Keller’s mysticism

정태홍2020-10-03 15:02조회 145

Keller’s mysticism

Keller’s mysticism
Dr Tim Keller is a big name in the New Calvinist movement. He is one of the founders, along with DA Carson, of The Gospel Coalition, an evangelical movement in the USA that claims to be dedicated to the gospel of Christ. Indeed, Keller wrote the Preamble to the Coalition’s foundational documents. The Coalition says that it is “deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures.”[1] Coalition booklets that offer thoughtful explanations of the ministry’s confessional statement are edited by DA Carson and Tim Keller. Clearly, Keller has great influence in The Gospel Coalition, and through the Redeemer Network of churches.
While Keller claims to be a Reformed Protestant, his writings reveal a profound empathy with the Roman Catholic Church. In The Reason for God (2008) he refers to the Catholic Church as “the largest church in the world”.[2] He explains that he believes in a broad definition of Christianity that includes the Church of Rome. He says that “all Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians assent together to the great creeds.”[3] And this, in Keller’s mind, means that Roman Catholics are real Christians. He frequently quotes from Roman Catholic sources and authors.

Mysticism in Keller’s Church
The fruit of Keller’s embrace of the Church of Rome is the promotion Catholic mystical practices in his Redeemer Church. In 2009, an article posted on Surph’s Side blog drew attention to what is going on at Redeemer Church. Incredibly, Keller’s Presbyterian Church was teaching their flock how to practice the spirituality of ‘The Way of the Monk’, a method of prayer and worship that is grounded in Catholic mysticism. Here is the link to the article:

http://surphside.blogspot.com/2009/06/tim-kellers-redeemer-presbyterian.html

One of the Redeemer flock was so disturbed by what was happening that she wrote: “I had to finally leave Redeemer because I learned they are holding classes on how to pray by way of lectio divinia, contemplative prayer/meditation, and even how to create “your own private monastery” (class was called The Way of the Monk). This most definitely did/does not sit well with me and I wrote a letter to the Pastors and Elders of the church about my concerns a couple of months ago but have not yet received a response.” http://surphside.blogspot.com/2009/06/tim-keller-following-in-warrens.html

Here is how Redeemer Church promoted its workshops:

The Way of the Monk (April 28, May 5 & 12)
“Do you long for the great theology in your head to be more real to your heart? Come discover age-old methods of contemplative prayer and worship that can help you encounter Christ in a more intimate, experiential way. In this hands-on workshop, you will experience the ancient art of chanting the Psalms (they were meant to be sung!), embark on a practice of authentic Christian meditation, discover how a simple, time-honored tool can help unleash the prayer warrior in you, learn what a typical monastic day is like and how you can make your own, private retreat at a monastery, and much more!”

Centering Prayer
“In this session, we will focus on Centering Prayer, an age-old practice of authentic Christian meditation. We will cover history, technique, obstacles, and how to overcome them. We will also devote ample time to actual practice and Q &A. We will learn how to properly prepare by grounding ourselves in God’s Word. As a prelude, we will consider the purpose, power, and biblical precedent for silence, solitude, and contemplative practice.”

Prayer Rope
“Finally…help for fidgety hands and distracted minds! In this session, we will focus on the use of a prayer rope, a practice of prayer that engages the whole person. We’ll begin by viewing a brief video that demonstrates the “Chaplet of the Divine Mercy,” a particular method of using a prayer rope. We will then do our own investigation of Scripture to determine the meaning and power of God’s “mercy” and the resulting implications for rich, yet highly accessible intercessory prayer. We’ll also cover history, purpose, technique, and devote ample time to actual practice and Q &A.”

Lectio Divina
Under the heading of recommended prayer resources,Redeemer Church is currently promoting Lectio Divina – “Divine Reading”

According to the Redeemer website: “Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading involves meditative listening to the reading, out loud and slowly, of a short passage or a few isolated verses of Scripture. It can be down on your own or with a group. Those who listen are encouraged to set aside analysis, and what they “know” already about the passage, seeking instead to open themselves to God’s Word, listen with their hearts and receive it expectantly and passively. They then attend to what they receive from God. God’s Word is received personally, as an individualized gift to each person.”

The article goes on to explain in some detail how to practice Lectio Divina on your own and in a group.

http://www.redeemer.com/connect/prayer/lectio_divina.html

Meditation: Not So Mysterious
Another recommended prayer resource is referred to as biblical meditation. The congregation is encouraged to read Jan Johnson’s article Meditation: Not So Mysterious which shows two ways to move Scripture off the page and into your life. Jan Johnson is a trained spiritual director, writer and retreat speaker that specialises in spiritual transformation. In her biography, Jan gives as her teaching experience: “Lectio divina instructor for Dallas Willard’s Fuller Seminary class: Spirituality and Ministry; Senior Teaching Fellow and Formation Coordinator, Renovaré Institute.”

