Dear Defender of
Richard Foster,
Thank
you for your detailed response and follow up regarding the teachings of
Richard Foster. I have studied, pondered, and prayed about your response.
I thank God that you affirm that you are a “washed in the blood believer.”
It is also refreshing that I get such an email in which the writer is really
thinking and using Scripture to reason, exactly as Paul did, rather than
responding with feelings and ad hominim attacks. I did not perceive that
you were attacking me personally, but rather my arguments. I will endeavor
to do the same, as I too champion and hunger for the truth. And though I
still disagree with you, I do admire your articulate arguments...and think
you may be a better defender of Richard Foster's teachings than Richard
Foster himself. You are such a worthy debater, I am going to try to do my
utmost to recruit you...and possibly even minister to you. I'm sure you
will have a response. Based on your statement of truly yearning for the
truth, I hope you will hear me out and that I will make my case with
gentleness and respect, and pray that I succeed in persuading you.
I think we can agree that Richard
Foster quotes or endorses a number of Roman Catholic theologians and
“masters” as Richard Foster calls them. I think you will also agree that
the intent of the book is ecumenical, as this is affirmed by D. Elton
Trueblood who wrote the Foreward in which he states: “The purpose here is
not sectarian but genuinely ecumenical.” (p. x) I think you will also
agree that he quotes a number of Roman Catholics repeatedly, not simply
anecdotally, but as spiritual resources and even giants in the faith. And
perhaps the capper that Richard Foster and Renovare are ecumenical is that
both Roman Catholic Sister Thomas Bernard who actively pursues dialogue with
Buddhism is Director of The Spirituality Centre, CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE of Los
Angeles, and Rev. Msgr. Royale M. Vadakind Director, Commission on
ecumenical & inter-religious affairs, catholic archdiocese of Los
Angeles. have sat on RENOVARE'S STEERING COMMITTEE. [emphasis mine]
Perhaps you are familiar with the
contents of the Council of Trent which is binding on all Roman
Catholics, meaning it would be binding on every Roman Catholic teacher that
Foster quotes and promotes. It could be argued that the Desert
Fathers and the Benedictine Order preceded the Council of Trent so that they
are not personally responsible for doctrines that were codified and enforced
by the Roman Catholic Church. This would be only partially correct because
the Roman Catholic Church had long held the views of the Council of Trent.
The Council simply codified these doctrines. But this certainly would not
excuse Ignatius Loyola. And it would not excuse all Benedictines subsequent
to the Council of Trent unless they renounced their vows. Remember this
every time Richard Foster quotes a Roman Catholic teacher or “master” or
“contemplative mystic” as he some times calls them, he would have to know
that they believe and are bound by the Roman Catholic Council of Trent. As
you probably know, the Council of Trent anathematizes (curses) everyone who
is not Roman Catholic and who does not subscribe to the list of doctrines in
that document. For your reference here are some websites which document the
authenticity of the Council of Trent as well as the fact that the current
Pope still upholds the Council of Trent for ALL Catholics:
In
January 1996, Pope John Paul II commemorated the 450th anniversary of the
opening of the Council of Trent by visiting Trento, Italy, and affirming
that Trent's declarations “maintain all their value.” [emphasis mine]
The Council of Trent was conducted by four different popes (Paul III, Julius
III, Paul IV, Pius IV) between the years 1545 to 1565, and had the two-fold
goal of bringing reform to Catholicism and condemning and hindering the
growth of Protestantism. A series of anathemas were issued against
Protestant doctrine. The Index of Prohibited Books was set up, condemning
authors and writings which were deemed anti-Catholic. During the era of
Trent, the barbarous Inquisition was further unleashed against those who
dared to reject Roman heresies.
In 1564 the doctrines of Trent were summarized in a papal bull entitled
The Tridentine Profession of Faith. Dr. Raymond Surburg notes that “all
Roman Catholic clergy and teachers must subscribe to it as well as converts
to the faith from Protestantism. The person subscribing to it must swear
true obedience to the Pope” (The Christian News, July 10, 1995, p.
6).
An
official statement of the doctrines approved at Trent were issued in 1566 in
the Roman Catechism.
The Council of Trent denied every Reformation doctrine, including Scripture
alone and grace alone. Trent hurled 125 anathemas (eternal damnation)
against Bible-believing Christians, including these: [emphasis mine]
“If any
one shall deny that the body and blood together with the soul and divinity
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore entire Christ, are truly, really,
and substantially contained in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist; and
shall say that He is only in it as a sign, or in a figure, or virtually--let
him be accursed” (Canon 1).
“If any one shall say that the substance of the bread and wine remains in
the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, together with the body and blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and shall deny that wonderful and singular
conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the body, and of the
whole substance of the wine into the blood, the outward forms of the bread
and wine still remaining, which conversion the Catholic Church most aptly
calls transubstantiation--let him be accursed” (Canon 2).
“If any man shall say that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not to
be adored in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, even with the open worship
of latria, and therefore not to be venerated with any peculiar festal
celebrity, nor to be solemnly carried about in processions according to the
praiseworthy, and universal rites and customs of the holy Church, and that
he is not to be publicly set before the people to be adored, and that his
adorers are idolaters--let him be accursed” (Canon 6).
“If anyone shall say that the ungodly man is justified by faith only so as
to understand that nothing else is required that may cooperate to obtain the
grace of justification, and that it is in no wise necessary for him to be
prepared and disposed by the motion of his own will ... let him be
accursed” (Canon 9).
“If anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence
in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that
confidence alone by which we are justified ... let him be accursed”
(Canon 12).
[emphases mine]
SOURCE: http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/pope-affirms-trent.html
And
here is the document itself:
The Council of Trent
http://history.hanover.edu/early/trent.html
So, no matter how passionate we
Protestants are in proclaiming that we are Christians, Roman Catholicism
according to the Council of Trent would still consider us cursed (eternally
damned) and not saved. And in addition to us Protestants that are cursed
(according to this document), the Roman Catholic Council of Trent would
anathematize Richard Foster because he is a Quaker; and George Fox, the
Founder of the Quakers, whom Foster also quotes. Ironically, this contrasts
Vatican II which says all religions are manifestations of God, and
thus worthy of our study and respect. This is a glaring contradiction which
has never been rectified.
Incidentally, George Fox was
arrested for refusing to take an oath, believing it to be unbiblical.
