We have mentioned various warnings about different authors and leaders who promote the movement of contemplative spirituality. And if you don’t know what exactly that consists of, you are welcome to browse these links:
- Definitions at the Shoe
- Two Lists of Leaders/Authors
- More articles on false teaching . . .
- Lighthouse Trails Research Project
I recently came across an article that was too good to hide within a “Week Gone By” post. It needed to be shared by itself.
This article is written by David Cloud from Way of Life. I do not know much about David Cloud or his ministry, but I do know the article serves as a blatant reminder that this movement is nothing to mess around with. We do not post warnings just because we feel like it, but because we believe there is a real need for warnings such as these within the church today.
This article is concerning the downward slide of popular author, Sue Monk Kidd, from being a Southern Baptist Christian . . . to worshiping the goddess within. And this all came about because of contemplative spirituality.
Excerpts from the article:
It is “contemplative spirituality” that changed Kidd’s life, and her experience is a loud warning about flirting with Catholic mysticism.
She was raised in a Southern Baptist congregation in southwest Georgia. Her grandfather and father were Baptist deacons. Her grandmother gave devotionals at the Women’s Missionary Union, and her mother was a Sunday School teacher. Her husband was a minister who taught religion and a chaplain at a Baptist college. She was very involved in church, teaching Sunday School and attending services Sunday morning and evening and Wednesday. She describes herself as the person who would have won a contest for “Least Likely to Become a Feminist.” She was even inducted into a group of women called the Gracious Ladies, the criterion for which was that “one needed to portray certain ideals of womanhood, which included being gracious and giving of oneself unselfishly” . . . . .
“I ran my finger around the rim of the circle on the page and prayed my first prayer to a Divine Feminine presence. I said, ‘Mothergod, I have nothing to hold me. No place to be, inside or out. I need to find a container of support, a space where my journey can unfold’” (p. 94).
She came to the place where she believed that she is a goddess.
“Divine Feminine love came, wiping out all my puny ideas about love in one driving sweep. Today I remember that event for the radiant mystery it was, how I felt myself embraced by Goddess, how I felt myself in touch with the deepest thing I am. It was the moment when, as playwright and poet Ntozake Shange put it, ‘I found god in myself/ and I loved her/ I loved her fiercely’” (The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, p. 136). {read more}
And in case you think this is not close to home for you and your family, I challenge you to think again.
Sue Monk Kidd is quoted favorably by evangelical leaders such as David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, Richard Foster, and Philip Yancy. She also wrote forewards/introductions or endorsements for books by Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, and Thomas Merton. Eugene Peterson, well-known in Christian circles for writing The Message Bible, said this about Kidd, “As I read her book, Kidd became a companion. I love having her walk with me on my journey.”
Read David Cloud’s full article by clicking here.
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Melissa M. says
It is because of your cautions that I have taken the time to research some of my [former] favorite female Christian authors and because of the reasons you list and others I have found, I have quit reading their material. When you are a teacher of Christian truths, it is an all or nothing proposition, I think, and teachers are held to a higher standard of living by God.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Kendra says
You are welcome!! I admire women who are willing to go against the flow when something doesn’t add up biblically with authors and leaders. I personally think it is a little harder for us women to do this, since we naturally want to trust everyone and everything. You’re doing great — keep it up!
Patricia wiens says
Thank you for the warning Kendra! This is shocking!
Kendra says
I know what you mean!