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Title: Starts off OK but really pushes the boundaries of common sense
Review: In many ways, Yungen's book is good. It rasies serious questions about the influence of Eastern thought and metaphysics in modern Christianity, and some of his points are quite valid. However the conclusions that he draws regarding cnetering prayer eventually become very tenuous and downright tangential. To be blunt, his reasoning goes like this:A: Eastern mystics chant mantras ("om")B: Contemplative prayer sometimes involves repeating a word or phrase ("Jesus")C: A=B, therefore contemplative prayer is un-ChristianAnother form of his reasoning:A: Eastern religion influenced the Desert FathersB: the Desert Fathers influenced Thomas MertonC: Thomas Merton influenced Richard FosterD: Richard Foster influenced Rick WarrenE: therefore Rick Warren believes in Eastern religionPlease read this book critically if you read it at all.
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