Another irony is that Richard Foster (a Quaker) sets up oaths and covenants
on his Renovare website. Roman Catholicism collides with what George Fox
and the original Quakers believed and it most certainly collides with the
Council of Trent. As to what Quakers believe and why we should both be
concerned, I invite you to visit this site:
http://www.bible.ca/cr-quakers.htm
Also, in a quote from Al Dager:
“The
history and philosophy of Quakerism are marked by the mystical Early
Quakerism especially was given over to the inducement of trances, violent
shaking, (hence the name 'Quakers'), glossolalia, visions and mindless
ecstasy."” Dager, Media Spotlight p.13)
Violent shaking and mindless ecstasy
is also at the heart of the Toronto Blessing, Alpha Course, i.e., the
“Laughing (and barking like dogs) Movement.” And trances was one of the
spiritual exercises of Ignatius Loyola, whom Foster quotes glowingly. So it
is not surprising that Richard Foster would connect and identify himself
with both John Wimber (The Vineyard) and Ignatius Loyola (Jesuits). And I
can't help but be baffled that Richard Foster (a pacifist Quaker) would
promote Ignatius Loyola who is historically known to have taken up arms to
kill hundreds of thousands of Christians; while George Fox himself, being
the Founder of Quakers, believed as one of their doctrines: “Christians
should not fight with carnal weapons.” This idea gives a whole new spin to
the Scripture in Amos which states: “Can two walk together, except they be
agreed?” Amos 3:3 And does anyone seriously believe that the Roman Catholic
Church would exempt Quakers (i.e., Richard Foster) from all of the rest of
the Protestant Sects during the Reformation in their scourge to purge the
church of such sects? Christians have a case of collective amnesia, or
simply not being aware of what Roman Catholicism really teaches in the still
binding Council of Trent.
Seemingly in accordance with Vatican
II (that all religions are manifestations of God), referenced below is a
documented photo of the Pope kissing the Koran. Richard Foster is promoting
Roman Catholic teachers whose Vicar on Earth (the Pope) embraces still
another daughter of Babyon (Islam), responsible for still millions of deaths
of countless more martyrs for Christ. Richard Foster should not embraces
the teachings of this false religion of Roman Catholicism...and worse
stumble Evangelical Christians to do the same.
Source of Photo of Pope Kissing
the Koran:
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/popekiss.jpg
EMPTYING THE MIND
In
your email you contend that emptying the mind is NOT what Richard Foster
teaches as his definition of Christian Meditation. Below I explain the
contradiction of Richard Foster's two editions (the 1978 Edition vs. the 25th
Anniversary Edition). You should be aware that emptying the mind is at the
heart of the philosophy of still another Roman Catholic Jesuit monk that
Richard Foster touts, and that is Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Richard Foster
promotes de Caussade in both editions of Celebration of Discipline.
I had always wondered where Richard Foster may have gotten this idea (for
his 1978 Definition of Christian Meditation). Entering into nothingness (“Etre
dans le rien”) is exactly what de Caussade taught. De Caussade also taught
“annihilation of our own spirit”....a parallel idea to entering into
nothingness. The only problem is that there is no such concept of
“annihilation of our own spirit” taught in the Bible. Even for the wicked,
one's spirit is eternal. The difference is where one will spend eternity.
The
idea that “entering into nothingness” or “annihilation of our own spirit” is
what is meant by entering into stillness is a complete distortion of the
true meaning of Biblical text which uses the term “be still” (see my
commentary below on stillness). If this what Richard Foster believes and
promotes (and he does promote Jean-Pierre de Caussade's teachings both in
his books and as a valuable resource on his Renovare website) as Christian,
God help us!
Jean-Pierre de Caussade:
"Etre Dans le Rien"
"...often indeed God places certain souls in this state,
which is called emptiness of the spirit or of the intelligence; it is
also called: being in nothingness (etre dans le rien). This annihilation of
our own spirit disposes wonderfully to receive that of Jesus Christ.
This mystical death of the operations of our own activity renders our soul
apt for the reception of divine operations."
[emphasis mine]
from a letter to Sister
Mary-Antoinette de Mahuet – 1731
“Through the habit of letting drop our useless thoughts one may pass whole
days without thinking at all, as if one has become stupid.”
SOURCE: http://www.geocities.com/brianperkins77/167etredanslerien.htm
Here is another quote from de Caussade that should be troubling:
"So
we follow our wandering paths, and the very darkness acts as our guide and
our doubts serve to reassure us."
Christians should recognize these quotes as none other than Tibetian
Buddhism which teaches that spiritual awakening and the path to
enlightenment is the “realization of emptiness” and in the Zen idea of
“realizing no mind.” It is no wonder that Richard Foster would be such a
devout fan of Thomas Merton who defended and practiced Buddhism and also
extensively quotes Jeanne-Pierre de Caussade. But Jesus said be sure that
the light that is in you is NOT darkness!
Still another quote from de Caussade:
“This fortunate habit keeps me out of danger and, in a
certain way, prevents me thinking, judging or speaking evil of anyone.”
This quote sounds a lot like another myth, circulated even among Evangelical
Christians which says “never say anything about anyone unless you can say
something good.” This philosophy sounds good...and it is certainly a
philosopy that seems right unto man. But the ultimate and fair question is
whether or not it is biblically grounded. The answer is unequivocally no.
There is not one single example in Scripture where anything good was said
about any individual who was determined to be a false prophet or false
teacher.
Furthermore, did Jesus follow de Caussade's advice with the Pharisees whom
he called “brood of vipers”, “white washed sepulchres” and “sons the of
devil?”
Did
Paul follow de Caussade's advice in calling the teachings of Philetus and
Hymenaus “gangrene in the Body of Christ,” or “anyone teaching another
gospel eternally damned” when addressing the Galatians?
Did
Peter follow de Caussade's advice in calling certain men “brute
beasts...slaves of depravity,” “blots and blemishs”, “accursed brood”,
“springs without water...blackest darkness is reserved for them?”
Did
Jude follow de Caussade's advice in calling certain men “unreasoning
animals”, “clouds without rain”, “autumn trees without fruit...twice dead”,
“wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame”, “wandering stars” and also
calling certain men “blemishes at your feasts” and “for whom the blackest
darkness has been reserved for them?”
