One of the disturbing elements in Christendom today is the propensity for a form of practical philosophical naturalism as a knee-jerk reaction to the ludicrous Charismatic mystical excesses that substitute rationale with subjective, whimsical careening. In light of the excesses of neo-montanism, many a Christians have been forced to “choose” sides”. In light of this, all mysticism has been viewed in a negative light. I would readily admit that there is a dark-side to mysticism (Mormonism, Word/Faith heresy, etc, etc), but we must also concomitantly acquiesce to the reality that Christianity is a religion with mystical elements prevalent in it.
My brother in Christ, St. Loder with regards to the subject at hand:
“If one desires to walk with Christ they must understand that the walk is a mystical walk. Before you roll your eyes, I will suggest that you never read Tozer (or for that matter, Jonathan Edwards). Tozer was one of the biggest supporters of the mystics. He once told Lloyd Jones, the Doctor, that they both arrived at the same spiritual place. Lloyd Jones, a sound and staunch calvinist by the Puritans and Tozer, and “the 20th Century Prophet” by the mystics. God is not bound by those He sovereignly chooses to use!!! Again, if you desire to walk with Christ you must walk on the mystical side. One must understand that to commune with Christ is to commune with the First Mystery. To commune with Christ you must sit silently at His blessed feet and hear Him to know that He is God. That is a positive statement. However, to grasp that statement one must look at the negative aspect (this is a sound rule for interpretation). If you do not sit silently at His blessed feet you shall not know (at your core) that Christ is God Almighty”.
So, has Scribe become a mystic? I’ve been one since I’ve been saved, and I would submit that if you are truly a Christian and devote yourself to worship, prayer etc ,etc you are indeed mystical to some extent. If I were an atheist, agnostic, empiricist, verificationist, I would most certainly view most Christian activity as mystical. They (Christians from an unbeliever’s standpoint) pray to a God they do not see, and expect results. They believe in a Man who Atoned for their sin who died, was buried, and rose on the third day, going to the “right hand” of a Trinitarian God (completely nonsensical-again the “natural man”) who exists in a spiritually metaphysical plane, in an ethereal heaven surrounded by a heavenly host who worship Him outside the constraints of time.. These Christian’s believe that this Christ, 2nd person of the God-head, also sent forth His Spirit to convict the world of sin, enter a repentant sinner’s being, recreate him/her with a spiritual rebirth thus making that person a new creation-preposterous!! The person still looks the same! I’ve not come to argue the unbeliever’s suppositions but merely to point out just how they may view us Christians as being mystical.
In conclusion (not that I’ve fleshed my thoughts out) in spite of the credulous claims by some in the Charismatic movement we mustn’t succumb to forms of religious modernism-faith and reason are not in diametric opposition, in the Christian religion the twain meet and my how marvelous that convergence is! Does your heart burn when He (Christ) opens your understanding to Holy Writ?
What are your thoughts?
Scribe