Category: Contemplative Spirituality
On a flaw in “The God of Intimacy and Action” by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling.
Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling have recently co-authored a book titled, The God of Intimacy and Action. The “intimacy” to which they refer is experiencing closeness to God by engaging ancient spiritual and mystical practices, while the “action” refers to evangelism and advocacy of causes on behalf of the less fortunate in society. In the authors’ view, mystical intimacy stimulates and facilitates Christian advocacy. Private spiritual experiences enhance public societal engagement. Through practicing spiritual disciplines of ancient Catholicism, mystical experiences, according to the authors’ thesis, become essential for and foundational to the engagement of social justice for all. As to the possible downside of mystical intimacy, the authors seemingly write of “action” to mute criticism that engaging in mystical practices leads devotees, as typically has been the case, to disengage from society and retreat into monasteries. Click here to continue reading
“Emmanuel”—God is with us!
“The mysterywhich has been hidden from the past ages and generations . . . has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27, NASB)
Among evangelicals there’s a lot of chatter and publicity about “getting intimate” with or “seeking the manifest Presence” of God. Often spelled with an upper case “P,” the new Christian spiritualists hope to experience God’s “Presence” by means other than just praying to and reading about Him in the Bible. One means employed to invoke the “manifest presence” is called Soaking Prayer. Preparatory measures to bring down this prayer “presence”—though soaking prayer’s practitioners deny there is a precise formula for it—involves steps such as getting alone with God (solitude and silence; contra Matthew 18:20), repenting of sin(s), speaking in tongues, presenting one’s self to God, remembering God’s past workings, telling the Lord, “I want more of your presence,” and then waiting in silence for His manifest presence to come. Click here to continue reading
Habakkuk 2:20 and contemplative prayer.
“But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” Habakkuk 2:20
“Without a doubt” writes one prayer trainer, “the most difficult step in intercessory prayer is this one–keep silence, be still.”[1] Along with nine other biblical passages, the online adviser cites Habakkuk 2:20 to teach:
It is the mandate of God that we still ourselves before him in order to find his peace and hear his voice. So thus we have as the first and most important step in the believer’s prayer life to still ourselves before the Lord.[2]
The BE STILL DVD also employs the Habakkuk verse to invite viewers to practice contemplative, centering, or listening prayer.[3] But as cited by contemplatives along with Psalm 46:10 (“Be still, and know that I am God“), is this prophetic verse a superficial use of scripture that ignores the verse’s real meaning? Click here to continue reading
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8, KJV
In his book Life with God, Richard Foster describes Spiritual Disciplines as activities Christians engage in so that they might become the athletae dei, the athletes of God. Foster pairs some of the disciplines to be, “fasting and prayers, study and service, submission and solitude, confession and worship, meditation and silence . . .”[1] Note the author’s association of “meditation” with “silence”—it’s as if the one equates to the other—and superficially, at least, the pair do seem to be associated. But biblically, are they?
To answer to the question, we must go to the Old Testament where, especially in the book of Psalms, meditation is portrayed as a path to quality living, both spiritual and material. Click here to continue reading
Contemplative prayer and “the Elijah experience” of 1 Kings 19:12.
And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12, KJV
Elijah’s Mt. Horeb experience, when he heard “a sound of sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:12, NRSV), stimulated in the church a tradition of desert spirituality which pursues solitude in order to experience the divine presence and hear God speak. [1] Practitioners of lectio divina (i.e., reading sacred things) also desire such encounters. They say:
Click here to continue readingWhen we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the “faint murmuring sound” which is God’s word for us, God’s voice touching our hearts.
Does saying “breath prayers” make us God’s “best friends”?
“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV
To direct people on a spiritual journey for 40 days, Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Life. The bestselling book has impacted millions of persons. Some of Pastor Warren’s purpose involves recommendations for “Becoming Best Friends with God.” To become God’s friends, the author shares six secrets, one of which is practicing God’s presence by being in “constant conversation” with him. After quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (“pray without ceasing“), Warren asks how a Christian can practice unceasing prayer to which he answers:
One way is to use “breath prayers” throughout the day, as many Christians have done for centuries. You choose a brief sentence or a simple phrase that can be repeated in one breath. [1]
Then after providing ten examples of short biblical phrases that could work as breath prayers, Warren advises “Pray it as often as possible so it is rooted deep in your heart.”[1] Click here to continue reading
Contemplative prayer and Psalm 62:1.
“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.” Psalm 62:1, KJV
Supporters of silent waiting in cite such Scriptures as 1 Kings 19:12, Psalm 46:10, and Psalm 62:1 to encourage the practice. Regarding the last mentioned verse, Richard Foster writes:
Contemplative Prayer is the one discipline that can free us from our addiction to words. Progress in intimacy with God means progress toward silence. “For God alone my soul waits in silence,” declares the Psalmist (Ps. 62:1). [1]
But does David’s description of waiting in silence qualify as a proof text for practicing listening prayer?
Psalm 62 was written amidst a personal crisis–evil men were out to “murder” David (Psalm 62:3b). The situation in David’s life that gave rise to this psalm is unknown. Absalom’s rebellion and attempted overthrow of David may provide the historical background for the psalm’s composition (2 Samuel 15:14; 17:1-4). Click here to continue reading
Matthew 5:8 and the mystic vision of God.
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Jesus, Matthew 5:8, KJV
If we were to see God, what might deity look like? In a metaphorical borrowing from the imagery of the biblical Tabernacle, The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ describes both the process for and image of discovering the god within. That gospel advises:
Look deep into the temple of your brain, and you will see it all aglow . . . and you are in the Holiest of All, where rests the Ark of God, whose covering is the Mercy Seat. . . . And then, behold the manna there, the hidden bread of life; and he who eats shall never die. The cherubim have guarded well for every soul this treasure box, and whosoever will may enter in and find his own.[1]
Upon such a visage within, the mystic exclaims, “Eureka! Click here to continue reading