Finally, the eschatological ramifications of de Caussade's statement are
staggering, because the Apostle John marks persons as deceivers and
antichrists. How are we as responsible Christians to not correctly beware
of and warn of antichrists without describing them as evil men?
In
the Last Days, are we to not call evil the final Antichrist and his False
Prophet when he comes on the scene in order to not be deceived into taking
the mark of the beast? Paul tells us the evil men will wax worse and worse.
Isaiah tells us “woe to them who call evil good,” while de Caussade tells
us not to say anything evil about anyone. But thank God, none of true
prophets and apostles followed de Caussade's advice if they were good
shepherds guarding the flock from wolves in sheep's clothing and without
cease, warning them to not be deceived!
De
Caussade would have had to remove all of the Scriptures identifying evil men
when he preaches or teaches or counsels. De Caussade's advice directly
collides with Scripture after Scripture and reveals either his lack of
knowledge of Scripture, or willfull ignorance. This is not a matter of
simply hollow and deceptive philosophy, which is damaging enough, but beyond
that, de Caussade's teaching is corrupt, and corrosive to the Body of
Christ. It is not surprising that Richard Foster (and psychologist Larry
Crabb) would quote de Caussade, because this philosophy of seeing Christ in
everyone fits right in with the teachings of the Benedictine Order whose
teachers they often quote. And it fits right in with George Fox, the
founder of Quakers, whom Foster quotes:
“You will say, Christ saith this, the apostles say this;
but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of Light, and hast thou walked in
the Light, and what thou speakest, is it inward from God?” George Fox
It is no wonder that people see
the line being blurred between Eastern and Christian Meditation, if not
morphing them into virtually the same thing! Jesus Christ dwells as
UNAPPROACHABLE Light, whom no man has seen or can see!
"Who
only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;
whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting.
Amen." I Timothy 6:16
It is
obvious from this passage that Jesus Christ cannot be seen. See an
explanation on concerns about Richard Foster's teaching on this in the
section below on “Astral Travel.”
Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuit Order
Richard Foster defends the teaching of
Ignatius Loyola, founder of
the Jesuit Order, which is responsible for the murder of millions of true
saints, and the persecution of countless more true saints who were running
for their lives. One million poor Waldenses perished in France; nine
hundred thousand orthodox Christians were slain in less than thirty years
after the institution of the order of the Jesuits. (SOURCE:
http://www.the-highway.com/eu_Bennett.html). For more proof that
the Jesuit Order is heretical, here is part of the oath they take:
When a Jesuit of the minor rank is to be elevated to
command, he is conducted into the Chapel of the Convent of the Order, where
there are only three others present, the principal or Superior standing in
front of the altar. On either side stands a monk, one of whom holds a banner
of yellow and white, which are the Papal colours, and the other a black
banner with a dagger and red cross above a skull and crossbones, with the
word INRI,
and below them the words IUSTUM NECAR REGES IMPIUS. The
meaning of which is:
"It is just to exterminate or annihilate impious or heretical Kings,
Governments, or Rulers." SOURCE:
http://www.acts2.com/thebibletruth/Jesuit_Oath.htm
Ignatius was the first general of the Jesuit army. The Jesuit army
infiltrated churches to destroy all that were not related to the mother
church. One of the bloodiest times in the history of mankind, the Jesuits
were probably the most cruel and fierce as they justified torture and murder
for the church. Loyola's spiritual exercises were used by the Jesuits and
they would put themselves into a trance and levitate. The Jesuits were
responsible for the Inquisition. Loyola's JESUIT ORDER under his personal
direction was responsible for the MARTYRDOM OF COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF GOD'S
SAINTS who would not bow the knee to the papal demand for unconditional
obedience. Furthermore, Richard Foster's bent to ecumenism might be
acceptable to many Protestants, but it would be impossible for Ignatius
Loyola to desire unity and embrace the very saints he anathematized and
slew, thinking he was doing God a favor. Richard Foster should not want us
to draw our inspiration from Ignatius Loyola.
Richard Foster quotes and endorses a number of what he calls “Desert
Fathers.” It is no secret that “Desert Fathers” refers to gnostic Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox mystics. Gnosticism is one of the first
major heresies in the church, opposed by both the Apostle Paul and many
early Church Fathers. I point this out in my article on the Enneagram which
is also promoted by Richard Foster. In short, thanks to Thomas Merton (one
of Foster's chief mentors), a number of other Roman Catholic teachers, and
Richard Foster himself, Roman Catholicism has become the Trojan Horse in the
Evangelical Church, gradually nullifying the Reformation and insulting every
saint burned at the stake who could simply have affirmed unity with Roman
Catholicism and saved their lives, rather than thinking and proclaiming Sola
Scripture and by faith alone we are saved. Richard Foster believes that the
Holy Spirit is going to unite Protestants and Roman Catholics. The Holy
Spirit may unite individual true believers, but ecumenical unity with Roman
Catholicism and its teachings can never happen at the expense of truth.
Roman Catholic teachings which place traditions over Scripture are both
Apostate and Pagan...Roman Catholicism can NEVER unite with Protestantism.
Furthermore, Roman Catholicism is a religion of necromancy, in that its
doctrine promotes praying to Mary and a host of other dead saints. It
collides with the Second Commandment that prohibits even having other idols
(statues of saints) before you, let alone praying to them, for God is a
jealous God.
Richard Foster endorses the kind of pray known as “cataphatic spirituality”
which is praying before icons or images of saints (definition). If there
remains any doubt as to the great quantity of Roman Catholic teachers and
ministries Richard Foster advocates, I invite you to read the index in the
copy of Celebration of Discipline that you possess, check the index
of all of Foster's books, and finally, go to his own Renovare website to see
all of the Roman Catholic resources he promotes. His website is:
http://www.renovare.org. Richard Foster needs to mark these
teachers, not promote them!