See a video of Jan explaining her method of spiritual transformation: http://youtu.be/c9hGRVYCEqs

http://www.redeemer.com/connect/prayer/prayer_johnson_article.html

Spiritual Exercises
Jan’s first technique is Spiritual Exercises. She explains: “One of the best-known ways to ponder God’s character, works, and ways is a format originated by Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Loyola’s methods, recorded in his book Spiritual Exercises, have been used for hundreds of years. He urged people to enter into Scripture with all five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.”

Jan explains: “As I meditate on a passage, I often ask myself, What did the biblical scene look like? At first, this was difficult. But then I decided to pretend I was Cecil B. DeMille creating a scene for a biblical epic such as The Ten Commandments. When I meditated on the transfiguration of Christ, I tried to imagine Jesus’ radiance. This passage required that I bring in Steven Spielberg too, adding the special effects of lightning-bright clothes. Then as I imagined the scene, I wondered (as a skilled movie director would), What was Jesus doing when His appearance changed? I peeked at the original script and found that Jesus was praying (Lk. 9:29). I immediately prostrated myself on the floor and said to God, ‘As I pray, change me, too. Make me the person You wish me to be.’ ”

Lectio Divina
Jan’s second technique is Lectio Divina. She explain: “As I tried to meditate on the discourse and poetic texts, such as the New Testament letters and Old Testament poets and prophets,

Jesuit priest teaching Lectio Divina

I found that another classical method helped me: Lectio Divina. This kind of meditation has been used widely among believers since the sixth century. Lectio Divina consists of four parts: reading a passage, meditating on that passage, praying, and contemplating God. After the Scripture is read aloud, participants wait for a word, phrase, or image from the passage to emerge and stay with them. From this phrase or image, the participant asks, What does this passage say to me right now? (Bible study before meditating is important preparatory work because it asks, What did the passage say to listeners then? This keeps us from coming up with absurd answers to this question.)”

Comment
The significance of Keller’s promotion of Catholic mysticism in Redeemer Church is that it reveals what is really in his heart. As a Presbyterian minister of the gospel, he is prepared to lead his church into Roman mystical practices. He is even content for his congregation to learn the Spiritual Exercises of the founder of the Jesuit Order, Ignatius Loyola. Here we need to understand that the Jesuit Order, given papal authority in 1540, was committed to the restoration of the authority of the Roman Catholic Church by ruthlessly destroying the Protestant Reformation. With their vows of total obedience to the Pope and their strict military style training, the Jesuits became feared across Europeas the “storm-troopers” of the Catholic Church.[4]

But here is the real issue—Keller is promoting the mysticism of Rome while at the same time presenting himself as a Protestant theologian and leading New Calvinist. We should also remember that he is a founder member of The Gospel Coalition of evangelical churches. And so the obvious question. Does The Gospel Coalition agree with Keller’s mystical practices? On this website we have already demonstrated that Keller teaches a false gospel. And now we know why. While he claims to be a Reformed Christian with his lips, his heart appears to have turned to the Church of Rome. All the evidence before our eyes suggests that he is only pretending to be a Reformed Christian while actually promoting the Counter Reformation of the Roman Church. The apostle Paul warned the Church: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20.29-30).

Is Tim Keller a true minister of the Gospel of Truth, or a ravenous wolf that is drawing disciples away from the faith once delivered to the saints?

You can learn more about Dr Tim Keller, Pastor Mark Driscoll and Pastor John Piper in the book, The New Calvinists (2014), published by The Wakeman Trust and Belmont House Publishing. The book is available from The Metropolitan Tabernacle bookshop or from Amazon More on John Piper and his Christian Hedonism at The Real John Piper website

[1] The Gospel Coalition website, The Gospel for All of Life: Preamble

[2] Tim Keller, The Reason for God, Hodder, 2008, p87

[3] Ibid. 116

[4] Website of Bible Questions Answered by GotQuestions.org, Question: “Who are the Jesuits, and what do they believe?”

http://www.newcalvinist.com/kellers-affinity-with-rome/kellers-mysticism/

켈러의 신비주의
팀 켈러 박사는 뉴 칼뱅주의 운동의 거물이다. 그는 그리스도의 복음에 헌신한다고 주장하는 미국의 복음주의 운동인 복음 연합의 DA Carson과 함께 설립자 중 한 명이다. 실제로 켈러는 연합군의 기초문서에 서문을 썼다. 연합회는 "그리스도의 복음에 대한 우리의 믿음을 새롭게 하고 성경에 전적으로 순응하도록 우리의 사역 관행을 개혁하는 데 깊이 전념하고 있다"고 말한다.[1] 부처 고해성명에 대한 사려 깊은 설명을 제공하는 연합 책자는 DA Carson과 Tim Keller가 편집한다. 분명히 켈러는 복음 연합과 교회의 구원자 네트워크를 통해 큰 영향력을 가지고 있다.
켈러가 개신교 신자임을 자처하는 가운데 그의 저술은 로마 가톨릭 교회와 깊은 공감대를 드러내고 있다. 신의 이유(2008)에서 그는 가톨릭 교회를 "세계에서 가장 큰 교회"라고 언급한다.[2] 그는 로마교회를 포함하는 기독교에 대한 넓은 정의를 믿는다고 설명한다. 그는 "모든 정교회, 가톨릭, 개신교 기독교인들이 위대한 크레이즈에 동의한다"고 말한다.[3] 켈러의 마음속에서 이것은 로마 가톨릭 신자들이 진정한 기독교인이라는 것을 의미한다. 그는 로마 가톨릭의 소식통과 저자들의 말을 자주 인용한다.

