Spirit Of Prophecy 1844

In 2007, Lighthouse Trails posted an article titled:

ANN Feature: Church, Congregations Increase Focus on "Spiritual Formation";  this is the text as follows from the ANN paper.

"Spiritual formation is a topic being raised by many pastors and church leaders in a growing number of Christian denominations. It’s no longer enough to just know doctrine and facts—in today’s hectic society people are searching for something deeper and more meaningful, something that makes sense in their whirlwind lives.

For the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a “wake-up call” was sounded after a 2002 survey showed that though doctrinal understanding was high, there were several “areas of concern,” including low involvement in daily prayer and Bible study, active Christian witness to the community, and participation in community service (see ANN October 9, 2002).

These concerns can be linked to how the church rates in the area of spiritual formation, which has been defined by one Adventist Church pastor as “the process of becoming a mature Christian disciple of God.” Another person describes it as “whatever you do to specifically nourish your relationship with God.”

Today this subject is receiving serious emphasis in Adventist institutions, as well as in local congregations. Though the church doesn’t have an accredited educational program dealing with spiritual formation at any of its theological schools, it’s seeing this subject become more common in today’s modern, seeking world.

Spiritual formation is not a new idea or concept, and “a lot of Protestants are in the same boat—we are rediscovering it,” says Dr. Jon Dybdahl, president of Walla Walla College, an Adventist institution in Washington State. And, he adds, the Adventist Church has some work to do.

“Traditionally the Adventist Church has emphasized intellectual truth and accepting certain facts and ideas about God,” Dybdahl says. “At least in many places it has not talked so much about the importance of directly experiencing God. The difference is between knowing about God and knowing God. Sometimes what we teach people is knowing about God ... That’s part of the nature of things. It’s much easier to communicate a fact than it is to wield people to experience.”

Pastor Martin Feldbush, associate director for Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries whose work brings him in contact with leaders of several other denominations, says that the Adventist Church is not alone in its quest for deeper spiritual formation among members. “A lot of churches out there are struggling with the same issues as we are. We’re not in isolation as though there’s something wrong with us. I think churches particularly that are conservative in their orientation and take their mission very seriously, and I believe we should do all of that, may have a tendency to stress the ‘doing’ as opposed to the ‘being’ and the formation.”

But why is there a need for spiritual formation? If people are part of a religious organization, shouldn’t they already be at a certain level of spiritual formation?

John Jenson, pastor of the 150-member South Bay Adventist Church in Torrance, California, says, “There’s a need for spiritual formation with the [Adventist] Church because we have been so doctrinally oriented that people might be able to quote some or all of the 27 fundamental beliefs [of the church], and may have neglected having daily devotions that day or week or month.” He explains that there’s an overload of knowledge and information, but how to translate that into meaningful instruction and “marching orders” for daily living is key.

Jenson says that without spiritual formation, a person would be “spiritually uncivilized.” It “is the process by which they can go from being a spiritual infant to spiritual maturity ... developing the potential that God’s put within you.”

Dybdahl adds that people need to “Begin to recognize that knowledge without life experience can be dead. [They need to] recognize how crucial it is to people’s lives [and] how much the younger generation values experience.”

Dr. Jane Thayer, assistant professor of Religious Education and coordinator of the Religious Education Program at Andrews University, adds, “We have a big blank when it comes to taking care of people once they have accepted the Lord ... I think what people need to know is ‘how do you live the life.’ Spiritual formation or discipleship needs to show how you live like Christ.”

Nikolaus Satelmajer, from the church’s Ministerial Association responsible for continuing education for Adventist clergy, believes there’s now a shift from emphasis on doctrine to more emphasis on spiritual formation within the Adventist Church. He also says that, “We’re finding a serious lack of knowledge of our people [church founders], our doctrines ... I think we have de-emphasized them.” Satelmajer says this is true particularly with the younger generation, and the cause of any spiritual formation growth stunt is not because of a focus on doctrine.