Now, I would humbly like to address some of the points in your letter:
CHRISTIAN MEDITATION AND THE ALPHA STATE
Defender of Richard Foster's Comment:
Upon
reading and re-reading Chapter 2 (The Discipline of Meditation) in
Celebration of Discipline, 1998 edition (the edition that I happen to own),
I find that your quote is decidedly NOT how Mr. Foster defines Christian
meditation, at least in the book I own. He says on page 17, "Christian
meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his
word . . . . It involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental
gymnastics, no esoteric flights into the cosmic consciousness." His
continual emphasis on Christ as the focus of meditation is woven throughout
the entire chapter. There is hardly a sentence that does not echo this
message. Again, on page 20, "What happens in meditation is that we create
the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner
sanctuary in the heart." You invite me to find one single verse that
supports Mr. Foster's definition. According to the definition he gave on
page 17, every verse that I could find touching on meditation in the Bible
supports it. And yet another example of how Mr. Foster's definition of
meditation is decidedly different from what you portray begins at the bottom
of page 20: "Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian
meditation is an attempt to fill the mind. The two ideas are quite
different." The two paragraphs on page 21 directly following this quote go
into further detail of the difference, and I suggest you read them again if
you haven't done so lately....
I am
familiar with the New Age teaching on Alpha State, and I am agreement that
it should not be the goal of any truly Christian meditation. In this
instance, I believe the website you reference does a gross injustice to Mr.
Foster by quoting him entirely out of context. Even a casual reading of the
paragraph from which this quote is taken shows beyond a doubt that Mr.
Foster is NOT promoting the Alpha State. Here is the sentence referenced on
that website put into its entire context (from pages 22-23): "If you feel
that we live in a purely physical universe, you will view meditation as a
good way to obtain a consistent alpha brain-wave pattern. But if you believe
that we live in a universe created by the infinite-personal God who delights
in our communion with him, you will see meditation as communication between
the Lover and the one beloved. These two concepts of meditation are complete
opposites. The one confines us to a totally human experience; the other
catapults us into a divine-human encounter. The one talks about the
exploration of the subconscious; the other speaks of 'resting in him whom we
have found, who loves us, who is near to us, who comes to us to draw us to
himself.' Both may sound religious and even use religious jargon, but the
former can ultimately find no place for spiritual reality." (emphasis mine)
How much clearer could Mr. Foster be that he is NOT advocating the alpha
state as the goal but is instead refuting it (along with the pursuit of the
subconscious)?
James Response:
The
passage you present above does make it appear that Richard Foster distances
himself from the “alpha state” and the “unconscious.” I agree with you that
the website you refer to (Lighthouse Trails Research) should have explained
the greater context of the quote they list, because that quote in isolation
(and even in the surrounding paragraphs), as you have noted above, is not
what indicts Richard Foster on this issue. Below I indicate why Richard
Foster in other passages seems to be sympathetic to inducing the Alpha
State. On a side note, Alpha Brain Waves in and of themselves are not
heretical, as they can be measured by equipment known as
electroencephalography which accompany the relaxation state we experience
when we first wake up in the morning, and are used by psychiatrists. Alpha
Brain Wave patterns can be printed out, showing frequencies of a person's
brain similar to what an Electrocardiagram does with heartbeats. But the
issue at hand is whether or not there is a Biblical precedent for trying to
induce this Alpha State, let alone for the purpose of better
communion or union with God. If anything the writer of Psalm 119, in
describing at length true meditation, was trying to keep from going to
sleep in order to remain fully awake because he was on guard duty at
night that he might better concentrate on the statutes and ordinances of the
Lord.
Furthermore, the Alpha State is a passive state. There is not biblical
precedent for being passive while we meditate but quite the opposite, that
we gird up the loins of our mind, we concentrate, focus, become vigilant,
become as alert and circumspect as we can possibly be. Are we to devote
our best for the Lord by practicing a form of Christian meditation in which
we are half-awake/half asleep?...for that is what you are medically when you
are in an Alpha State. Was Jesus half-awake/half-asleep in the Garden of
Gethsemane when he performed the highest form of Christian Meditation known
to man for all history? In fact, Jesus rebuked his disciples that they were
sleeping and not watching with him. Watching meant like when a guard is on
his night watch...fully alert...not half asleep! The reason the Lord want
us to NOT be passive, at least in great part, is because that may open the
doors to demonic entrance. And though not necessarily spiritual at its
onset, being passive certainly becomes very spiritual when one become
possessed by a demonic spirit or opens the door to given heed to such
seducing spirits.
Again, there are contradictions throughout Richard Foster's book on what he
means by meditation and contrary to what he asserts, blurs the line between
Eastern Meditation and Biblical Meditation. Richard Foster on one hand
acknowledges that the Alpha State is purely a medical state of relaxation
and helpful, yet on the other hand seems to tells that it is not desirable
for Christians...why not if it just a perfectly normal cycle of our lives.
So is the Alpha State good for non-Christians and bad for Christians? But
the fact is he does not think it is bad for Christians as we see in his
promotion of other teachers who do promote the Alpha State. (I hope someday
to prepare a chart outlining these contradictions for the sake of clarity).
The problem is that Richard Foster continues to promote Morton Kelsey, a
certified Jungian analyst who is totally submerged in the teaching of the
“unconscious” and says this about the alpha state in suggesting that
Christian and other meditative practices may “go along with alpha and theta
wave activity in the brain...“Alpha waves are apparently induced
in the brain.” Kelsey further states that “these capacities are often
found among Hindu gurus, Zen masters, or anyone who uses deep meditation,
as well as among Christian saints.” Foster can't have it both ways! It
is impossible for a non-Christian or non-believer to meditate in a Biblical
sense, because the natural man understands NOT the things of the spirit.
And Christians have no business meditating like Hindus and Zen masters. In
other words, in terms of physiology, the techniques that Richard Foster and
the teachers he quotes suggest we use to meditate are identical...just that
Christians are supposed to commune with God in this altered state of
consciousness, whereas non-Christians simply achieve the Alpha State. This
is ridiculous. And Richard Foster's definition is not as biblical as it
might appear. Both forms of meditation, Christian and Eastern, according to
Foster, still produce an altered state of consciousness. It is certain he
means this, or he would not refer to the examples of Peter's visions and
Paul's trip to the Third Heaven. Richard Foster alleges that the difference
with Eastern meditation is that it produces that Alpha State (for
non-Christians) and the Western version produces communion with the Lord.
So does this mean the minute a person becomes a Christian they no longer
enter the Alpha State when they meditate? I am certainly not very comforted
by Foster's new definition to receive counsel from him. My counselor is the
Mighty Counselor whose counsel in immutable (UNCHANGING) in definitions!
