Has Eastern Mysticism Entered the Church?

I must disagree. Otherwise, Paul's illustration makes no sense:

I'll investigate it.

 

Please understand donnA I am not knocking your prayer life, but I see in it a "positional" approach. You do the "first" to enter prayer correctly, this to be a quite time (go into your closet, i.e. close out the world), not with an "empty mind" but fill your mind from the heart with thanks, praise and worship. Then pray His Will be done as you pray for, or ask what ever you will. Today we cannot just ask what we will and it will be done as with His Apostles and His disciples in those days. We in this dispensation ask, and IF it is His will, it will be done.

I see a better way to pray in the Spirit to our Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 12:12 implies we are to be in "instant prayer". I have found when I have Him in sight (spiritually) I commune with Him, finding great comfort as we walk together. While this is not prayer it is companionship. From this position in Him, we can be in "instant prayer" at the drop of a hat, for emergencies do arise.

I traveled in my business for many years, train, then car and air. This was not a too lonely time for me for I found "lots" of quite times for prayer. While I am at my computer as now, it is a quite time, and I pray to God that what I write is of the Spirit and will be of help to spread the "grace commission" of believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved in all my writings; and in this case perhaps shed some light on prayer as presented and understood in His Word.

Hope you can see "positional" prayer which is powerful, is not the superior setting, but all day long in any situation that befalls us.

 

That is actually what 'praying in Jesus' name' means -- to pray in His character. "In Jesus' name" is not a magic formula you say to make your wishes/prayers come true!

 

I see what you mean and I spoke too hurriedly, I think. Paul does use running a race as a metaphor for something spiritual.

But what I meant to say was that using a pagan spirtual practice or technique should not be used to approach the true God. God has told us how to approach Him, - we don't need techniques that come from Eastern beliefs and other non-Christian teachings to pray. In fact, prayer is not a technique.

Thank you! :wavey:

 

Yes. But the scripture gives us plenty of information on how others did it. For instance, Psalm 19 has much to teach us about spiritual formation.

Willard spends a lot of time using examples from the psalms that demonstrate David's methods of prayer and worship. He also deals with the way other biblical writers represent spiritual formation, especially the gospel writers and Paul.

Yes. They appropriate the wisdom of Christians through the ages. They do not do it uncritically, however.

Certainly there are all sorts of problems with Christians from all ages. We need to take the good parts and reject the bad. Willard is not using their theology, but using as examples of some of the practical transformation methods that they used.

If you've read much of Dallas Willard's writings, you would know that he is thoroughly biblically-based. You (and I) won't agree with every conclusion, but there's no way that you could honestly make the charge that he is using the writings of the mystics as his standard. Anyone who is familiar with his writing -- in context -- knows that.

Willard does not, at least. I suggest you read Divine Conspiracy and The Spirit of the Disciplines.

 

Thats the problem I see, add the name Jesus, a few bible verses, and no one sees a problem.

 

What do you mean by spiritual formation (I know how the term is used but wondering what you think it means)? How does Ps 19 do this?

I am not saying everything Willard says is wrong. I am talking specifically about CP. CP as it is being promoted now is not biblically supported. I demonstrate this in my article.

I don't agree that everything Willard says is biblically based. He uses the Bible but I don't agree with his conclusions or interpretations on many things. I did read The Spirit of the Disciplines - recently, in fact - and disagreed with many things he says in there. Other things I had question marks about. But I don't want to make this thread about him.

Did you read my article?

 

Ah! Makes sense now.

 

I never said this was my only prayer. Of course you have to be in the attitude of prayer, where you might just start praying doing dishes, or mopping the floor. I was talking about set aside prayer time.

 

Not yet. I have too many things going on this afternoon.

I want to devote some time to carefully consider what you have to say.

I'll avoid becoming "contemplative" though.

 

Okay, thanks!

:laugh:

 

Those of you who have studied this movement -- do you consider Taize' -- a Protestant monastic community -- and its style of worship to be a part of the contemplative prayer/mysticism genre?

Some one mentioned Merton -- I was privileged as a seminarian to go to Our Lady of Gethsemani, with a class in church history, and meet with "Father Louis", as he was known. But he certainly did move on from his Christian underpinnings to that well-known flirtation with Buddhism until his tragic death from accidental electrocution in a Thai hotel.

 

Taize does incorporate the contemplative prayer practices, from what I've read about it.

I'm not sure how strong his underpinnings were to begin with if he wanted to be initiated into esoteric Tibetan Buddhist practices, admired the Dalai Lama and Choygam Trungpa as wise spiritual men, and wanted to build a Buddhist center back in the U.S.

Trungpa was the leader of the school of Tibetan Buddhism I was involved in before I was saved. The stories I could tell on that! But to read that a supposed Christian admires this man who led who knows how many thousands into spiritual darkness makes my stomach sick. And that's not a metaphor - I literally feel physically ill when I read these things.

 

in all seriousness: can we have our pictures changed from "avatar" to just "icon?"

 

So, from Eastern (Asian) mysticism to Eastern Orthodox mysticism (icon), heh? :laugh: :laugh:

I actually asked on the Computer forum once (a forum I never even visit) if anyone knows why they use the term "avatar" for photos or logos on discussion boards. No one knew.

Generally speaking in New Age beliefs, an avatar is a realized (i.e., very advanced and enlightened) spiritual being who comes to earth to lead others to enlightenment (so Jesus sometimes is put into this category, along with Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed and others). In Hinduism, an avatar is more specifically the god Vishnu coming in other forms to earth at a crisis point.

 

Thanks for your reply Revmitchell. I think I see what you are saying, but perhaps not; isn't it the same as that presented of "Then pray His Will be done as you pray for, or ask what ever you will". We pray for guidance in our lives, courage to give His Word to an unbelieving world, and you name it. We are seeking His Will. I don't know about you, but I have a better feeling about my prayer life when I allow the Holy Spirit to take what is in my heart, intervening on my behalf. I leave it in His hands and "IF it is His will, it will be done".

 

A good habit, as oft as we do it.