Though it’s not a concept that’s easy to grasp for an organization as a whole, spiritual formation is something each individual member can work on, Feldbush says. “When you think about it as an individual, we’re so used to gearing our spiritual experience on the ‘wow’ moments—the ones [in which] we can see the great things happening, whether it’s personally or organizationally. It’s easy to see God’s movement in those times. Real spiritual formation is a process of growing more and more in tune to discernment of God’s voice as well as more and more tuned to discernment of God’s moving in my life, in the ordinary of life, as well as even in the difficult times of life. That’s where real spiritual formation, or at least the value of spiritual formation, is seen.”

Spiritual formation is not about what one does, but what the motivations behind one’s actions are. Dr. Roger Dudley, professor emeritus of Christian Ministry and director of the Institute of Church Ministry at Andrews University Theological Seminary, and the 2002 survey coordinator, says there are stages of moral development. “A person who studies the Bible every day because he’ll be lost if he doesn’t has a low level of moral development; or a person who pays tithes and offerings because he expects an extra blessing. Higher levels would be a different level of motivation.”

“That overemphasis on doing to the detriment of being and particularly the detriment of being in the spirit and being in Christ as the very formational and foundational experience of the individual member and the church itself, I think that’s one of the big challenges,” says Feldbush. He adds that the three strategic values of the church—unity, growth and quality of life—adopted in 2002, demonstrate personal spiritual growth.

Spiritual formation takes on several forms: “There are disciplines of devotion, meditation, prayer, listening and so on,” Feldbush explains. “It’s a discipline which can be heeded through the assistance of a person who is trained in helping people grow in these ways.” But, he says, it’s mostly “growing more and more tuned to God’s movement in my life here and now.” And, he says, spiritual formation is not something that happens overnight.

“We [as a church] think that spiritual formation comes through socialization. But we need to be intentional about it,” says Thayer. “The culture we live in is so pervasive that the models there are more persistent and prevalent than the little models we have just in terms of the time we’ve spent.” Thayer refers to a need for showing others how to live like Christ in the real world.

Dudley adds that if more members are encouraged to study and pray more and are able and willing to share their faith, there may be spiritual development for the church as a whole. “Spiritual development is something that happens with individuals.”

Satelmajer adds, “And within congregations as well. Spiritual formation is the implementation of spiritual principles in my life and in my actions,” he says. “I think we’re missing something. It’s not just learning how to ‘meditate’—spiritual formation is learning how to implement spiritual things that I know or am learning or experiencing into my life and then into my everyday life…”

The Adventist world church created the International Board of Ministerial and Theological Education (IBMTE) in September 2001, designed to provide overall guidance and standards to the professional training of pastors, evangelists, theologians, teachers, chaplains and other denominational employees involved in ministerial and religious formation, or spiritual formation, in each of the church’s 13 regions around the world. 

The article, released by Adventist News Network, showed how the emphasis of contemplative/spiritual formation was moving into the Seventh-day Adventist organization. The article stated that "this subject [spiritual formation] is receiving serious emphasis in Adventist institutions, as well as in local congregations."

 

The following Lighthouse Trails research reveals that  Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan is promoting contemplative spirituality (I.e., spiritual formation)  through a new concentration in their Doctor of Ministry degree program. An October 2009 Andrews newsletter, put out by Kenley  D. Hall (Andrews DMin Project Coach) explains that  "Discipleship & Spiritual Formation" and  "Youth and Young Adult Ministry" will begin in February 2010 (see brochure).

According to the syllabus of one of the courses in the Andrews spiritual formation program, contemplative mystic proponents will be used to teach students this coming February. In CHMN 705 Theological and Historical Perspectives on Spiritual Growth, professor Jon Dybdahl is using a number of contemplative authors to "Demonstrate a continuing maturity in Christian formation, personal growth and ministry." This maturity in Christian formation is typical language by contemplatives, who teach that true maturity can only come through spending time in contemplative silence. Richard Foster has been a pioneer in laying out this "maturity" doctrine. So it is not surprising that Dybdahl is turning to Foster for guidance. Other contemplatives being used in the class are: J.P. Moreland (Kingdom Triangle) and Peter Scazzero. A "short spiritual retreat" will also take place during the course.  Scazzero's book, Emotionally Healthy Spiritually (the book being used at Andrews), is a who's who of contemplative mystics and panentheists; some of those he points readers to are Basil Pennington, Tilden Edwards, Henri Nouwen, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, and several others.