I
would like to address the other quote of Richard Foster you refer to in
which he states: "What happens in meditation is that we create the
emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner
sanctuary in the heart." Once again, chapter and verse for a biblical
precedent for creating an emotional and spiritual space? Are you suggesting
that during times we aren't meditation that an emotional and spiritual space
does not already exist? And that until we create such a space that Christ's
hands are tied to construct an inner sanctuary of the heart? Well there are
two major problems with this theology. One, every human whether born
naturally or born again already has an emotional and spiritual space...that
comes from human nature and in great part what separates us from animals.
i.e., God created us with body, soul, and spirit. And whatever space is
there, if that is what you choose to call it is already there, and was made
by the Lord, not us! Secondly, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
already, so Christ already created the sanctuary. The difference for
Christians is that the temple is occupied by the Holy Spirit the minute they
become believers. Christ does not construct anything in a believer, he
simply occupies what he already created. There is not a new sanctuary
created, except in the sense that as Christians we are New Creations. For
Richard Foster to teach this idea of a new sanctuary created when we
meditates is once again adding to what is written in Scripture.
Then
you quote Richard Foster: “Both may sound religious and even use
religious jargon, but the former can ultimately find no place for spiritual
reality." This statement is simply not correct. Both Biblical
meditation and Eastern meditation involve “spiritual reality.” The
difference is that the former is in fact the spiritual reality of communion
with God, while the latter is spiritual reality of communion with devils
(divination or sorcery). But Christ does not have communion with anyone who
is in an altered state of consciousness, unless initiated by Christ himself
(not us) as in the case of Peter's vision and Paul being transported to the
Third Heaven.
You
have asked me to re-read Foster's page 21 which I have happily done.
Reciprocally, I invite you to read the second paragraph on Page 15 of his
1978 Edition of Celebration of Discipline and ask yourself why he has
contradicted his own earlier definition of Christian Meditation (which you
ought to be able to find at your local public or university library). His
in-depth definition, according to the 25th Anniversary Edition,
from which you quote, includes a need for detachments and even going beyond
detachment (Page 21). And even though there is no Scriptural support for
detachment, Foster invokes Peter of Celles, a Roman Catholic Benedictine
monk, in defending it as Christian meditation...Benedictines who say that
Christ is in everyone (universalism). So if the Benedictines are correct,
then all meditation would be the same...no distinction between Eastern and
Biblical Meditation....because Christ is already in EVERYONE. This would
mean all who practice it would produce an altered state of consciousness, or
the Alpha State. So, Foster in invoking the authority of the Benedictine
Order (which he often does) refutes his own definition that there are two
kinds of meditation.
Richard Foster should not anchor his definition of Christian Meditation on a
Benedictine monk, for the Benedictine Order, being Roman Catholic is
somewhat of an oxymoron. Official Roman Catholic Doctrine anathematizes all
Christians who are not Roman Catholic while contradictory teaching of
Benedictine Roman Catholics see Jesus Christ in everyone. This implies that
they see Jesus Christ in those whom the Roman Catholic Church has cursed.
Peter of Celles (Peter Cellensis)
Richard Foster tells us that part of Christian meditation is obedience (to
Scripture) yet he invokes Peter of Celles (Peter Cellensis) who taught that
the Apocrypha was part of the Canon of Scripture. These books which are
full of errors certainly would not qualify as the texts or traditions Paul
would be using when he reasoned from Scripture.
Peter of Celles (and thus Richard
Foster) is even wrong about his idea of detachment. Peter of Celles refers
to “emptying of evil” to describe Christian meditation. But the example he
gives is the demoniac that Christ delivered from evil spirits. Now it is
true that this is one case where I would agree that emptying the mind could
be biblically defended. But there are two major problems with Foster
(quoting Peter of Celles) using this as an example of Christian Meditation.
One, the demoniac was not meditating to empty himself of the demons, it was
Christ initiating it and performing the miracle of deliverance. Two, if
this is Christian meditation, then Christians would be exorcising their own
demons and this would assume that they can be possessed. Show me just one
Scripture in the New Testament where a Christian was ever possessed by a
demon! Christians would have already replaced the demon(s) with Christ to
occupy the house, so that seven other spirits more evil than the first could
NOT return.
Even though Richard Foster seems to
have altered his original view of “emptying the mind in order to fill it...”
from his 1978 edition, he again contradicts himself by promoting Peter of
Celles' idea of “emptying of evil” by the very example he gives regarding
the demoniac. Christians may, in fact, be detached from evil spirits when
we are delivered from darkness into light and become saved, and at that
point become attached to Jesus (though that is a peculiar term to use). But
once we are attached, we are permanently attached to Jesus. We don't
“attach” ourselves to him every time we perform Christian meditation.
Karen Mains
Karen Mains is a member of the Board of Renovare (Richard Foster) and
promotes mysticism and the teachings of occultist Carl Jung. The books of
Jennifer Westwood (whom Karen Mains quotes below) are sold in Insight
Metaphysical Bookstore and her publisher is Gaia (as in earth goddess).
If there
remains any doubt that Karen Mains promotes Carl Jung and inculcates her own
teaching with Carl Jung, here is a quote from rapidnet:
" Her "spiritual director," a
Catholic nun and Jungian psychotherapist, confirms what her evangelical,
inner-healing therapist friend and "unofficial spiritual mentor" told her:
"Your male-self is certainly wooing you." Karen Mains explains, "... this
indeed is my male-self, the animus that I need to complement my female
being, the anima. This psychological concept of the male-within-the-female
and the female-within-the-male was developed by Carl Jung, but it has always
seemed exceptionally scriptural to me." Mrs. Mains notes Jung's perspective
"that for spiritual and psychological health a person must have a harmonious
and friendly relationship with his or her unconscious" and adds, "Through
the insistent initiation of the Holy Spirit, I am being forcefully guided to
make rapprochement with my inner, deepest self." [What incredible
self-delusion! The Holy Spirit's work and Jung's anti-Biblical concepts
couldn't be more contrary to each other. Much of what Jung taught was
derived from his own personal spirit guide, a demon named Philemon. (See
America: The Sorcerer's New Apprentice for Jung's heavily demonized
background.)]
