The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Matrisciana on the Emergent Church: Contemplative Spirituality

Caryl Matrisciana


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Why does the Emergent Church use so much mystical paraphernalia in their worship?

Dr. Reagan and I on our ministry’s television show Christ in Prophecy had the pleasure of asking this question of our special guest Caryl Matrisciana. Caryl is a best selling author and filmmaker and is a recognized expert on Eastern religions, contemporary cults, paganism and the occult. She has been involved in the production of more than 60 documentaries over the past 30 years. Her biographical testimony Out of India explains how she grew up under Hinduism in India and lived it in England and the U.S. as a New Ager before accepted Christ as Savior. She joined us to warn us about the Eastern religious influences inherent in the Emergent Church.

Contemplative Spirituality

Dr. Reagan: One of the words that I hear over and over from the Emergent Church leaders is the word “contemplative.” They’re really heavy on that.

Let me read you a quote here from one of their leaders. “The fact is that contemplative spirituality will play a huge part in the church of the future, and I want to assure you that candles are just the beginning.”

Caryl Matrisciana: Why? Because we are changing the names. If they said, “Eastern Mysticism is going to play a huge part in the new church,” we wouldn’t buy it. But, when you say “contemplate,” that sounds better. They replace contemplate with meditate, but in Eastern Mysticism the contemplation and meditation is in the snake within you which is the idea that you can become one with everything.

That contemplative idea was by the way once deeply rooted in the desert fathers, and is part of the Roman Catholic mystical idea of connecting to God through silence, which is opposed to the Bible. We don’t connect to God through silence, but that is part of the Catholic’s centering prayer. It’s contemplative spirituality where you go into a silence and you practice the presence.

All of these contemplative practices are for creating emotional feelings. They are based on subjectivity which is based on relative truth. You’re experience is as good as my experience.

What they don’t understand is that Satan is called an” angel of light” and the “demon of darkness,” that “dragon” who is out to deceive the whole world. His job is deception, and he is going to come in as an angel of light. In fact, that same scripture in 2 Corinthians 11 says, “No wonder his ministers appear as ministers of righteousness.”

Dr. Reagan: Yes, subjectivity always leads to an openness to deception. It is like people who tell me, “God told me this, or God told me that.” They will tell me something that is totally off the wall as if they think that every thought that comes out of our fallen minds comes from God. Even if they had a thought from God, it might be completely convoluted by the time it goes through our fallen minds. We need to test everything by the word of God.

Caryl Matrisciana: We have to. It’s like taking a sailor out into the middle of the ocean and sending him wherever the boat and the currents will take him. A sailor has to have a compass. He has to have a direction. Even at night if he doesn’t have a compass or a direction he’s got the stars to navigate by. Direction with purpose is based on objective truth and reality.

We too have to have our guide book. The Bible is the manual which God has given us to test His character against the character of Satan. We can then truly understand God’s well-being, His mercy, His grace, and how to have a truly personal relationship with Him as opposed to the false God created by our subjective feelings.

In the last part of this interview with Caryl Matrisciana on the Emergent Church, we’ll ask her what warning signs we should be looking out for in determining if one’s church is going Emergent.

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

3 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • Emerging Harlot news

    I had read that the ecumenical all faith meeting was not to be held in Asissi because conservative R.C’s objected. Instead, it was to be held at the Vatican – but no – it was still held at the traditional site in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy. After the last such meeting under Pope John Paul; an earthquake caused the basilica serious damage. The following day, as it was being inspected, the bell tower fell and killed the investigators!

    Among Assisi participants, a sense of deeper crisis in modern society.

    http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1104228.htm

  • Hello Nathan

    Did you know the Emergent’s have given y’all a special label? Really clever, and SO unique, its ‘Oddmers’ meaning Online Discernment Ministries! Wow it must have taken them ages to think that one up 😉

    I find it really encouraging. The need to mock means the message is getting through and stinging like mad. The Lord can work on that and unsettle some folk to think twice about the heresy they are following. Their false shepherds can never claim that they didn’t know how wrong they are when the true Shepherd of the flock returns to give them their ‘wages’.

    I can only hope that I shall become worthy to warrant that identification!

    Praise The Lord for ODDmers! 😀

    Maranatha!
    Sue

  • Psalm 83 coming to a Middle East near you soon?

    The Israel- Egypt peace treaty has never been in greater danger, as the post-Mubarak regime in Cairo may choose to revoke it altogether, King Abdullah II of Jordan somberly predicted in an interview with the Washington Post.

    The king had previously expressed his concern over the volatile situation caused on the region in the wake of the Arab Spring, and has urged both Israel and the Palestinians to find a way to overcome the stalemate in the peace process.

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