Guilty by association

I remember the first time I saw Steve Camp in concert. It was in 1984, and was actually the first Christian concert I ever went to. This was back in the day when Christian music dared play high school gyms, and was concerned about imparting something in addition to entertaining. But I digress. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Steve Camp ever since. But I have to admit, he has definitely changed in the past 20 years... along with the rest of the church for that matter. But I digress again. I read this article on his blog, which was actually written by someone else, Carla Rolfe. She was one of the few who saw some good in my post about Hurricane Katrina a few years ago. I won't print the whole article. Here is the link.

CAMPONTHIS: "Contemplate" This:
...the mantra of the new age is now considered Christian?

Read this article. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Through? OK, allow me to quote:

"Contemplative/centering/breath prayers, mantras, labyrinths, mood altering-worship enhancing music or visuals or scents, etc. does not represent biblical Christianity."

Where in this article does she prove that these methods aren't biblical? She tells us how bad they are, she tells us how good Sola Scriptura is, but nowhere does she connect the two and prove from Scripture that contemplative prayer is not Biblical. Just because Thomas Merton studied Buddhism and practiced contemplative prayer doesn't mean that contemplative prayer in and of itself isn't Biblical. I've seen Bibles on sale in a Buddhist bookstore before. That doesn't mean the Bible is guilty by association.

"Question: let's back up the truck there: how can one endorse eastern mystic religious practices and defend Sola Scriptura at the same time?

Answer: YOU CAN'T."

Well, umm, Carla, PROVE IT. You did a great job of standing up for Sola Scriptura. You, or anyone else reading this post, shouldn't have any issues with showing me that contemplative prayer isn't scriptural. But all I read in that post is a lot of bluster and no bite. Which is why most blogs aren't worth crap, by the way, and why most bloggers, although they fancy themselves as the "new generation" of journalists and theologians, are nothing of the kind.

I'm not here to convince people that contemplative prayer is the bee's knees. I personally have no issues with it, but I'm not the one who has the burden of proof here, Carla is. And she hasn't met it. Carla is an intelligent blogger. I've read her stuff before. Don't sell me the sizzle, Carla; serve me the steak.