[The following material is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 5, Issue 6, 1988. David W. Cloud, Editor. All rights are reserved. O Timothy is a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, fbns@wayoflife.org. FOR CANADA the subscription is $20 Canadian. Send to Bethel Baptist Church, P.O. Box 9075, London, Ontario N6E 1V0. The Way of Life Internet web site is http://www.wayoflife.org/.]

An article appearing in the World Council's monthly publication, One World, March 1988, encouraged the readers to turn from true Bible spirituality and prayer to heathen practices adopted from Buddhism and Taoism. We will give some excerpts from the article, but first we want to note something important about such quotations.

It might be argued that the WCC is not promoting heathen practices through publishing the article, but were only reporting what the author, Chwen Jiuan A. Lee believed personally. If such an argument is posed, we would contend that it is a foolish argument. No one publishes an article in a magazine without comment if they do not want their readers at least to give serious consideration to it. The following amazing and strange heretical statements were published in the WCC magazine without further comment. The title of the article was "The search for an inclusive spirituality." This is the title given by the World Council. They themselves called these practices spiritual. Don't be confused by the double-speak of apostate groups such as the WCC. They will print heresies and often try to escape the consequences of what they have printed. At times, they will even try to deny that they believe the heresies. But the record stands. These are their own writings. These are the kind of things they consider important enough to take up space in their publications.

In spite of the blurbs which some publications contain about not being responsible for the material which they print, editors ARE responsible for the things they publish, whether they write the material or merely reprint things written by others. Editors and all involved with the publications are responsible for the contents because the material influences people. Editors cannot dodge the responsibility of that influence.

The record does indeed stand -- the World Council of Churches is utterly apostate, and we trust our readers will take heed and touch not the unclean thing. Consider this strange report from the WCC publication:

"Coming from an ordinary Chinese humanistic milieu, where the air is a mixture of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, I experienced a sense of unsettledness in my early years of Christian life, a feeling of something missing.

"Finally in the late 1960s, I was able to see the inadequacy for me of Christian theology and spirituality... I turned to my own Chinese religious-spiritual traditions to search for a more wholistic and integrated philosophy of life. Since I found it difficult to make sense out of theology, I decided not to be troubled by my inability, but to follow the direction of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhist path to enlightenment: a special transmission outside the Scriptures; no dependence on words and letters; direct pointing the human heart (soul); seeing one's nature and attaining Buddhahood.

"Since then I have been perfectly content with Lao Tzu's evocative words: 

"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the unchanging name."... 

"I was no longer able to do this type of practice [normal Christian prayer]. With some necessary adaptation, I have taken up the practice of Mahayana Ch'an (Zen) meditation and Thervada vipassana (i.e., insight awareness) meditation. Both teach the radical simplification of the functions of our sense organs and of mental activity. It is in the state of utter simplicity that one can simultaneously experience the loss of self and the ultimate ONE.

"There is a qualitative difference, due to the entirely different metaphysical and psychological foundations between Christian spiritual practice and spiritual disciplines from other religious traditions. No doubt, Christian prayer for the most part remains in the dualistic realm where the experience of the ultimate ONE is rather shallow, that is, it remains still on the level of relationships. This is precisely the problem of words, symbols and logic.

"In order to go beyond this stage, in addition to silent meditation, I have also taken up the practice of mantra chanting. Mantra chanting, a short, simple repetitive form of vocal prayer, has the power to silence the mind and emotions and eventually to enable the chanter to sink into the abyss of utter silence, where the internal dialogue ceases and a true prayer happens..." ("The Search for an inclusive spirituality: A Chinese experience," Chwen Jiuan A. Lee, One World, World Council of Churches, March 1988, page 22; Lee teaches at Cheng Kung Girls' High School, Tainan, Taiwan)

The Bible, of course, condemns heathen practices such as these promoted by the World Council publication's article. Buddhist and Taoist meditation is not Christian prayer. Prayer is not seeking enlightenment in oneself but talking with the Living God through Jesus Christ. The Bible warns against loosing control of one's conscious mental activities as those who meditate attempt to do. Christians are warned to be sober and vigilant (1 Peter 5:8; Titus 2:2,4,6), which means to be in control of one's mind and to be on guard continually against spiritual error and oppression. Those who follow heathen methods of meditation are disregarding these commands and warnings.

Note also that the writer makes light of the role of the Holy Scriptures in prayer and in one's relationship with God. This is demonic. Psalm 119 illustrates how important the Scriptures are in every aspect of the Christian life. We do not know how to pray apart from the Scriptures.

In fact, the Scriptures contain hundreds of prayers which are our examples and guidelines for prayer. No one can pray properly apart from the Bible and the very words of the Bible are an important part of the prayers of those who know God in Truth and who know how to pray properly. The Lord Jesus also warned against repetitive "prayers" such as the mantra chanting mentioned in the WCC article. He said, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do... Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew 6:7-8). Christ then gave a model of proper prayer, and the way of prayer as He taught it is completely different from that practiced by the heathen and that adopted by this supposed Christian teacher.

Bible prayer is conscious communication with God. It is conscious worship of Him; it is asking petitions of Him; it is praying for forgiveness for one's sins; it is seeking wisdom and answers to one's questions from Him.

It is communication with the Living God who today sits upon the throne of grace and hears the petitions of His children, as we also read in Hebrews 4:16: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." 

If we want to learn to pray properly we must ignore the foolish speakings of those who have unwisely turned their backs on the Word of God and we must follow the Bible. The Psalms, Christ's model of prayer in Matthew 6:9- 15 and the prayers of the Apostle Paul in many of the New Testament epistles are a good place to start in learning to pray properly according to God's will.