(517) EMERGING TRENDS IN THE CHURCH TODAY: Ron Walborn – Christian & Missionary Alliance Theological Seminary – Part 1

I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed

 The New King James Version (Jud 3–4). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

I have been struggling on what I think God wants me to do about a recent visit to my chudrch by Ron Walborn. Walborn is the Dean of Alliance Theological Seminary (ATS) in Nyack NY. He comes with a number of positive comments by leaders – even within my church. As I make these comments, I don’t want to come across overly critical or judgmental on issues that are not essential or hypocritical for me to bring up. Rather, my goal is to let Scripture expose the truth and make people more aware of these issues that are in the church today. Seminary is no exception. If anything, within the Christian & Missionary Alliance (CMA) denomination, there has been a top down infestation of mysticism that shows a greater similarity to ancient Roman Catholicism, Eastern Mysticism, and the New Age (yes – believe it or not).

What is challenging to me is reading Jude 3-4 where we are told to “CONTEND EARNESTLY for the faith….for certain men have crept in unnoticed.” The word “contend” means to strive and fight for the faith.

• 1864. ἐπαγωνίζομαι epagōnízomai; fut epagōnísomai, from epí (1909), for, and agōnízomai (75), to strive, contend earnestly. To fight for or in reference to something, with the dat. of that which gives the occasion (Jude 1:3).

Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

This is such an important topic, God even moved it ahead of the other priority in this passage dealing with “our common salvation” in verse 3.

Jude goes on to say that men have crept into the church unnoticed with false doctrines not supported by the Bible. This verse is becoming a more important verse it seems like each and every day in the church today.

Ron Walborn is the Dean of this institution and his wife, Wanda (the Director of Spiritual Formation at Nyack College) teaches at Alliance University (Nyack College). His education background includes earning a D.Min from Fuller Theological Seminary as well as M.Div from Alliance Theological Seminary. Ron also taught at ATS and serves on the Board of Directors of the CMA and has served on the Theological Issues Committee for the denomination.

Ron has pastored several churches. He planted Risen King Community Church with Dr. Terry Wardle in Redding CA in 1989 where he lived there for 10 years and also taught at Simpson University.

On one hand, it is difficult critiquing someone with this amount education and pastoral experience. I trust that he has earned a number of rewards in heaven for his dedication to service and I don’t doubt his faith in God. These are things we all can learn from and be encouraged by.

But, there are number of questionable items that he is involved with over the years that actually is concerning and could be unknowingly taken up by others (e.g. seminary students at ATS) which would have a ripple effect of influencing future pastors in the CMA as well as others who meets him, takes a class or attends a speech by those influenced by Ron’s theology. With his background in theology, Ron Walborn should know better – that is what is a bit frustrating in writing this up.

(1) REDDING CA – INTERACTIONS WITH BILL JOHNSON

Several years ago, Ron gave an interview [http://www.unseminary.com/ronwalborn/] in which he talks about his days back in Redding CA in which he pastored a CMA church – Risen King Community Church. He used to fish with Bill Johnson who pastored Bethel Church in Redding. He is a well known pastor affiliated with what is called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).

A brief summary of who the NAR are is found in this article by Got Questions – https://www.gotquestions.org/New-Apostolic-Reformation.html. –

• The New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, is an unbiblical religious movement that emphasizes experience over Scripture, mysticism over doctrine, and modern-day “apostles” over the plain text of the Bible. Of particular distinction in the New Apostolic Reformation are the role and power of spiritual leaders and miracle-workers, the reception of “new” revelations from God, an over-emphasis on spiritual warfare, and a pursuit of cultural and political control in society. The seeking of signs and wonders in the NAR is always accompanied by blatantly false doctrine.

Without going into much detail here, the concerns about the NAR churches range from their widespread acceptance of new revelations to the use of the office of apostles and prophets having authority not necessarily derived from Scripture. They also include the use of mysticism and they are also known by their affiliates to conduct ‘wild’ performances at their churches ranging from questionable song lyrics to somewhat lewd holiday performances. Groups that are either associated with this movement or work closely with the movement include “Jesus Culture”, “Hillsong” and “Elevation Church”.

