jealousy, and they watched Daniel closely to find some occasion against him that they might report him to the king; but they failed. Then these agents of Satan sought to make his faithfulness to God the cause of his destruction. Evil angels laid out the plan for them, and these agents readily carried it into effect. {1T 295.1}[9]
Sabbath, June 6, 1863, I was shown some things in regard to the work of God and the spread of the truth. Preachers and people have too little faith, too little devotion and true godliness. The people imitate the preacher, and thus he has a very great influence upon them. Brother Hull, God wants you to come nearer to Him, where you can take hold of His strength, and by living faith claim His salvation, and be a strong man. If you were a devotional, godly man, in the pulpit and out, a mighty influence would attend your preaching. You do not closely search your own heart. (how do we closely search our hearts? self-contemplation?) You have studied many works to make your discourses thorough, able, and pleasing; but you have neglected the greatest and most necessary study, the study of yourself. A thorough knowledge of yourself, meditation and prayer, have come in as secondary things. Your success as a minister depends upon your keeping your own heart. You will receive more strength by spending one hour each day in meditation, and in mourning over your failings and heart corruptions and pleading for God’s pardoning love and the assurance of sins forgiven, than you would by spending many hours and days in studying the most able authors, and making yourself acquainted with every objection to our faith, and with the most powerful evidences in its favor. {1T 433.1}[10]
And there are many others where these came from, all of them with some level of proximity to what spiritual formation (SF) proposes. Now, to make it clear, I don't believe in all proposals of SF for the same reason I have a hard time accepting what a person like Rick Howard has to say about SF – it's an human attempt to haul their relationship with God.... and again, pendulum.
Let's try to be balanced Christians.
Get away from these conspiracy-like ideas. Go and read the Gospels!
STOP talking about Illuminati. Time to mature... "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming." Ephesians 4:14 – today spiritual formation, tomorrow use of drums in the church, and then the size of skirts in church, and the list goes on... and people dying without getting to know Jesus!
[1] Marsden, George M. Fundamentalism and American Culture (Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press), pp.7,8
[2] http://careynieuwhof.com/2014/06/pharisee/ (10 Things Pharisees Today Say)
[3] http://www.contemplativeoutreach.or...ation-especially-eastern-meditation-practices (emphasis added)
[4] http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3407705631/indwelling-divine.html
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarization_(psychology)
[6] WORD MEDITATION IN EGW, 669x – mostly inviting for more time of meditation and prayer; WORDS MEDITATION+PRAYER IN EGW, 299x; WORD CONTEMPLATION IN EGW, 761x – mostly contemplation is related to the great themes of salvation and nature, the second book of God. Interesting to see combinations, “reverent contemplation”, “happy contemplation”, “joy in contemplation”, “contemplation of Christ”.
[7] Acts of the Apostles (emphasis added: terms related to "Spiritual Formation").
[8] The Spirit of Prophecy, vol.1
[9] Testimonies, vol.1
[10] Idem.
