Someone asked what I have against contemplative spirituality. I’ve heard some people apply the term to a quiet life of prayer. One in which you spend time in solitude to clear your mind and converse with God. That’s fine; we DO need quiet times of prayer. Unfortunately, the growing trend of contemplative spirituality that is popular involves a mixture of new age, eastern mysticism, and secular humanistic elements. If you are quietly and prayerfully journeying, and are focused on Christ…that’s ok. When you start trying to tap into the “god within us….spiritual oneness”, when you remove the focus from Jesus and place it on human reasoning or on yourself, and when you manipulate Bible verses to support your purpose…there’s a problem.
Simply expressed, contemplative prayer encourages the use of breathing techniques and repetitive chanting to achieve an altered state of higher consciousness. This is simply transcendental meditation (TM). Wrap TM in some scripture verses and throw in the backing of one or two big names and the end product is contemplative spirituality.
Early monks used a memory system to memorize the Bible so that they would be able to meditate upon it later. Contemplation, as exemplified in monastic orders, is different from that which is arising in the Emergent Church.
New-fangled contemplation puts the focus inward upon the person. It is not longer God-centered. It is a blend of New Age and eastern mysticism.
So, as a matter of semantics, I am both for and against it. When the definition becomes clear, as a Jesus follower, I cannot endorse something which eradicates the need for Jesus and puts the focus solely on man, a collective consciousness, and a god-within mentality. I can; however, support quietly pondering on God’s word while prayerfully communicating with Him and attempting to draw nearer.
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