In a later Jungian session with her "spiritual director" at Cenacle, a
Catholic contemplative retreat center, Mrs. Mains tells of a drastic change
in the entity which has been appearing in her mind. In graphic detail, she
describes an "idiot-child sitting at a table with other people ... totally
bald head lolled to one side ... drooling ... six, seven or eight years of
age ... emaciated and malnourished ... sad, huge eyes ... This is my
idiot-child, the idiot-self of my self." Her "spiritual director" has her
close her eyes and "see the child again." She does so and begins to
communicate with the image who surprises them both by revealing that it is
the "Christ child." [!!] (This is right out of the book, The Occult Christ,
by Ted Andrews.) Mrs. Mains ponders the thought that the young man and the
idiot-child are both Jesus Christ who has "been attempting to woo me because
an essential part of my identity in Him has been expelled from my adult
development." We find that this "Christ child," whom she is instructed to
always take with her, is her "spiritual authority" [classic New Age
terminology for "spirit guide"] which she is "afraid of having" and has
"rejected not only [as] a part of myself, but a part of myself that is
Christ."
There are three possibilities concerning Karen Mains and her spirit guide:
(1) What she has written is the promotion of her own agenda through a
vehicle which she self-characterizes: "Mains, you have a wacko creative
imagination"; (2) Her penchant for introspection and symbolism have swept
her into the delusionary world of the experiential and hopelessly
subjective. This is pure Jungian hokum, nothing more; or (3) One and two
have led her down the path to New Age shamanism, where, under the guise of
psychological concepts and symbolism and through the occult practice of
guided imagery, she has been in communication with a spirit guide -- in fact
a demon appearing as an angel of light! From what she writes in this book,
it appears that the third possibility is the reality in the life of Karen
Mains. Indeed, with Jung's "christ" come Jung's demons. (Reported
in/excerpted from the 3/94 The Berean Call and/or Media Spotlight, Vol. 15,
No. 1, pp. 5-7. For another independent review of Lonely No More, see
Michele Witchell's article in the July/August 1994, Contender's Journal:
"The Fruit of a Psychological Gospel.") [Lonely No More was also advertised
as a gift-giving book in Chapel of the Air 's 1994, 50-Day Spiritual
Adventure Journal booklet.]" SOURCE:
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/mains/adventure.htm
Here are
two quotes from Karen Main's own website hungrysouls.org, in case there is
any doubt about her ecumenical eastern meditation, New Age centering, and
mystical leanings:
"Sacred journeys are as old as human cultures. They evolved from the ritual
paths of tribal societies; from the sacred ways of classical Greece, Egypt,
and the East; and from the flowering in the Middle Ages of the great
religious pilgrimages that still flourish."
Sacred
Journeys by Jennifer Westwood
A
Pilgrimage to the Sites of the Spanish Mystics
"Travel to distant places
has a way of opening a path inward, to possibility, to memory, even. After a
while, the physical experience of travel somehow becomes less significant
than the inner transformations we undergo when, by moving through space,
bumping against strangeness and being changed by it, we somehow become more
of who we are meant to be." - Abigail Seymour
One of
Richard Foster's greatest champions is Agnes Sanford, whose book is laced
with Carl Jung theology. All of these teachers are inextricably tied to
depth psychology and the “unconscious” So for you to say that Richard
Foster is opposed to the “subconscious” is factually untenable. I would
also like to add this about Richard Foster and Roman Catholic mystic Thomas
Merton, whom Richard Foster holds in the highest regard, which I have
included in my book on Rick Warren entitled “Who's Driving the Purpose
Driven Church?” (available in November 2004):
Richard Foster opens his 25th Anniversary Edition chapter on meditation with
a quote from Carl Jung, a known occultist whose ideas are also promoted in
Rick Warren’s
Purpose Driven Life
book. Richard Foster still promotes the same false teachers in his current
edition as he does in his 1978 edition. These include Carl Jung disciples
Agnes Sanford and Morton Kelsey (a trained Jung analyst). Richard Foster
also quotes and/or lists as valuable contemplatives such universalists as
George Fox and Thomas Kelly, as well as pantheists such as Julian of
Norwich, John of the Cross, Madame Guyon, and Meister Eckhart. Finally,
Richard Foster promotes Shalem Prayer Institute founder Tilden Edwards who
states: “This mystical stream [contemplative prayer] is the Western bridge
to Far Eastern spirituality.” Rick Warren should not knowingly give five
stars to Richard Foster’s book as a good spiritual resource on his
pastors.com
website. For a more complete study on Richard Foster’s teaching that Rick
Warren promotes, please refer to a documentary I wrote,
“Spiritual Formation, Richard Foster, and Renovare: Renovare Analyzed for
Biblical Soundness and Found Wanting”
(www.cephas-library.com/purposedriven/renovare_errors_in_renovare_analysed_and_discussed_
part_1_of_2.html).
In his
Critical Issues Commentary,
Bob DeWaay has written an
informative article which discusses Richard Foster, entitled “Contemporary
Christian Divination” (July/August 2004) which can be
found at
www.twincityfellowship.com/cic/downloads.php.
For other excellent resources which discuss Richard Foster’s teachings,
visit these web sites:
www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/richardfoster.htm
www.thenowage.org
www.withchrist.org/MJS/renovare.htm
www.seekgod.ca/renovare.htm
www.cephasministry.com/new_age_richard_foster.html
While a growing number of evangelical Christians and Christian
leaders do, in fact, promote and believe that Richard Foster’s teaching
is biblically solid, there is great concern over his examples of astral
travel technique, summoning down a spirit and calling him Jesus,
and praying and meditating with vain repetitions. Richard Foster also
promotes Buddhist sympathizers Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen.
For Thomas Merton:
. . . Foster considers Thomas Merton’s book
Contemplative Prayer
“a must book” . . . and credits his [Merton’s] books as being filled
with “priceless wisdom for all Christians who long to go deeper in
the spiritual life.”
Merton expressed views such as “I see no contradiction between
Buddhism and Christianity. . . . I intend to become as good a Buddhist
as I can.”
—Ray Yungen,
A Time of Departing
(Lighthouse
Trails Publishing, 2002), p. 75
Here is another quote from Thomas Merton, one of Richard Foster most quoted
“masters”:
“I believe that our renewal consists
precisely in deepening this understanding and this grasp of that which is
most real. And I believe that by openness to Buddhism, to Hinduism, and
to these great Asian traditions, we stand a wonderful chance of learning
more about the potentiality of our own traditions, because they have
gone, from the natural point of view, so much deeper into this than we have.