Without casting a conclusion here about these groups, I think it is important to note that Ron Walborn states that even though he may not agree with Bill Johnson at times, he recommends listening to Bill – “he feeds my soul, he feeds my spirit. And so when I walk, and when I exercise I listen to Bethel”. The next question that arises is how much is Ron’s theology and practice influenced by Bill Johnson, the NAR,…etc.? And how much is passed in through ATS?

(2) ALLIANCE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY (ATS).

Ron states that the seminary has a heavy emphasis on spiritual formation. Students at ATS must “do spiritual formation”. He also states that there is “constant mentoring from spiritual directors”.

Spiritual formation and spiritual directors – may be phrases that you are not familiar with. That is because within the Evangelical Church, they are a newer aspect of church practices that have grown in popularity over the last 5 to 30 years. So, if you have never heard of these phrases – it is because you were raised in churches that more than likely followed the biblical mandate of discipleship without pulling in these practices. The important point is this – these practices are used today carrying with them a boat load definitions from different groups. But, their original meanings go back to ancient traditions within Roman Catholicism and Eastern Mysticism. Today in addition to its growing usage in the church, many aspects of the New Age (Eastern Mysticism) use aspects of these practices.

The problem that jumps out is this – if these practices aren’t derived from the Bible, why are we using them in church or in our daily personal walk? Keep in mind, there are some who are using these practices today that will defend them as being biblical. There are other Christians today that will admit that they are being borrowed from Eastern religions but because they seem to be similar to biblical practices, they combine them in with long held church practices.

The ATS website states the following (emphasis mine):

For more than half a century, Alliance Theological Seminary has been committed to preparing the next generation of servant-leaders for mission and ministry. This focus requires us to know the past and our traditions well. Future-focused education also requires many traditional disciplines to be taught within the context of ministry in the 21st century. While we have an eternal, timeless message, our methods of presenting and proclaiming that message must adjust accordingly.

To prepare leaders for ministry in today’s world, ATS is focused on three key areas of formation. Each of these formational areas are featured prominently throughout our curriculum:

1. Spiritual Formation – ATS provides a curriculum that fosters life-changing spiritual formation. With more than 60 denominations represented, leaders are profoundly enriched in this uniquely diverse faith community.
2. Biblical and Theological Formation –It is important now more than ever to raise up leaders with solid biblical and theological understanding who are personally transformed. Integrating this knowledge with spiritual formation will allow our students to know God deeply through the Holy Scriptures.
3. Missional Formation – As a multicultural, evangelical seminary, ATS is committed to developing in men and women a personal knowledge of God and his work in the world in order to equip them for the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the expansion of His Church.

alliance.edu

The “heavy emphasis” is seen right up front with Spiritual Formation listed above Biblical and Theological Formation. For the sake of completeness, let’s define these terms – again, keep in mind there are variations to these meanings depending on the source –

• Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case, you will find contemplative spirituality and its “pioneers” such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Henri Nouwen. Spiritual Formation is based on “spiritual disciplines” that can be practiced by people of any faith to make them more “Christ-like.” Rebirth through Jesus Christ and regeneration through the Holy Spirit are not essential. Rather it is a works-based “theology” that has strong roots in Roman Catholicism and ancient paganism.

• Contemplative Spirituality: A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are “spiritual formation,” “the silence,” “the stillness,” “ancient-wisdom,” “spiritual disciplines,” and many others.

No matter how these phrases get defined, in many cases, the biblical derivation is weak or non-existent. Passages are used to defend the use of these phrases but things like context or references to other scripture passages show their definitions falling short of being biblical. There are several posts on this blog site which discuss these issues in further detail. So, if they are not biblical, what are they? They end up showing more similarities to Eastern Mysticism and ancient Roman Catholic mystical traditions. Is that what you want to learn as a “Christian” practice at seminary?

