Comments on: Bethel University Seeks ‘Common Ground’ with Buddhists http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/ The Truth Is Out There Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:11:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jerimiah1 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1702 Jerimiah1 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:45:16 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1702 You cannot drink both the cup of the Lord's table and of devil's. To provoke Him to jealousy. Are we stronger than He. I don't have to listen to this leaven to understand what a lie of Satan actually is. Let God be true and every man a liar. You cannot drink both the cup of the Lord's table and of devil's. To provoke Him to jealousy. Are we stronger than He. I don't have to listen to this leaven to understand what a lie of Satan actually is. Let God be true and every man a liar.

]]> By: Jerimiah1 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1207 Jerimiah1 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:45:16 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1207 You cannot drink both the cup of the Lord's table and of devil's. To provoke Him to jealousy. Are we stronger than He. I don't have to listen to this leaven to understand what a lie of Satan actually is. Let God be true and every man a liar. You cannot drink both the cup of the Lord's table and of devil's. To provoke Him to jealousy. Are we stronger than He. I don't have to listen to this leaven to understand what a lie of Satan actually is. Let God be true and every man a liar.

]]> By: Love The Truth http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1177 Love The Truth Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:50:53 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1177 Jan is right on about this symposium. The "Christian" professor practices Eastern meditation, which he calls Christian Zen. He said that he has entered consciousness-altering states while meditating. He also said that Christians can practice Buddhist meditation, and that we can borrow things from other religions. It's obvious that a couple of administrators or faculty from Bethel have come here to "defend" themselves. I doubt that they are regular readers of this blog. If they were, they might have learned by now that this kind of meditation is not Christian at all, and is in fact very dangerous. Jan is right on about this symposium. The “Christian” professor practices Eastern meditation, which he calls Christian Zen. He said that he has entered consciousness-altering states while meditating. He also said that Christians can practice Buddhist meditation, and that we can borrow things from other religions. It's obvious that a couple of administrators or faculty from Bethel have come here to “defend” themselves. I doubt that they are regular readers of this blog. If they were, they might have learned by now that this kind of meditation is not Christian at all, and is in fact very dangerous.

]]> By: RJS http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1122 RJS Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:02:04 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1122 Very well. Since you appear to know which course or courses deal with the subject, why don't you tell me, and I'll investigate further. I'll be specific: I don't know any course taught by a psychology faculty member where contemplative prayer is even introduced as something one ought to do. It has to be mentioned in any historical study of Christianity, since this is part of the Christian tradition of the middle ages, of course. Very well. Since you appear to know which course or courses deal with the subject, why don't you tell me, and I'll investigate further. I'll be specific: I don't know any course taught by a psychology faculty member where contemplative prayer is even introduced as something one ought to do. It has to be mentioned in any historical study of Christianity, since this is part of the Christian tradition of the middle ages, of course.

]]> By: nonpc http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1116 nonpc Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:13:31 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1116 Your awareness level is certainly not the issue... <br>I am certain most parents are unaware of this mystical garbage being peddled...<br>Nevertheless... it exists....and...since my original post said that these practices were "introduced", I would appreciate it if you did not use the word " emphasis ", since I did not use that term even once...<br><br>Even an introduction or momentary daliance or initiation to this spiritual leaven is spiritual poison enough and wholly unnaceptable at any level of any University seeking to pass itself off as Christian. Your awareness level is certainly not the issue…
I am certain most parents are unaware of this mystical garbage being peddled…
Nevertheless… it exists….and…since my original post said that these practices were “introduced”, I would appreciate it if you did not use the word ” emphasis “, since I did not use that term even once…

Even an introduction or momentary daliance or initiation to this spiritual leaven is spiritual poison enough and wholly unnaceptable at any level of any University seeking to pass itself off as Christian.

]]> By: RJS http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1113 RJS Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:01:44 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1113 I am unaware of any psychology class where this happens. PSY325G Psychology of Religion includes a range of speakers from various faith traditions, but no psychology class that I'm aware of includes an emphasis like this. It is possible that a senior level general education course taught by a psychology faculty member might have such an emphasis. The closest I can find is described like this in the Bethel catalog:<br><br>GES433P • Biblical Spirituality: Experiencing God (offered occasionally) 3 credits<br>A study of spirituality in a variety of biblical texts, both Old Testament and New Testament. Essential issues related to spirituality will be addressed including: What is spirituality? What are biblical teachings regarding prayer, worship, and spiritual disciplines? How do we interpret biblical texts as guiding paradigms for the contemporary practice of spirituality? Prerequisites: Senior standing; GES110 or GES245; Nature of Persons (N) course; THE201; Comparative Systems (G) course.<br><br>The prerequisites, you will notice, require an introduction to theology course, but underlying this is also an introduction to the Bible course and a course in Biblical interpretation, the first taken in the freshman year, the second in the junior year. (Christian Theology is a sophomore-level course.) All of these build to the senior level course listed above, which is one of many in this "integrative" category. I am unaware of any psychology class where this happens. PSY325G Psychology of Religion includes a range of speakers from various faith traditions, but no psychology class that I'm aware of includes an emphasis like this. It is possible that a senior level general education course taught by a psychology faculty member might have such an emphasis. The closest I can find is described like this in the Bethel catalog:

GES433P • Biblical Spirituality: Experiencing God (offered occasionally) 3 credits
A study of spirituality in a variety of biblical texts, both Old Testament and New Testament. Essential issues related to spirituality will be addressed including: What is spirituality? What are biblical teachings regarding prayer, worship, and spiritual disciplines? How do we interpret biblical texts as guiding paradigms for the contemporary practice of spirituality? Prerequisites: Senior standing; GES110 or GES245; Nature of Persons (N) course; THE201; Comparative Systems (G) course.

