Welcome to the New Age of eastern-style mystical religion gone mainstream!

The hallmark of the 21st century “happening” church is comprised of various shades of Christian yoga and transcendental-style meditation. Gymnastics for Jesus and money under the pew is out, flickering candles and mantra prayers are in. Disguised under the lingo: contemplative prayer—which sounds innocent enough, but actually is a revision of ancient Buddhist monks who taught that prayer should involve concentrated breathing, visualization, and repetition of words. Transcendental Meditation has snuck in the back door.

And some of the biggest names in the evangelical world are signing on including Max Lucado, Beth Moore, and best-selling author and Focus on the Family guest, Dr. Henry Cloud. In the recently released Fox film, Be Still, all three lend approval to contemplative prayer.

Contemplative prayer (CP) is the act of going into the “Silence” (the term is often capitalized). It requires shutting down your mind by the use of words or phrases that are repeated over and over. It is into this silence that God supposedly speaks in a new and more profound way. Unlike biblical meditation (Ps.119:15) where we are taught to give our mind to Scripture, CP focuses on having a mystical experience with God separate from Scripture. Mysticism, however, has always been subjective and encourages followers to rely more on experience than biblical revelation in order to know God in a new way.

As more and more mainstream evangelical leaders jump on the CP bandwagon, look for more churches that claim Christ to do the same. On the march brethren are, after all, always a yoga step behind while seeking to imitate the more prominent mega-churches. I foresee yoga classes, youth groups prayer-chants, and more Be Still misinterpretations of Ps.46:10.

Ps.46:10—Be still and know that I am God—is a great verse. A study of the verse, however, shows it to be a rebuke from God to those who refuse to recognize His power while continuing to strive against His will. In fact some translations render it, “Cease striving” (NASB, ESV). In other words, don’t run ahead of God. Wait for Him and surrender to His will.

Is meditation (thinking about Scripture and spiritual things) important? Absolutely. Is finding one’s “prayer-closet” essential to a healthy Christian walk? Yes. Do we need to carve out more time for reading, reflection, and prayer? You know it. But is this something mystical and a way to a higher spiritual ream than man has known before? No.

The way to know God is simple—read His word, embrace it, pray without ceasing (you can do that in the quiet of your closet and in the craziness of your car), and be involved with a local community of others (God’s local church) who, likewise, have respect for His Son and the written message delivered and preserved by His Spirit.

It is obvious that the Scriptures are no longer viewed as sufficient when some go running after ancient practices of Buddhist monks in order to find a more exciting experience. Goodbye truth; hello feelings. Today, more than ever, we need to be on guard (2 Pet.3:16-17).