What is the October 2025 issue of Theology for Life about?

The October 2025 issue of Theology for Life focuses on contemplative spirituality and the biblical means of grace. It examines how practices such as centering prayer, mystical spirituality, and modern spiritual formation trends relate to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture and calls believers back to God's appointed means of grace.

Why is contemplative spirituality a concern for Christians?

Contemplative spirituality is a concern because it often shifts the focus from God's sufficient Word to subjective spiritual experiences. Many contemplative practices downplay or bypass Scripture, blur the line between biblical Christianity and mysticism, and can lead believers away from the clear teaching of the Bible about how God speaks and works through His ordained means of grace.

What are the means of grace explored in this issue?

This issue highlights the means of grace that God has appointed in Scripture, including the preaching of the Word, the sacraments, prayer, and the fellowship of the local church. The articles emphasize that God Himself is the primary agent in our sanctification and that He uses these ordinary means to give life, sustain faith, and conform His people to Christ.

Who are the contributors to the October 2025 issue?

Contributors to the October 2025 issue of Theology for Life include Dave Jenkins, David de Bruyn, Joshua Mills, Dawn Hill, Doreen Virtue, Marcia Montenegro, and Gary Gilley. Together they address contemplative spirituality, spiritual disciplines, inner healing, mindfulness, and the roots of the contemplative movement in light of biblical truth.

How can pastors and church members respond to contemplative practices?

This issue provides practical guidance for pastors and church members who want to respond to contemplative practices with grace and truth. Articles offer questions to ask before joining a spiritual formation class, counsel on how to shepherd people out of contemplative practices, pastoral warnings against contemplative spirituality, and encouragement to speak the truth in love while pointing believers back to Scripture and the local church.

Contemplative Spirituality and the Means of Grace

Ordinary Means, Extraordinary Grace: Rejecting Mysticism in the Church

Mysticism and the Authority of Scripture: Why the Word Is Enough

Hearing the Word Together

10 Signs of Contemplative Influence in Your Church

Fall 2025 Editorial for Theology for Life

Recommended Reading on the Means of Grace and Contemplative Spirituality

Speaking the Truth in Love: How Church Members Can Address Contemplative Spirituality

How to Shepherd People Out of Contemplative Practices

The Dangers of Contemplative Spirituality

8 Questions to Ask Before Joining a Spiritual Formation Class

Contemplative Spirituality: Is it Biblical?

Mindfulness and the Modern Church

Inner Healing and Its Dangers

Holding Fast to the Word: A Biblical Response to Mystical Spirituality

The Pulsebeat of Every Prayer

Spiritual Disciplines and the Means of Grace

God: The Primary Agent in the Means of Grace