Listening Prayer

This was a helpful discussion on a topic that hits close to home. At the heart of the issue is the sincere desire of the Christian to have a closer relationship with God. Most spiritual people, of all faiths, have that same desire. So we have various faiths using some of the same methods to access God. Listening prayer borrows some techniques that I feel are dangerous. Of course, listening, or contemplative prayer, arises out of the Catholic tradition and dates back to the desert fathers of which the whole contemplative movement draws much of its inspiration. Out of this same tradition come such devices as labyrinths.
The specific device I am talking about, and about which there was no mention in your podcast, is the mantra that is taught to listening prayer students. This is no different than a mantra for transcendental meditation, other than that a ‘Christian’ word or phrase is used. What the seeker is after is an altered state of consciousness and with practice it is easily achieved. There are sound tracks available that with the unique rhythms and frequencies will also produce this ‘alpha’ state. It is in this state that god speaks to the listener. The danger is obvious. Who is doing the speaking? Satan can come as an angel of light and the listener can be convinced they have heard from God. It is a “whoosh” and it gives peace because now the direction is clear.
Witches, pagans, and Masons use the labyrinth to gain inner light, and it works. Now Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, and Islamic Sufism all use mantras and it works.
One other thing I have noticed is that those involved (successfully) in listening payer develop a sense of superiority or spiritual pride. This is understandable as they hear directly from God, whereas the rest of us take our guidance from a book (scripture), that they will always state is ‘open to interpretation’. Once you hear directly from God on a regular basis, you no longer need to immerse yourself in God’s word. This makes a comtempletive very susceptible to false teaching, something else we have observed first hand.
Maybe at some future time you could address these issues. I find most Christians woefully ignorant about such things and yet our churches are being invaded by contemplative teachings. I thank God that Northview is standing firm on the Word of God and is resisting the watered down, experiential kind of Liberal teaching that is submitting to humanism, political correctness, and mysticism.