(3) SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES – CENTERING PRAYER (CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER)

Ron did a podcast series at the Delta Lake Conference. In 2005-2007, he introduced the spiritual discipline of “centering prayer” to unsuspecting campers at Delta Lake Camp.  Ron is still strongly advocating the use of the book of former Roman Catholic priest, and contemplative Henri Nouwen.

A feature article on the Roman Catholic apologetics website, Catholic Answers, warns: “Many people assume centering prayer is compatible with Catholic tradition, but in fact the techniques of centering prayer are neither Christian nor prayer. They are at the level of human faculties and as such are an operation of man, not of God. The deception and dangers can be grave.

Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age) states –

• “The late Thomas Keating was one of the 3 co-founders of the modern Centering Prayer Movement, often called Contemplative prayer (even by Keating). This movement has now infiltrated the church, through its “missionaries” such as Richard Foster and Dallas Willard, to such a degree that it is difficult to find a church, evangelical organization, or seminary without it.”

• Contemplative Prayer, also called Centering Prayer or Listening Prayer, has been taught by Roman Catholic monks Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, and Basil Pennington, as well as by Quaker Richard Foster, and is being advocated by many others. There is no one authority on this method, nor is there necessarily a consistent teaching on it, though most of the founding teachers quote medieval mystics, Hindu, and Buddhist spiritual teachers.

• According to http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org, “Centering Prayer is drawn from ancient prayer practices of the Christian contemplative heritage, notably the Fathers and Mothers of the Desert, Lectio Divina, (praying the scriptures), The Cloud of Unknowing, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. It was distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970’s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at the Trappist Abbey, St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts.” It should be added, “During the twenty years (1961-1981) when Keating was abbot, St. Joseph’s held dialogues with Buddhist and Hindu representatives, and a Zen master gave a week-long retreat to the monks. A former Trappist monk who had become a Transcendental Meditation teacher also gave a session to the monks.” ⁵

• The influence of Buddhism and Hinduism on Contemplative Prayer is apparent. Words such as “detachment,” “transformation,” “emptiness,” “enlightenment” and “awakening” swim in and out of the waters of these books. The use of such terms certainly mandates a closer inspection of what is being taught, despite the fact that contemplative prayer is presented as Christian practice.

• Themes that one finds echoed in the CP movement include the notions that true prayer is: silent, beyond words, beyond thought, does away with the “false self,” triggers transformation of consciousness, and is an awakening. Suggested techniques often include breathing exercises, visualization, repetition of a word or phrase, and detachment from thinking.

• Solitude, if it just means being alone, and silence if it just means being quiet, are normal. However, the Bible does not teach silence or solitude as a discipline. As disciplines, they mean something else than normal solitude or silence. Being part of a “time-honored tradition” in the church “for centuries” does not make such practices legitimate or biblical. 

• For at least 20 years, I have watched people in the church justify these unbliblical practices by saying they are “ancient,” are part of “Christian tradition,” or have been done “for centuries.” None of that equates to being biblical.  

(4) ATS – CONTEMPLATIVE PROEFESSORS

Several professors at ATS have taught using resources from a wide range of views including people who are openly defiant of the Christian message found in the Bible. Several of these people have their own dedicated to them and their issues posting on this blog. The support issues such as postmodernism, contemplative prayer, spiritual formation, mysticism, ……etc. These professors include Rob Reimer, James Danaher,….etc. Again, there are some articles on this site giving more information on these professors.

To give one example of what these professors include in their teaching to their class at seminary – an author such as Richard Rohr – who many consider to be a heretic. There are several articles on Richard Rohr here – https://irondukeblog.wordpress.com/?s=Richard+rohr. I have to ask – as a Dean of ATS, how can Ron Walborn permit these professors to teach from perspectives such as these? If I were in charge – and thankfully I am not, this alone would be a consideration in terminating a person in this position.

Many more items can be said and most likely will be addressed in Part 2.