response 5

Another response

• Being Christian isn’t cool. The Dali Lama is cool and so Buddhism is definitely an option. Madonna is cool and so I might dabble in the Kabala. Anything Native American is cool so vision quests and dances and those awesome flute CD’s may be just the ticket.

There are two things you will notice about the various spiritual practices which appear to attract many (especially young people) today. One is they are very mystical and mysterious. They deal with lots of time of quiet and meditation. There is an emphasis on gaining wisdom in a secret way.

The second thing you will notice is the spiritual practices are highly individual. There is no one calling you into question or holding you accountable to reach out and give your life for the sake of others. When you dabble in these “cool” spiritualities what ends up happening is you just design your own faith around your own desires. It isn’t how they are actually meant to be practiced; it just becomes the way they are practiced.

With Christians, a relationship with Jesus is always formed under the authority of the Bible. Healthy Christians live out their faith life from within Christian communities and the faith itself is not following what we want but what Jesus wants. This is not mysterious. What he wants is quite clear from the Bible.

It is also important to know that there is a rich tradition of mysticism within the Christian tradition. For example, the practices of silence and solitude can be crucial to developing as a disciple of Jesus. One of the common mistakes that people make is to talk about “Eastern” religions and not realize the Christian faith is “Eastern,” as well. Meditative prayer, fasting, going off for times of renewal and retreat have all been around in the Christian camp since the beginning.

Even mystical writings by such Christians as Madam Guyon provide a rich background for those who are fed spiritually in contemplative ways. There is also a long a long history in contemplative worship such as Taize.

There is no lack of mystical elements to the Christian faith. However this is coupled with a reasonability based upon evidence that makes trusting in Jesus and his mission so compelling.