This is a response to material from Summit Ministries promoting the Contemplative practices of solitude, Lectio Divina, and the Rule of Life found in “Practicing the Disciplines of Jesus,” “Spiritual Disciplines Series: Meditating on Scripture, and “Family Rhythms for the New Year: A Guide for Christian Parents.”

What is meant by “Contemplative?” The Contemplative Practices are also called Spiritual Disciplines (sometimes merged under the term “Spiritual Formation”), and derive from monastic teachings, mysticism, and influence from Eastern meditation.

Mysticism seeks direct encounter with God (or the divine, or other names of whatever is viewed as sacred). Mysticism is not bound by biblical doctrine but instead seeks experiences and encounters with God, viewed as more authentic than biblical teaching. In the church, mysticism presents experiences and silence as superior to the Bible and to words.

The False Rationale

Summit Ministries employs the same rationale and alleged biblical support used by the Contemplative teachers (such as Ruth Haley Barton,¹see Ruth Haley Barton & Contemplative Corruption — Part 1 | Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc and Ruth Haley Barton & Contemplative Corruption — Part 2 | Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc John Mark Comer,²See The Enneagram and Doctrinal Corruption: Case Studies – Ian Cron & John Mark Comer | Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc  and many others). On their page “Practicing the Disciplines of Jesus,” Summit Ministries asserts that the reason to practice these disciplines is because Jesus practiced them. The article quotes three Scriptures, one about Jesus fasting, and the other two about Jesus withdrawing to pray alone, Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:16:

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” 

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

These two passages are used to claim or at least imply (not just by Summit, but by many) that Jesus practiced the discipline of solitude.

– Narrative is Not Prescriptive

The first response is that narrative is descriptive, i.e., describes things; it is not prescriptive (a command or teaching of behavior). Narratives in the Gospels also record other things Jesus did, such as his miracles, his condemnation of certain towns that rejected him, his death on the cross, and his resurrection. Yet the article is not urging anyone to do any of those actions. Summit Ministries is selective in what it highlights about Jesus and at least implies that these are supposed to be practices for Christians. The question is: Why is this particular action (going off to pray alone) selected?

Examination of Contemplative material leads to the answer that there appears to be an assumption that Jesus practiced the “disciplines,” and in turn, that meaning is read into the text. These disciplines include techniques not taught in Scripture, such as Lectio Divina (divine reading), Contemplative Prayer  (which is not prayer as found in God’s word), the so-called practices of silence and solitude, the Examen (from Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits), and several others. No passage in the Bible teaches these; rather, they are read into the text by those who have embraced and believe in techniques.

– Solitude

The passages from Mark and Luke about Jesus praying alone do not support the Contemplative practice of solitude. Jesus was surrounded by crowds or by his disciples, and so it is only natural that he would leave to be alone to pray. This is not instructed as a discipline; it is a normal need for anyone. Jesus, in his humanity, would naturally need some time by himself.

Having time alone as one studies Scripture or prays is helpful, but the discipline of solitude is not even about that. The discipline of solitude is more of a deliberate cultivation of silence and having a “sacred space” via techniques from mysticism. It is not normal or natural quiet time.

Reading the Bible Like a New Ager

Summit introduces Lectio Divina, the mystical method for reading Scripture as though it contains private hidden messages for the reader. The Summit article even refers to the early monastic order, the Benedictines:

“Monastic orders such as the Benedictines or Dominicans practiced what is called Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”). While it might seem dusty and foreign, this is an approach to Bible reading that is intended to quiet the body. It includes four parts: reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating. There is no right or wrong way, no certain length of time required for each. The idea is to instill quietness and rest. I’d recommend trying Lectio Divina individually and with your family.”

So now, Christian ministries look to monastic orders for guidance on how to read the Bible? It shows either a lack of discernment or a desire to get on the increasingly popular mystical bandwagon, or a combination of both.

Furthermore, the words “reading, meditating, praying, and contemplating” in the description of Lectio Divina do not carry the biblical meanings of those terms, making the description misleading.

