Willow Creek’s “The Practice” blends New Age & Catholic mysticism
A Catholic priest and a New Ager walk into Willow Creek…
No, it’s not a joke waiting for a punchline. It’s an experiment called The Practice, and it’s the brainchild of Pastor Bill Hybels’ son-in-law, Aaron Niequist. Niequist is also the Worship Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church, and he calls a Jesuit priest his spiritual director.
Be warned; you are about to hear a lot of New Age lingo:
The Practice is an experimental gathering where we immerse ourselves in God’s dream for humanity, practice the historic disciplines that align us with His dream, and carry each other along the way. PracticeTribe.com
Starting this Sunday, Niequist will teach you about “unforced rhythms of grace,” in which you will learn to align your rhythm with God’s rhythm, practice contemplative prayer methods like Lectio Divina, and learn from a Catholic priest.
The Practice has been a Sunday night ritual at Willow Creek church since 2013, after that summer’s Global Leadership Summit invited Vijay Govindarajan, Professor of International Business and the Founding Director of Tuck’s Center for Global Leadership, to speak about about innovation:
Niequist: Honestly without Vijay’s talk at the Summit, the Practice experiment could not have happened, because it gave us the language to navigate and frame what we needed to do. He spoke about his book, Beyond the Idea, and his three-box strategy. Basically, every organization, he said, has three boxes. Box One is about managing the present. It’s everything the organization is doing to maintain itself. Box Two is about making minor improvements to make Box One even better. But Box Three is about creating the future. It’s all about innovation. source
Note that Niequist does not mention Jesus Christ, the cross, sanctification or any other biblical doctrine as reasons to start The Practice. Just boxes and business management.
This season’s direction for The Practice:
RHYTHM: Learning to align our rhythms with God’s Eternal Rhythms, for the sake of the world.
Where does this idea of “unforced rhythms of grace” come from? Only one place: The Message, quoted extensively by Niequist:
Matthew 11:28-30 The Message (MSG)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Does that sound strange? Try a word-for-word translation like the English Standard Version:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
(Side note: Rick Warren also blogged last spring that Jesus Teaches Unforced Rhythms of Grace.)
Here then, are the four ways Niequist is leading Willow Creekers in a new rhythmic realignment with God through The Practice:
Eucharist and priestly preachings
During the “Examen” phase, a distinctly Catholic element comes into play, with the introduction of Father Michael Sparough, a Jesuit priest who guided The Practice community through the Catholic practice of The Examen.
“Last April, my spiritual director—Father Michael Sparough, SJ—guided our Practice community through the historic Christian practice of The Examen. The night was powerful and so unexplainably holy that we wanted to invite more people into the experience. So we’ve turned the live recording of Fr Michael into a full New Liturgy—fleshing it out with an evocative musical score and three original songs. We hope it helps you connect with God in a deep and daily way.”
You can read more about Sparough here.
It’s interesting to note that The Practice openly promotes building a bridge between Protestants and Catholics through Ecumenicism, “the idea that unity among the whole church is central to spreading Christ’s kingdom to the ends of the earth.”
Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn during the Examan phase including this digital toolkit:
- Audio: The Cross Meditation – a ten minute guided meditation on the Sign of the Cross.
- Teaching: St Ignatius and The Examen – Fr Michael Sparough teaches on the history of The Examen.
- Teaching: The Five Steps of The Examen – Fr Michael Sparough teaches through the steps of The Examen.
- Video: A conversation with Fr Michael Sparough and Aaron Niequist about The Examen, spiritual direction, and learning from other Christian traditions.
Spiritual Formation
It would appear that the entire purpose of The Practice is to practice Spiritual Formation and all of its contemplative components, like Lectio Divina, a centuries-old mystical Catholic practice involving repeating a word or phrase from the Bible over and over until you reach a higher level of consciousness to “hear God speak” to you:
I think that lectio divina has connected most deeply with our community. This “divine reading” of the Scriptures has become such a powerful supplement to a more analytical/study/expository approach to the Bible. source
Who is Aaron?
Aaron Niequist is a singer and author, who married Bill and Lyn Hybels’ daughter, author Shauna Niequist, who frequently speaks at women’s retreats and conferences. The couple worked for Rob Bell’s Mars Hill church in Michigan, Aaron as his worship music leader, and Shauna as his media relations (PR) guru.
Before The Practice, Aaron’s A New Liturgy project did musically what The Practice is doing …liturgically?
On his blog, Niequist also promotes the idea of “Mother God,” along with his dear friends Rob Bell and Michael Gungor:
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2 Peter 3:17-18
Questions about any of the New Age terms you’ve read here? Be sure to study our White Papers for extensive research on New Age, Spiritual Formation, Catholicism (RCC), Contemplative Prayer, and the Emergent Church.
Wow. “The practice” is the practice of witchcraft. Oh, and here we go again! Look at those two!! “She” has a wide short face with that chin implant they do on males (if that’s a male and looks like one)… and look at “her” hand. PLUS, look at “his” face! Oval and long like a woman’s face… and the thin long neck of a woman (they grow those Adam’s apples on the females they transgender). Satanism is transgenderism and transgenderism is satanism. They’re doing “the practice” of witchcraft/satanism… AND… they look like a tranny pair. What a world!!
what a tangle web we weave when we allow satan to deceive. This church and these people are just lost as lost can be. The leadership will stand before God ,and face his judgement for bringing witchcraft into the church and lives of what are supposed to be christian folk. The flock will stand before God on judgement day, for having no spiritual discernment, and for listening & obeying the leadership before God. The amount of christians though into this world wide is sickening. So many christians accept all things catholic, and show they lack any true biblical discernment and accountability. And there are many we personally know whose facebooks and twitters etc show a love & devotion to catholicism ,even though they themselves are not catholic. They trust and believe in the pope. They post quotes from him . They are into contemplative prayer. They accept catholicism as christian . They read books by catholic priests,jesuit priests and tell all their friends how fantastic the books are, and how they have helped them so much spiritually. And these same people, thought we were a threat and danger to them, because of what we grew up in lol. These people are as lost as any atheist,whilst professing to be saved.
Biblical prophecy racing towards us at the speed of light, and very sadly way too MANY are falling for this. Where is the Spirit of discernment and leading of the Holy Spirit for “clarity” here?? Thanks for the heads up here.
You ask a good question? Where is the discernment?
Because these ones are looking down and gazing at their navels, and not looking up to the Lord and His coming kingdom, then the Lord will come suddenly and they will be not ready….