"WAY"
of Jesus or Jesus as "THE WAY"
David Sheldon Discusses the
Ancient Wisdom Conference "The conference page purports that
"Two thousand years ago, Christian spirituality was new to the
world. This was a time before churches as we know them." In other
words, this conference is returning us to our ancient "spiritual"
roots. (These roots, as articulated, are really mysticism and not
truly Christian.)" Read
more...
Dallas
Willard is a proponent of contemplative spirituality. Here are a few
facts to show this:
3.
Willard recommends several contemplative authors including Richard
Foster, Henri Nouwen, Jan Johnson, and Evelyn Underhill.
4.
See connections, endorsements chart below.
Dallas
Willard On Salvation
"What
Paul is clearly saying is that if anyone is worthy of being
saved, they will be saved. At that point many Christians get
very anxious, saying that absolutely no one is worthy of being
saved. The implication of that is that a person can be almost
totally good, but miss the message about Jesus, and be sent
to hell. What kind of a God would do that? I am not going
to stand in the way of anyone whom God wants to save. I am
not going to say "he can't save them." I am happy for God
to save anyone he wants in any way he can. It is possible
for someone who does not know Jesus to be saved."—Dallas
Willard,
Apologetics in Action
"As
far as the content of what I try to present is concerned it
focuses on the gospel of the kingdom of God and becoming a
disciple of Jesus in the kingdom of God. SO it doesn't merely
have an emphasis on the forgiveness of sins and assurance
of heaven as you are apt to find in most evangelical circles.
I think that is vital but it is not the whole story."—from
Kingdom Living, Dallas Willard
"Dallas
Willard understands Quaker thinking about as well as anybody," Foster
acknowledged. "I had him do a study once on George Fox and his insights
just blew me away." An
Interview with Richard Foster
A
young man takes a class by Dallas Willard, and he is introduced
to contemplative prayer.
"I
bumped into the classic spiritual disciplines while taking a course
called "Dynamics of Christian Life" in my second year of Bible school.
One of our textbooks was The Spirit of the Disciplines by
Dallas Willard. The course and textbook only touched on the actual
disciplines, but the concept captivated me. The following spring,
I found a copy of Richard Foster's spiritual classic Celebration
of Discipline in a used bookstore. Opening it and discovering each
discipline detailed chapter by chapter, I felt a profound sense
of joy and excitement. I'd found a real treasure."
Where
did Dallas Willard's class lead this man?
Take a look:
"I
built myself a prayer room—a tiny sanctuary in a basement closet
filled with books on spiritual disciplines, contemplative prayer,
and Christian mysticism. In that space I lit candles, burned incense,
hung rosaries, and listened to tapes of Benedictine monks. I meditated
for hours on words, images, and sounds. I reached the point of being
able to achieve alpha brain patterns, the state in which dreams
occur, while still awake and meditating." Disciplines,
Mystics, and the Contemplative Life
by Mike Perschon