The combination of the natural techniques and graces and the other things
that have been manifested in Asia and the Christian liberty of the gospel
should bring us all at last to the full and transcendental liberty which is
beyond mere cultural differences and mere externals -- and mere this or
that.”
- Thomas Merton, Polonnaruwa.
I
would also like to point out that Richard Foster does teach “mantras.” That
is what prayer centering entails in terms of technique. And why it is
“hidden” is because it professes to provide information only available
through these experiences and techniques and vain repetitions.
Madeleine L'Engle
Regarding your quote of Foster: “no esoteric flights into the cosmic
consciousness”....no cosmic consciousness? Again we have another
contradiction, because Richard Foster quotes and secures the endorsement of
his friend Madeleine L'Engle who states on Page 205 of the same 25th
Anniversary Edition of Celebration of Discipline that you quote: “If
everybody in this country could read—and heed---this book, what a
difference it would make to the planet---nay, to the cosmos”?
So
let's look a little deeper into what Madeleine L'Engle believes and teaches
to see if she is a valuable resource for Christian spirituality...let alone
be a candidate for being a Spiritual Director:
Madeleine L'Engle:
"'The Message' is so good it leaves me breathless. Eugene
Peterson has done for the U.S. and the late 20th century what J.B. Phillips
did for Great Britain and the middle of the century - and even more!"
"She is author-in-residence and assistant librarian at
the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, where she also serves
as lay preacher." (Smith, p. xi)
"L'Engle herself uses twentieth century mystics to help
her in meditation and contemplation." (Smith, P.16)
In her endorsement of
Foster's book, L'Engle writes on page 205: "'Celebration of Discipline' won
me when it was first published ... Indeed, his offerings to us of the joy of
discipline will help us to seek the kingdom of God in a more joyous and less
moralistic way..."
Note: She must have
overlooked Matt.6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God AND HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS...
a. Atonement
"In forensic terms, the atonement means that Jesus had to
die for us in order to atone for all our awful sins, so that God could
forgive us. In forensic terms, it means that God cannot forgive us unless
Jesus is crucified and by this sacrifice atones for all our wrongdoing. But
that is not what the word means...It means exactly what it says, at-one-ment...There
is nothing about crime and punishment in the makeup of that that word. It simply means to be at one with God." (Smith, p.174, quoting L'Engle,
"Stone for a Pillow", p.22-23) [emphasis mine]
b. Bible
"These marvelous mysteries could not be understood in
the language of literalism, or inerrancy, and all such attempts to restrict
the glory are deadly indeed." (Smith, p.162, quoting L'Engle, "The
Mythical Bible", television program, "The Chicago Sunday Evening Club," Oct.
1991) [emphasis mine]
"The Bible is not a moral book.
It is not an
ethical book. It is a magnificent story book. It doesn't give any answers,
it just tells more stories." Smith, p. 161, quoting L'Engle, interview in
"The Door", December 1986, p.25) [emphasis mine]
c. God
"If we accept that God is within each of us, then God
will give us ... the courage to accept the responsibility of being
co-creators." (Smith, p.42, quoting L'Engle,
'And It Was Good', p.19) [emphasis mine]
"From her feminist perch, she takes aim at the male
gender of God, calling Him 'the paternalistic male chauvinist pig Old
Testament God'." (Smith, p. ix, quoting
L'Engle, 'The Irrational Season', p.159) [emphasis mine]
d. Judgment
"The judgment of God is the judgment of love, not of
power plays or vindication or hate." (Smith, p.176, quoting L'Engle, "Stone
for a Pillow," p.117)
e. Salvation
"I know a number of highly sensitive and intelligent
people in my own community Who consider as a heresy my faith that...(God)
will not rest until all of creation, including Satan, is reconciled to him,
until there is no creature who cannot return his look of love with a joyful
response of love." (Smith, p.175-6, quoting
L'Engle, 'The Irrational Season, p. 97) [emphasis mine]
f. Second Coming
"The Second Coming is the redemption of the entire
cosmos, not just one small planet ... All will be redeemed in God's fullness
of time, all, not just the small portion of the population who have been
given the grace to know and accept Christ." (Smith, p.176, quoting L'Engle,
"Stone for a Pillow," p.117)
g. Sin, morality
"In spite of what she says to the contrary, Madeleine
L'Engle's writings do contain, promote, and teach a whole gamut of New Age
topics, philosophies, and techniques, including, but limited to: magic,
divination, spirit guides, crystal balls, mediums, fortune telling, spells,
monism, pantheism, nature worship, Zen meditation, lesbianism, graphic
fornication, cosmic consciousness, druids, human sacrifice, demons, dragons,
runes,...astral travel and on and on. These are all elements of the occult,
which she has put in a box and marked 'for Children'." (Smith, p.40)
"Moralism belongs to the old
law and old covenant. Jesus Christ ... overturned the laws of moralism."
(Smith, p.169, quoting L'Engle, "The Irrational Season", p. 102)
Source: http://watch.pair.com/message2.html
So
what does Madeleine L'Engle think of the Da Vinci Code book which
tries to refute the truth of Christ and Biblical teaching?
“I just read “The Da Vinci Code," which had some
fascinating things in it. I liked that whole central section about
Christianity when it postulates that Jesus was a very strong character and
that he and Mary Magdalene were lovers and had a child.” [emphasis mine]
“The Da Vinci Code” is fun.”[emphasis mine]
In response to the
following questions in an interview:
Did you see there are
several books coming out refuting “The Da Vinci Code”?
“That’s silly. It takes too much energy to be against
something unless it’s really important... .”
What are you against?
“Narrow-mindedness.
I’m against people taking the Bible absolutely literally, rather than
letting some of it be real fantasy, like Jonah.
You know, the whole story of David is a novel … Faith is
best expressed in story.” [emphasis mine]
“Well, the Fundalets [fundamentalist Christians] want a closed system, and I
want an open system.” [emphasis mine]
Now
just in case you might be thinking that Richard Foster is simply quoting
Madeleine L'Engle's endorsement of his book, but that he does not endorse
her as a teacher, I invite you to read where Renovare quotes L’Engle very
positively [Renovare’s Perspective magazine, April 1997 - Vol. 7, No. 2 -
page 4] Source:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~emcd/index31.htm
http://www.renovare.org/readings_perspective_07_2_pg_4.htm
(primary source)
This
is just the beginning of the abominable and heretical statements she makes
about and in her book Wrinkle in Time. The Church of Saint John the
Divine is an appropriate place for her. But she has no place in Evangelical
Christianity who doesn't even view the Bible as history but simply stories.
