kvanlaan
Puritan Board Doctor
Got this in my email today:
I'm not familiar with the book described for the study; has anyone here read it?
As I was growing up, my church experience seemed somewhat heady to me—concerned more about correct belief than about actually loving God. Whether or not that was a correct perception, I wanted more. I wanted not just to know about God, I wanted to know God, though I may not have put it in those terms at that time.
Christian mysticism addresses that longing of the heart. Early in The Imitation of Christ, Thomas writes, "Let the learned be still, let all creatures be silent before You; You alone speak to me." I don't want to hear about you from others, I want to know you myself.
The word 'mysticism' has scary connotations for some. Part of the problem is that the word is used for everything from Babylonian astrology to New Age speculation. Webster defines mysticism as "the doctrine that it is possible to achieve communion with God through contemplation and love without the medium of human reason." That definition captures what I have in mind by the term. If you believe in the possibility of a relationship with God that is more than knowledge about God, you are a mystic. In this sense, mysticism is at the heart of true Christianity; even the devils know about God.
I bring all of this up because there is an interesting on-line book-study group starting at the CCEL, led by Robert Loutzenhiser. This group is initially studying Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill. This is an interesting introduction to the ideas of mysticism intended primarily for the non-religious reader who wants to know how this "mysticism" business might work out in everyday life. The language is not very Christocentric, even Neoplatonic, but it gives a good, accessible, and compelling introduction. The study group intends next to cover her more thorough overview, Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness. I haven't heard from the group on whether any additional books are on the agenda, but other classics of mysticism such as The Imitation of Christ and The Cloud of Unknowing would be interesting and appropriate.
By the way, the CCEL now has a total of six online study groups with over 4400 members, including two Bible studies, three book studies, and a prayer group. You can learn more about and join groups here. If you might be interested in leading a group, please contact the moderator.
I'm not familiar with the book described for the study; has anyone here read it?
