Awana Embraces Contemplative Spirituality!

“Awana Clubs has been a respected
and trusted Christian organization for many years. Countless
children have been Cubbies and Sparkies and have memorized Scripture
through the program. With so much of the church heading into the

contemplative/emergent
camp, also known as the spiritual formation movement, what a
tragedy it would be to see Awana being sucked into this also.” 


“Awana: Are
They Heading Toward Contemplative/Emergent?”

In February of 2006, Lighthouse Trails issued a
report titled
“Awana: Are
They Heading Toward Contemplative/Emergent?” The concerns were over
the organization’s connection with Willow Creek, with Awana’s

interest in Spiritual Formation, and with a recommended ministry list
that included a number of contemplative/emergent organizations,
including

Youth Specialties.1

However, the “Lead Like Jesus Encounter” is largely based on Blanchard’s
book, Lead Like Jesus, and that book does include contemplative
elements. For instance, in the chapter called “The Habits of a Servant
Leader” a palms-up, palms-down exercise is described (something Richard
Foster has encouraged) (p. 158).
Of the “habit” of solitude (the silence), the book states: “Solitude is
being refreshed and restored by the natural rhythms of life that are not
impacted by your strivings” (p. 155).
…

For Awana to include Ken Blanchard’s teachings into its organization,
shows that the situation is quite serious at Awanas. Blanchard has

been promoting eastern-style meditators for over twenty years, and
to this day is still doing so. In addition, he is
a board member for the very New Age Hoffman [Quadrinity] Institute.
Blanchard participated in the
Hoffman Process and said it made his
spirituality come alive. We believe this experience he had through
Hoffman is similar to what Blanchard refers to in his Lead Like Jesus
book, when he says people who “quiet their mind[s]” during the Lead
“Like Jesus Encounter” have “powerful experience[s].” This means that now
children and families in Awana could possibly have that same experience.

wrote the foreword for a 2001 book titled What Would Buddha Do at
Work? In the book, Blanchard said:

“Buddha points to the path and invites us to begin our journey to
enlightenment. I … invite you to begin your journey to enlightened
work.”

Blanchard has made numerous other similar statements about other books.
After a 2005 report exposed his connection with Rick Warren (see below),
Blanchard placed a statement on a page of his website for a short time
that said some of his previous endorsements had been wrong. However,
since that time, the endorsements have continued, including his
connection with Hoffman Institute. One example of his continued
endorsement of New Age material is his back-cover statement on Jon
Gordon’s 2006 book,

10-Minute Energy Solution, in which Gordon makes several
favorable references to eastern-style meditators and the practice itself
(see ATOD, pp. 164-165). Another example is Blanchard’s

June 2006 endorsement of Thom Crum’s book,
Three Deep Breaths.
Amazingly, in the book that inspired the Lead Like Jesus Encounter that
Awana is using, Blanchard acknowledges
Norman Vincent Peale’s
role in his spiritual walk. According to Ray Yungen (For Many Shall
Come in My Name – p. 47), Peale had strong New Thought
connections.
This could partly explain Blanchard’s leanings toward the New Age.

While Awana’s decision to include Ken Blanchard’s materials into their
program is enough evidence to show that the organization is quickly
changing, we must now report that there is something even more
devastating with regard to Awana and their slide into apostasy. On the
same email letter that talked about the prison project with Lead Like
Jesus, a notice was given about a book that is now carried by the Awana
store. The book is titled,
Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation. A description of
the book is as follows:

“In children’s ministry, models, methods, and materials abound. How do
you decide what direction you want your ministry to children to
take? Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation allows
you to examine the four prominent points-of-view in the church
today….” [See more
quotes here]

The book offers four different views on how to transform children. One
author, Scottie May, a professor at Wheaton, writes the section titled,
“Contemplative-Reflective Model.” May gives a hearty promotion of
centering prayer, the Jesus prayer, Christ candles, the Catholic
Eucharist and an strong endorsement for contemplative spirituality ala
Thomas Merton, whom he favorably quotes in the book. Two Awana staff
writers respond in the book to May’s contemplative approach and give it
a thumbs up with only minor cautions. But overall they believe that
contemplative is a valid approach for all Christians, including
children. Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation is
giving a green light to Awana leaders around the world to practice
contemplative prayer.

Some people may not understand why we write this report about Awana.
After all, they have done some wonderful things for children. But that
is the very reason we do issue this report – we do not want to see Awana
sell out to the fast growing apostasy of contemplative spirituality and
the New Age; and because we care about children, we speak up. With more
and more public schools teaching kids to meditate and do yoga, and with
more and more Christian schools bringing in emerging leaders like
Rob
Bell (through his Noomas and his book Velvet Elvis), millions of
children are now placed in harm’s way by learning meditative techniques
that will possibly take them into altered states and demonic realms. We
hope Awana leadership will reconsider their position on
contemplative/spiritual formation for the sake of children and their
parents.

Perspectives on Children’s Spiritual Formation