Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen (1932 – 1996) was ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. He went on to do higher education in psychology at a Catholic University. Subsequently he took up teaching positions as a professor at the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School and Harvard Divinity School.
Nouwen published 39 books and authored hundreds of articles. His books have sold over 7 million copies worldwide and have been published in more than 30 languages. In a magazine survey conducted by Christian Century in 2003, Nouwen’s work was indicated as a first choice of authors for Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy. His books include The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved and The Way of the Heart, along with what is recognized as one of his most popular books, The Return of the Prodigal Son.
Nouwen was a frequent public speaker and travelled extensively leading retreats and sermons. Nouwen gained acceptance amongst Anglicans and Evangelicals. In 1992 he was invited by Robert Schuller to preach on Hour of Power at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. In a 1994 survey of 3,400 U.S. Protestant church leaders, despite being a Catholic, Nouwen ranked second only to Billy Graham in influence among them.
Nouwen was deeply involved in contemplative mysticism. He was strongly influenced by Thomas Merton and wrote a book about him in 1972, Pray to Live: Thomas Merton–Contemplative Critic.
See Thomas Merton
In his book In the Name of Jesus, Nouwen wrote that Christians must move “from the moral to the mystical.” (Rick Warren highly recommends this book.)
See Rick Warren
Nouwen claimed that the silence within contemplative meditation is necessary for intimacy with God:
“Silence protects the inner fire, guards the inner heat of religious emotions, the life of the Holy Spirit within us. Thus, silence is the discipline by which the inner fire of God is tended and kept alive.”
(The Way of the Heart p. 52)
He taught the use of an Eastern-style mantra in order to enter into ‘God’s’ presence:
“The quiet repetition of a single word can help us to descend with the mind into the heart … This way of simple prayer … opens us to God’s active presence.”
(The Way of the Heart, p. 81)
He saw that mysticism and contemplative prayer would create an ecumenical unity because Christian leaders learn to hear “the voice of love”:
“Through the discipline of contemplative prayer, Christian leaders have to learn to listen to the voice of love. … For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.”
(In the Name of Jesus, pp. 6, 31, 32)
Nouwen, like Thomas Merton and many other Catholic contemplatives, combined the teaching of eastern gurus with ancient Catholic practices. In his book Pray to Live, Nouwen relates approvingly Merton’s association with Hindu monks (pp. 19-28).
In his foreword to Thomas Ryan’s book Disciplines for Christian Living, Nouwen says:
“(T)he author shows a wonderful openness to the gifts of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Muslim religion. He discovers their great wisdom for the spiritual life of the Christian and does not hesitate to bring that wisdom home.”
(Disciplines for Christian Living, p. 2)
As is typical, Nouwen’s involvement with mysticism led him to a form of universalism (everyone goes to heaven) and panentheism (God is in all things):
“The God who dwells in our inner sanctuary is the same as the one who dwells in the inner sanctuary of each human being.”
(Here and Now, p. 22)
“Prayer is ‘soul work’ because our souls are those sacred centers where all is one … It is in the heart of God that we can come to the full realization of the unity of all that is.”
(Bread for the Journey, 1997, Jan. 15 and Nov. 16)
In his final book, Nouwen described his universalist doctrine as follows:
“Today I personally believe that while Jesus came to open the door to God’s house, all human beings can walk through that door, whether they know about Jesus or not. Today I see it as my call to help every person claim his or her own way to God.”
(Sabbatical Journey, p. 51)
Nouwen has led a multitude of people away from Biblical truth and into the great deception of contemplative prayer and it’s outcome, universalism. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He should have been recognised as such by Protestant leaders, but they have betrayed the truth by embracing his teaching to their own spiritual destruction and the churches that they lead.
See also Contemplative Prayer Universalism