켈러 교회의 신비주의
켈러가 로마교회를 포용한 결실은 그의 구세주교회에서 가톨릭의 신비주의를 장려한 것이다. 2009년 서프스 사이드 블로그에 올라온 글에 리셉터 처치(Refeeder Church)에서 어떤 일이 벌어지고 있는지 관심을 모았다. 놀랍게도 켈러의 장로교회는 가톨릭 신비주의에 바탕을 둔 기도와 예배의 방법인 '스승의 길'의 영성을 어떻게 실천할 것인가를 양떼에게 가르치고 있었다. 다음은 이 기사에 대한 링크:

http://surphide.blogspot.com/2009/06/tim-kellers-redeemer-presbyterian.html

구세주 무리들 중 한 마리는 무슨 일이 일어나고 있는지 너무 혼란스러워서 "나는 마침내 구세주를 떠나야 했다. 왜냐하면 나는 그들이 어떻게 기도하는지에 대한 강의를 듣고 있고, 사색적인 기도/중상하는 것을 배웠기 때문이다. 그리고 심지어 어떻게 "자신의 개인 수도원을 만들 것인가"(수업은 수도사의 길이라고 불렸다.)라고 썼다. 이 점이 가장 마음에 들지 않는 부분이고 몇 달 전 교회 목회자와 장로들에게 편지를 썼지만 아직 답변을 받지 못했다고 말했다. http://surphide.blogspot.com/2009/06/tim-keller-following-in-warrens.html

Remeder Church가 워크샵을 홍보한 방법은 다음과 같다.

스님의 길 (4월 28일, 5월 5일, 12일)
"당신의 머릿속에 있는 위대한 신학이 더욱 실재하기를 간절히 바라십니까? 더 친밀하고 경험적인 방법으로 그리스도를 만날 수 있도록 도와줄 수 있는 오래된 사색적 기도와 예배 방법을 찾아보자. 이 실습 워크샵에서는 시편들을 외치는 고대의 기술을 체험하고, 진정한 기독교 명상의 연습에 착수하며, 간단하고, 오랜 세월을 거쳐온 도구가 어떻게 기도하는 전사를 당신의 안에 풀어줄 수 있는지, 전형적인 수도의 날이 어떤 것인지, 그리고 어떻게 사적으로 퇴각할 수 있는지를 알게 될 것이다. 수도원, 그리고 훨씬 더!"

센터링 기도
"이번 세션에서는 정통 기독교 명상의 오랜 관행인 센터링 기도회에 초점을 맞출 것이다. 역사, 기술, 장애물, 이를 극복하는 방법 등을 취재하겠다. 실제 연습과 Q&A에도 충분한 시간을 할애할 것"이라며 "하나님의 말씀에 근거해 제대로 준비하는 법을 배울 것"이라고 말했다. 서곡으로서 침묵과 고독, 사색적 실천에 대한 목적과 권력, 성경적 선례를 고려할 것이다."

기도 로프
"마침내... 안절부절못하는 손과 산만한 마음을 도와줘! 이번 세션에서는 온 국민을 결속시키는 기도 실천인 기도 로프의 사용에 초점을 맞출 예정이다. 우리는 먼저 기도 로프를 사용하는 특별한 방법인 "신성한 자비의 장"을 보여주는 짧은 비디오를 보는 것으로 시작할 것이다. 그런 다음 우리는 하나님의 '메르시'의 의미와 힘과 그 결과 풍부하지만 접근성이 높은 중보기도에 대한 함의를 결정하기 위해 성경의 자체 조사를 할 것이다. 역사, 목적, 기술도 취재해 실제 연습과 질의응답에 충분한 시간을 할애하겠다"고 말했다.

렉티오 디비나
추천 기도 자원의 제목 아래, 레드메이어 교회는 현재 렉티오 디비나 – "Divine Reading"을 홍보하고 있다.

Reserveer 웹사이트에 따르면: "렉시오 디비나, 또는 신독서는 짧은 구절이나 몇 개의 고립된 성경 구절의 낭독을 명상적으로 듣는 것을 포함한다. 그것은 혼자서 또는 그룹과 함께 내려갈 수 있다. 듣는 사람은 분석을 제쳐두고, 이미 그 구절에 대해 '알고 있는 것'을 추구하며, 대신 하나님의 말씀에 마음을 열고, 마음으로 듣고, 기대하며 수동적으로 받아 들인다. 그런 다음 그들은 신으로부터 받는 것을 경청한다. 하나님의 말씀은 각 개인에게 개별화된 선물로 개인적으로 받는다고 말했다.

기사는 계속해서 렉시오를 실천하는 방법을 좀 더 상세히 설명한다.

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