The prerequisites, you will notice, require an introduction to theology course, but underlying this is also an introduction to the Bible course and a course in Biblical interpretation, the first taken in the freshman year, the second in the junior year. (Christian Theology is a sophomore-level course.) All of these build to the senior level course listed above, which is one of many in this “integrative” category.

]]> By: nonpc http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1107 nonpc Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:01:59 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1107 I would also like an audio and video link to Bethels psychology classes...where the profs introduce mystical "contemplative prayer" to unsuspecting students of trusting Baptist parents who send their children off to these indoctrination centers posing as Christian. I would also like an audio and video link to Bethels psychology classes…where the profs introduce mystical “contemplative prayer” to unsuspecting students of trusting Baptist parents who send their children off to these indoctrination centers posing as Christian.

]]> By: ALP http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1103 ALP Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:53:41 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1103 If you would like to read Bethel's response to Jan Markell's inaccurate assessment of the symposium you can go to <a href="http://www.bethel.edu" rel="nofollow">www.bethel.edu</a>. Underneath, NEWS and EVENTs, you can click and view Bethel's response. Anyone willing to embrace Ms. Markell's views owes Bethel, a school truly committed to Christian teaching, at least the 2 minutes it will take to read. If you would like to read Bethel's response to Jan Markell's inaccurate assessment of the symposium you can go to http://www.bethel.edu. Underneath, NEWS and EVENTs, you can click and view Bethel's response. Anyone willing to embrace Ms. Markell's views owes Bethel, a school truly committed to Christian teaching, at least the 2 minutes it will take to read.

]]> By: Tom http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1092 Tom Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:29:19 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1092 You are nitpicking. Small facts like a tiered classroom that holds 139 seats instead of 200 and 30 minutes for questions instead of 20 are not going to prevent anyone from going to heaven. The more important facts Ms. Markell seems to have misrepresented, like the speaker who piously referred to scriptures, is as significant as Satan who referred to Scripture when he tempted Christ in the wilderness. I can assure you, quoting Scripture does not impress God in the very least. <br><br>Does the fact that someone calls himself a Christian and not a Buddhist make him a Christian? Allow me to quote to you some Scripture, seeing that Professor Reasoner loves to refer to Scripture: “ . . . Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Tim. 3:5). “Christians” who practice contemplative or centering prayer, the so-called “silence” or any other form of meditative prayer love to think that their brand of meditation is purely Christian because it ushers them into the presence of God. Nonsense! This is pure paganism that denies and rejects the power of the Gospel and all true Christians are commanded to turn away from such. They are not supposed to engage them, as Rob Bell the new Billy Graham teaches, in order to learn from one another’s truths but to present them with the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ so that they may be saved. The power of the Gospel, as Paul so succinctly says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, is the preaching of the cross of Christ and not some kind of meditation that is supposedly Christian and grants you the boldness to enter into the holy of holies in heaven. Do you really think God would have given his only Son to be slaughtered on a cross if sinful man was able to enter into His holy presence by means of a technique like meditation? You must be joking! That’s the way of Cain and not of God. He ordained for mankind only a single way of entering into his presence and that is through the shed blood of His Son (Hebrews 10:19-22). <br><br>You are playing with fire. As I said earlier, those things you mentioned cannot prevent anyone from going to heaven but the assumption that a so-called Christian meditation can bring you into the holy presence of God, will indeed bar anyone from heaven.<br><br>Did Jesus command us to engage all religions in an interfaith dialogue so that we may learn from each other or did He say “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”? You are nitpicking. Small facts like a tiered classroom that holds 139 seats instead of 200 and 30 minutes for questions instead of 20 are not going to prevent anyone from going to heaven. The more important facts Ms. Markell seems to have misrepresented, like the speaker who piously referred to scriptures, is as significant as Satan who referred to Scripture when he tempted Christ in the wilderness. I can assure you, quoting Scripture does not impress God in the very least.

Does the fact that someone calls himself a Christian and not a Buddhist make him a Christian? Allow me to quote to you some Scripture, seeing that Professor Reasoner loves to refer to Scripture: “ . . . Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Tim. 3:5). “Christians” who practice contemplative or centering prayer, the so-called “silence” or any other form of meditative prayer love to think that their brand of meditation is purely Christian because it ushers them into the presence of God. Nonsense! This is pure paganism that denies and rejects the power of the Gospel and all true Christians are commanded to turn away from such. They are not supposed to engage them, as Rob Bell the new Billy Graham teaches, in order to learn from one another’s truths but to present them with the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ so that they may be saved. The power of the Gospel, as Paul so succinctly says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, is the preaching of the cross of Christ and not some kind of meditation that is supposedly Christian and grants you the boldness to enter into the holy of holies in heaven. Do you really think God would have given his only Son to be slaughtered on a cross if sinful man was able to enter into His holy presence by means of a technique like meditation? You must be joking! That’s the way of Cain and not of God. He ordained for mankind only a single way of entering into his presence and that is through the shed blood of His Son (Hebrews 10:19-22).

You are playing with fire. As I said earlier, those things you mentioned cannot prevent anyone from going to heaven but the assumption that a so-called Christian meditation can bring you into the holy presence of God, will indeed bar anyone from heaven.

Did Jesus command us to engage all religions in an interfaith dialogue so that we may learn from each other or did He say “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”?

]]> By: RJS http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2009/11/bethel-university-seeks-common-ground-with-buddhists/comment-page-1/#comment-1080 RJS Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:31:24 +0000 http://www.crosstalkblog.com/?p=1204#comment-1080 see the link below at the end of my posting. see the link below at the end of my posting.

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