The article instructs:

“Before you begin reading a passage, take five to ten minutes to quiet your mind and soul. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help calm your body, turning yourself over fully to God.

 Let’s say you want to reflect on Psalm 23. You can start by either reading the full psalm or a section of it. You can read your chosen section several times. As you read, pay attention to what words are sticking out to you.”

They suggest the same methods of becoming quiet (sometimes done through breathing techniques) taught by Contemplatives. Although elsewhere they talk about context, here Summit says nothing about it, because Lectio Divina is reading without considering the context. The article also recommends the very subjective method of noticing what words stand out as you read the text slowly. This is the crux of Lectio Divina as taught today.

This method reminds me of how New Agers read what they think are “spiritual” writings, by noticing words that may stand out to them and view those as messages from the Universe (or other spiritual source).

– The Holy Spirit

The article instructs to pray for the Holy Spirit to calm your body but says nothing about asking the Holy Spirit to teach as you read the passage, which is the actual Biblical practice (1 Cor. 2:10-13; Eph. 1.17-18). The Holy Spirit, as the author of Scripture, is the One who illuminates it for Christians. Would the Holy Spirit guide anyone in Lectio Divina since it is a practice unknown to the Bible? The fact that Summit does not even mention the Holy Spirit’s role here is telling. The article continues:

“Once you’ve read through the verse a few times, meditate on the words or phrases that grabbed your attention. For example, let’s say the phrase ‘You are my shepherd’ stuck out to you. By meditating on this phrase, you let yourself into the text and allow God to speak directly to you.”

Proper biblical meditation involves reading the passage in context to grasp its meaning before pondering (meditating on) it. You cannot ponder a text if you have not searched out its meaning. Nor should one meditate on words that “stuck out to you” as though you are reading like a New Ager or a mystic. Noticing a phrase that way might happen because you like the words, have heard them recently, do not know the words, or for other subjective reasons.

You “let yourself into the text” by reading it as the Lord intended — for meaning, pondering it, and making application if needed.

The article suggests this method will allow God to “speak directly to you.” But God’s word is God speaking as you read it. No method beyond normal reading in context is necessary to “hear” God speak. Anything other than normal reading is to delve into the esoteric, the world of hidden meanings, which is not only unbiblical but is against the nature of God.

Jesus answered him, ‘I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret.’” John 18:20

Lectio Divina Diminishes Scripture

Summit Ministries provides Lectio Divina its own page on their website. The article uses the word “ancient” to lend credibility to this method, and also subtly downplays Scripture:

“Lectio Divina (“Divine Reading”) is an ancient Christian practice for meditating on Scripture. Instead of studying or analyzing a text, Lectio Divina encourages us to enter into the text and ponder it. It is an invitation to encounter and experience God through the Scriptures.”

This statement baldly reveals that Lectio Divina is not “studying or analyzing the text.” Moreover, by contrasting a study of the text with “enter into the text” and “an invitation to encounter and experience God,” they make the latter seem more desirable or even superior to normative study. It is a nuanced put-down of Scripture, something I have seen in all the teachings of these practices. After all, isn’t “encountering God” in some experiential way preferable to ordinary reading? That is the lure.

Summit ignores or rejects the truth that studying the text is, in fact, the way one encounters God. God gave us words to read, understand, study, and ponder for meaning. He did not provide his words to be understood by shutting down thinking or ignoring the context, because that would be unreasonable and contrary to who God is. God is a God of order and reason, not of confusion, vagueness, or non-thinking. It is the New Age mysticism and many pagan beliefs that place a mystical state in a superior position over a thoughtful one.

– Pretending You are In the Story

The article continues:

“An extra step that you could try is to imagine yourself in the story. You can ask questions like, ‘Who do I most identify with in this story?’ Are you a pharisee? Matthew? Perhaps you are one of Matthew’s co-workers, a disciple of Jesus, or even one of the crowd observing. How do you feel about Jesus’ call to Matthew? How are you receiving Jesus’ invitation to be a disciple? Does it make you angry? Excited? Confused? This exercise can help you visualize the passage.”