In J.P. Moreland's book, Kingdom Triangle (also used in Dybdahl's class at Andrews), Moreland talks about a maturing process that takes place through "spiritual formation." Moreland tells readers that a "treasure of deep, rich knowledge of the soul" can be found in the writings of the Desert Fathers, Henri Nouwen, and Richard Foster, (p. 153). Of course, all three of these sources ultimately point followers to eastern-style meditation (I.e., mantra-style). A four-part series Moreland did for Focus on the Family (click here to read further) substantiates that Moreland is embracing contemplative spirituality where he suggests that "Catholic retreat centers are usually ideal for solitude retreats."

Jon Dybdahl's contemplative propensities are strongly presented in his 2008 book, Hunger: Satisfying the Longing of Your Soul. In Hunger, Dybdahl favorably instructs on contemplative practices such as lectio divina, visualization (p. 64), the Jesus Prayer, and breath prayers (p. 52). Dybdahl explains in his book that in his "not-so-secret quest for God," he turned to Quaker Thomas Kelly's book A Testament of Devotion. It is Kelly, a panentheist, who said that within every human being is a "Divine Center," a "secret sanctuary" (from A Testament of Devotion).  This "secret sanctuary" Kelly is speaking of is what he calls "abiding Light behind all changing [life] forms." He says: "In that Current we must bathe. In that abiding yet energizing Center we are all made one" (p. 38)." Dybdahl says in Hunger that Henri Nouwen "intensified" his "craving" for "God's presence." (p.12) But the presence that Nouwen is speaking of is the same as that of mystics, and it is this mysticism that led Nouwen to reject Jesus Christ as the only path to God at the end of his life (Sabbatical Journey). Dybdahl's book is brimming with references to contemplative mystics: David Benner, Morton Kelsey, Adele Alberg Calhoun, Tilden Edwards, Richard Foster, Ken Boa, and Brother Lawrence. (also see this critique on Hunger)

Another person who will be teaching at Andrews DMin in spiritual formation is Ben Maxson, pastor at Paradise Seventh-day Adventist church in Paradise, California and adjunct professor at Andrews University. Maxson will be teaching Mentoring for Discipleship & Spiritual Formation. In an article by Maxson titled "Renewing our Minds," he says that the "spiritual disciplines" (the tools of spiritual formation) help one develop "intimacy with God," and he encouraged practicing "the presence of God."

One of the other spiritual formation courses in Andrews Theological Seminary's DMin program on spiritual formation, taught by Allan Walshe, is The Personal Practice of Spiritual Formation. While the course's syllabus is not currently posted online, we can partly identify Walshe's contemplative propensities elsewhere. In an article featuring Walshe at a New Zealand conference, Walshe quotes contemplative pioneer Dallas Willard in referring to "intimacy with God." This intimacy with God to the contemplative can only be obtained through going into the silence through meditation.

The DMin program on spiritual formation isn't the only avenue through which contemplative is being implemented at Andrews. The youth ministry degree program is also involved with contemplative spirituality and emerging spirituality. In CHMN 720 Current Issues in Youth and Young Adult Ministry, professors Steve Case and Allan Walshe are using emerging church figure Shane Claiborne as well as emergent Youth Specialties author Chap Clark's book, Deep Justice in a Broken World. The book is about the emerging kingdom on earth theology and turns to such figures as liberal/emerging theologians Jim Wallis and Tony Campolo.

Thus, as is usually the case, when a college or seminary begins to incorporate contemplative prayer, eventually they begin to open up to emerging church ideas - it is virtually inevitable. And this is the vehicle that drives our concerns. Those who practice contemplative prayer will move more and more toward an interspiritual outlook. Contemplative prayer (i.e., mysticism) is not just some obscure subculture - it is exploding across the Western religious spectrum."

"Many will stand in our pulpits with; the torch of false prophecy in their hands, kindled from the; the hellish torch of Satan !"

Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers Page 410

We are very sad for those who remain blind to the deception being waged upon them by the False Shepherds, but for those who "see" , we can "rejoice for our redemption is nigh" !

 

 Love in Jesus,

Rich & Joyce

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