In response to a post of Tim Neufeld

Tim,
I remember reading your article and being drawn in ... again ... to the new ways of thinking, praying, worshiping, experiencing, expressing our love to, and for, God. I have taken part in a prayer labyrinth and it was the most moving and meaningful prayer experience in probably, well probably ever. There are practices that other persons of faith (whether Christian or other) that I don't understand and that do not resonate with me. But I would never assume that just because I don't "get" them I should ban those practices for all or be afraid of them ... unless, of course, they are in direct conflict with the teachings of Jesus.

Amen to your refereces to some of our accepted "props" used in the church today: the organ, cymbals and tambourines, a sanctuary, pews, the sermon, the baptistry, the professional pastor, etc. I am grateful for the church building, especially on days with extreme climate difficulties. I appreciate the many giftings God has shared with those who are musical, creative, articulate, those who have vision and wisdom to share (even from the pulpit on occasion :-)).

I suppose I am sounding a bit negative. It seems that I have held on to a tad bit of bitterness that stems from being a part of so many churches that did not encourage me to think for myself, to ask questions, to let the Holy Spirit guide me and speak to me. I don't think anyone should follow someone else's "recipe" for acceptable church gatherings, prayer practices, or anything else for that matter.

God is a god of movement.  I think we should be people of movement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

August 11, 2008
Ancient Spiritual Practices
I wrote an article for our monthly Mennonite Brethren publication, Christian Leader, entitled "The New Old Spirituality." The result was a fair amount of critique and criticism and three months worth of letters-to-the-editor. My intent was to demonstrate how teens and young adults are vitalized by new forms of prayer, forms which have their roots in ancient practices. Here's a thrilling image: teens waiting in line to pray! Somehow that got lost amongst a discussion of what is orthodox or pagan. Prayer, it seems, is only to be practiced in certain approved fashions.
Here's what I've learned:
There are many MBs who are anti-Catholic; my apologies to my Catholic friends, people who are deeply committed to following Christ and his teachings.
There are many MBs who are afraid of anything new. Many complaints came from those saying that Menno (Simons) would never do this (whatever "this" practice might be). They point back to a standard that was set by Menno and must be maintained. Hmm, but didn't Menno himself start new practices? See http://rollovermenno.wordpress.com/ for more critique at this level from a group of folks who are self-proclaimed gatekeepers of Menno-traditions. [Update: I just discovered that this site is now password protected - not quite sure why.]
There are many MBs who are afraid of anything old (or older than 1525). Prayer labyrinths, lectio divina,the Jesus Prayer - not acceptable, they're not found in the Bible. Hmm, tell me again what verse the organ is found in? (I do think I saw some cymbals and tambourines mentioned a number of times however.) How about a sanctuary, pews, the sermon, the baptistry, the professional pastor, etc.?
Paranoia spreads quickly and anything a person disagrees with can be labeled heresy.
We're becoming more Southern Baptist by the day; my apologies to my SBC friends, people who are deeply committed to following Christ and his teachings.
If you are interested in reading the article that started the controversy, here it is. Here's a teaser as well:
Imagine this scene. Teens silently form a line in a hallway, patiently waiting late into the night to enter a room in which they will experience an ancient spiritual discipline: contemplative prayer. When they emerge from the prayer room an hour later, many have tears in their eyes, smiles on their faces and peace in their hearts. They have just walked a prayer labyrinth, an interactive eleven-station experience in which the participants learn to practice the presence of Christ. Scenes like this are happening again and again in churches, camps and conferences all over North America.