Loading ...Mystical Spirituality
The act of practicing mystical spirituality is typically engaged in by pagan religion and secular culture. Maybe both of these forces are creating the cult of New Ageism. In an attempt to succinctly highlight this mindset, the spiritualism that Oprah advocates in her daily talk show seems to describe much of this phenomenon. The appeal of mystical spirituality is focused on “getting in touch with yourself,” “getting to know your true self,” and “centering yourself.” These are just a few of the popular slogans from the movement. One can easily see by the slogans that mystical spirituality is rooted in self. This foundation of self is a natural result of another tenet in the movement. Oprah or other practitioners advise to “get in touch with a god or gods and/or spiritual power and higher power.” But when this higher power or god is not clearly defined, the natural result is for man to make God into his own image (Rom. 1:25). This is proved throughout the history of humanity. In a cursorily overview of the pagan concepts of god within the Roman and Greek cultures, it seems that the behaviors of the gods were consistent with the morality of the humans. The pagan gods were indulging in sexual immortality, deceptions, and envious wars. The higher powers became like the humans. Ultimately, the result of mystical spirituality is a continued perpetuation of human error.
The act of engaging in mystical spirituality has two major problems. First of all, mystical spirituality is not rooted in the Biblical text of the Word, but in the subjective experience of mankind. When man is allowed to develop his own concept of the nature of God, then man will make God into his image instead of allowing God to make man into His image. Paul states “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4 NASV). Unless the Word of God is the root of spirituality, concepts of spirituality will depend on the pleasures and mind of man. Another problem that arises from mystical spirituality is selfishness. Most of the focus of this form of spirituality is centered on self. It has overtones of connecting with a high power, but this is a cloak for self-development, self-realization, and self-discovering. The emphasis of self is in direct contrast to the teachings of Christ. Jesus stated “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” The spirituality of Christianity is a self-denying pursuit instead of a self-gratifying endeavor. Mystical spirituality falls short of the Biblical spirituality because it is not rooted in Scripture and it is not focused on God–but self.
Related posts:
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- SPIRITUALITY: WHAT IS IT?
- Denominational Spirituality
- Review of “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality”
- Read “Divine Embrace”
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Very insightful. This was a blessing to read.
Matthew,
Again, I think it’s great you’re stepping into this subject matter. The thing I’d caution against (for what it’s worth) is painting this subject with big sloppy brushes. Eastern mysticism is one thing, but the mystic spiritualism of the orthodox church, for example, is another. Christian mysticism stretches back to the desert fathers and beyond, and I’ll assure you they we’re not self-centered, but God centered. We all have only two choices–either we’re mystics or moderns. Moderns think they’ve got God totally figured out and Christianity is basically an “outside” thing. Mystics, however, realize there’s much we don’t understand, much we’ll never understand, and we live from the inside out. A Modern has very little time for meditation on the hillside with Isaac (see genesis) or exploring the movements of the soul with the Psalmist (e.g., Ps. 42-42). A modern is to busy “doing” doing religious stuff to be still and know God, which really means to drop down into the self, to relax, to move below the surface noise and into the quiet of the spirit in order to know God. Centering for an eastern mystic is self-centered and dangerous. Centering for Christ-followers is healthy and the most profound form of prayer we’ll ever experience. Modern’s think lectio divina is a stupid waste of time, but for those of us who think God has a fresh word to speak to us through His word, we can easily place ourselves under the sway of the word–a word that according to the way Jews read Torah is filled with words each pregnant with meaning.
Check out Centered Living by Basil Pennington and see if the practice doesn’t move you into an intimacy with God otherwise impossible to grasp. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find it’s both biblical and God-centered.
Also, The Cloud of Unknowing (author unknown), Dark Night of the Soul (John of the Cross), and even Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. You’ll find in these writings much to enrich your life in Christ.
Grace to you, my brother,
Ben Overby
Rochester, NY
You know how much I appreciate you and your blog. But I am with Ben. “Mysticism” is a huge term that encompasses a whole lot. It is very dangerous to boil it down to a few postmodern definitions.
I am curious as to where you are getting the idea that mysticism is based in a “selfish” worldview. The mystics that I read and that I talk are just about the most unselfish people I know–whether they are Catholic or Protestant. They love God more than anything–and that is why they are mystics. They want a mysterious union with him. Where does the idea of desiring unity with God include selfishness?
Have you read much mystical literature? Thomas Merton? Any pre-modern mystical literature? Julian of Norwich? Margery Kempe? Mechtild?
And if the idea of mysticism is not in the Bible, then what is 2 Corinthians 12? Sounds a lot like mysticism to me.
I think mysticism has a lot to offer us. We could learn a lot from them. Or do you disagree?
I am certainly not thinking of Christian mythic people from the past. Sorry about this. I am more thinking about new ageism. Sorry about the confusion.
Also, if spirituality is rooted in a false concept of God, man has a tendency to turn God into his own image.
The Bible must be the starting point for correct spirituality.
About that we are in complete agreement.