Madeleine L'Engle wants an “open system”.... she is one more false teacher
that Richard Foster promotes!
***************
Richard Foster claims the “masters” in the Traditions of Christianity
practiced Foster's version of contemplative prayer methods. But certainly
none of the Apostles did, nor did they advocate that we do. Certainly Jesus
even forbade vain repetitions. And to say that Christians in the last
hundreds of years have missed out is an insult to every Christian who simply
obtained everything God had for them by the normal cognitive process of
reading and obeying Scripture, and praying. Scripture is sufficient; there
is not some mystical technique we have to learn from masters whose teachings
were laced with false teaching. Secondly, Foster promotes a host of
teachers that, in fact, DO teach what Foster says Christian meditation is
not. Finally, if Christian mediation is exactly how Richard Foster defines
it in his latest definition, which is: “Christian meditation, very simply,
is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word...” well I can do that
by simply reading and obey God's word....and so could every Christian in the
last several hundred years without Richard Foster and without any of the
“masters” he promotes who are mostly dead; he says we need their help to
facilitate disciplines (page xiii in the Introduction of Celebration of
Discipline). Why isn't Richard Foster obeying God's word which forbids
promoting false teachers?
ON IMAGINATION
Defender of Richard Foster's Comment:
In
regards to the place imagination plays in meditation, you'll have to forgive
me for once again disagreeing with your stance. If you look up the Hebrew
word that is predominantly used for meditate in the Old Testament (hagah)
you will find (ironically enough, perhaps) that one of its primary
translations is "to imagine". And in reference to a verse that you quote
quite frequently to combat Mr. Foster's use of imagination (2 Corinthians
10:5), it is also helpful to go back to the original wording. The word
translated "imagination" in the King James Version in that verse is the word
logismos in Greek. When you look at the meaning of that word, it actually
means computation, reasoning, or thought. It is the word from which we
derive our English word for logic. It's pretty clear by an examination of
the exact word that God inspired in that verse that the verse doesn't really
fit your usage of it.
James' Response
I am
not opposed to imagination; it is one of God's gifts to mankind. Once
again, it is quite ironic that if “imagination” in Greek means computation,
reasoning, or thought, that Richard Foster would publish a definition of
Christian Meditation in his 1978 Edition of Celebration of Discipline that tells us to empty our mind in order to fill it. It is further ironic
that he would quote Jean-Pierre de Caussade (25th Anniversary
Edition) in developing his idea of Christian Meditation who tells also tells
us to empty our mind and enter into nothingness. But imagination has
God-ordained boundaries and makes vain strongholds of imagination off
limits, when exercised as divination (an abomination to the Lord). So let's
see if Richard Foster crosses those boundaries, rendering him a false
teacher in going beyond what is written.
ASTRAL TRAVEL
So,
can't we call Jesus down from Heaven and even go visit him in Heaven?
The
Bible teaches that Jesus Christ must remain in Heaven UNTIL the restoration
of all things. Here is the proof in Christ's own words:
“A
little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye
shall see me, because I go to the Father. Then said [some] of his disciples
among themselves,” John 16:16
In
other words, Jesus' Disciples would not see him while he was in the grave,
and then a little while between His Resurrection and His Ascension (40
Days). Then when Jesus ascended, they would not see him. That seems
crystal clear to me.
“For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great
signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive
the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall
say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in
the secret chambers; believe [it] not. For as the lightning cometh out of
the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.” Matthew 24:23-27 KJV
&
The
Apostle Peter:
“He (Jesus Christ) must remain in heaven until the time comes for God
to restore everything, as he promised long ago
through his holy prophets.” Acts 3:21 NIV (emphasis, underline and
parenthesis added)
So
the only way Jesus Christ can no longer be in heaven, but on the earth, is
when he has restored everything. So my question for Richard Foster is “has
Jesus Christ restored everything yet?” Of course, not. So, he can't have
returned yet! That can't happen until his glorious return when he sets up
his Father's Millenial Kingdom.
Paul
warned the very first Christians about false teachers saying the Jesus
Christ has ALREADY come. This could refer to either gnosticism in which
Jesus Christ did not bodily resurrect or ascend into Heaven but only
spiritually. But it would also apply to his returning only
spiritually...that he would never return physically. But the truth is that
EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM WHEN HE RETURNS...the whole earth being engulfed in
white light...even the dark side of the earth will be lit up like day time
in that day. (See Zechariah 14:6)
It
could not be made more abundantly clear that Christ cannot return to the
earth, unless HE initiates it as he did with the Apostle Paul, and will not
return until the last day. The Apostle Peter confirms this when he says:
“And though you have NOT seen Him, you love Him, and though you do NOT see
Him now,” I Peter 1:8.
Jesus Christ himself tells us:
“In my Father's house are many
mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be
also. “John 14:2-3
So
until that place is prepared AND PRESENTED to the Bride of Christ or the
Church (The New Jerusalem, see Revelation Chapter 20), Jesus makes it
perfectly clear that he can be there in that place, BUT WE CAN'T, yet!
Right?
But according to Richard Foster:
“As you enter the story, not as a passive observer but as
an active participant, remember that since Jesus lives in the Eternal Now
and is not bound by time, this even in the past is a living present tense
experience for Him. Hence, you can actually encounter the living Christ
in the event, be addressed by His voice and be touched by His healing
power. It can be more than an exercise of the imagination; it can be a
genuine confrontation. Jesus Christ will actually come to you.” Source: Richard Foster: “Celebration of Discipline”, 1978, Page 26.
[emphasis mine]
Now
defenders of Richard Foster say that Foster was not really calling Christ
down to the earth, but only in his (our) imagination. But if Christ is not
bound by time or space, then Christ would not be restricted from showing up
literally. So when we call Christ down, does Jesus then decide whether or
not it will simply be in our imagination, or literally? Well Jesus did
decide. IT WILL NOT BE LITERALLY....UNTIL THE PLACE HE GOES TO PREPARE FOR
US IS BROUGHT TO US WHEN HE RETURNS!!!! BUT THAT WILL NOT BE UNTIL THE END
OF THIS PRESENT AGE!
Richard Foster has removed this passage from his current 25th
Anniversary Ed