It is normal to imagine as we read, it engages us with the text. But to make a special effort to put ourselves into the story goes beyond that, since we were not there, and it is impossible to know how we would react or know all that was happening. Putting oneself into the story like this can lead to false ideas about the event and to false conclusions.

The article recommends studying the context in the following paragraph, but I will show why this is problematic:

“The more familiar you are with the context and background of the passage, the easier it is to visualize. It is obviously possible to imagine things that are incorrect about God or ourselves during meditation. Study is, therefore, essential for helping you to avoid drawing incorrect conclusions from your meditation. This is also why asking the Holy Spirit to guide our thinking at the outset is so crucial. The Holy Spirit is our guide in understanding and experiencing the Word.”

The article refers to the Holy Spirit and to knowing the context. This sounds good at first. However, the objective isn’t to use the Holy Spirit and the context in order to understand the text but it is instead to “visualize” yourself in the passage as well as a way to “experience” it. Although the word “understanding” is used, it does not advise studying the passage for meaning, and ignores the fact that nothing in Scripture suggests this method.

Just as the Holy Spirit will not guide in worshiping God with pagan rituals, so He will not guide in pagan methods of reading the very words that He gave the biblical authors. The Holy Spirit will not go against Himself, which would be to go against the Father and Jesus. The Trinity is one in will, and there is no contradiction within the Trinity (2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:18; Numb. 23:19).

The Rule of Life

If you do not know what the “rule of life” means, this might be a good time to find out because it is becoming a more frequent teaching.

The Rule of Life came through the teachings of Benedict of Nursia  (481-547 AD), the “father of Western monasticism,” although possibly it was first formulated by John Cassian (360/65-433/35 AD), who codified some of the mystical teachings of the Desert Fathers.³Marcia Montenegro Video Interview on the Desert Fathers on the Unknown Webcast

Information on The Rule of Life is found in CANA articles on John Mark Comer and Peter Scazzero, both of whom recommend it. Now, Summit Ministries recommends the Rule of Life; they write that the Rule of Life

“can still be a helpful concept for living faithful Christian lives.

The Christian life today can often feel like a list of dos and don’ts. Rather than truly transforming us into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18), our efforts lead us into despair or legalism, and we don’t end up looking all that much more like Christ.”

 This is ironic because the Rule of Life, as formulated by Benedict, was very strict; it was for order and rule in monasteries. Summit is recommending a “list of do’s and don’ts” that they claim in other writings to oppose.

The Rule of Life is traditionally called a trellis, because it is viewed as a way to support one’s Christian life. One evangelical source defines it as “a simple statement of the regular rhythms we choose that help maintain our connection with God?” A source for pastors states:

“Jesus’ image of himself as the vine and his followers as the branches makes the trellis metaphor vital for spiritual formation: the goal is to remain connected to the vine so that the branches bear much fruit”

However, one is “connected” to Jesus via transformation by the Holy Spirit and by God’s word. We are “connected” because we are “in Christ!” (Galatians 3:26). This man-based Rule tends to take the place of the Holy Spirit and God’s word.

Rather than coming up with a Rule of Life to live by a Christian should remember that God has provided all that is needed to live the Christian life:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3:16-17

Faulty Substitutes

Scripture is God-breathed, and the Holy Spirit illuminates Scripture for the Christian. It is a supernatural work of God designed to transform the Christian. Contemplative practices such as solitude, Lectio Divina, visualization, and the Rule of Life become flawed substitutes for what God has provided, leading away from sound teaching rather than reinforcing it.Ω

Before trusting Christ, Marcia Montenegro was a professional astrologer and was involved in Eastern and New Age practices for many years. Through her ministry, Christian Answers for the New Age, Marcia speaks around the country and on radio and writes on New Age and occult topics. She has a Masters in Religion from Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, NC, and serves as a missionary with Fellowship International Mission, Allentown, PA. Based in Arlington, VA, she is the mother of an adult son and the author of SpellBound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids (MCOI Publishing LLC, 2024). She is also co-author of Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret (MCOI Publishing, 2020) with Don and Joy Veinot You can find her online at: CANA or on Facebook at Christian Answers for the New Age

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