i agree that mysticism is a curse in today’s church, but the greatest? I think not. Mysticism and pietism in general bypass the intellect and thus operate essentially through the glands. This dissolves biblical authority solely to the person with the experience, who then wants his mystical notions to be your authority. This reduction of course is no ultimate authority at all.
I would add to the “greatest” curse a companion practice—autonomous intellectualism or various forms of sheer rationalism. This could probably include mysticism. Rationalism holds independent human reason converging on supposedly “neutral facts” to be the final source of religious authority and all truth, be it concerning miracles, age of the earth, or even the if the Bible is truthful in the first place. This authority is inviolable, God or no God, Bible or no Bible. Christ or no Christ. Every verbal proposition about any exchange of energy must come to terms with this law or commit the worst intellectual apostasy—reasoning in a circle.
Where does this leave supernaturally endowed, sanctified faith in the integrity of God and His verbal revelation to humans in Scripture? But then it appears we are back to some form of circularity. Is there nothing transcendental about human reasoning powers? Comparing this testimony to mysticism, or as some, to the neo-orthodox notion of an irrational supranatural, existential encounter or a tangential brush with the “wholly other” (God) is not very satisfying or productive.
Discussion
NewMysticism
Mysticism is the single greatest curse infecting the church today. Grieved to see it promoted at CRI.
Donn R Arms
NewGREATEST CURSE
i agree that mysticism is a curse in today’s church, but the greatest? I think not. Mysticism and pietism in general bypass the intellect and thus operate essentially through the glands. This dissolves biblical authority solely to the person with the experience, who then wants his mystical notions to be your authority. This reduction of course is no ultimate authority at all.
I would add to the “greatest” curse a companion practice—autonomous intellectualism or various forms of sheer rationalism. This could probably include mysticism. Rationalism holds independent human reason converging on supposedly “neutral facts” to be the final source of religious authority and all truth, be it concerning miracles, age of the earth, or even the if the Bible is truthful in the first place. This authority is inviolable, God or no God, Bible or no Bible. Christ or no Christ. Every verbal proposition about any exchange of energy must come to terms with this law or commit the worst intellectual apostasy—reasoning in a circle.
Where does this leave supernaturally endowed, sanctified faith in the integrity of God and His verbal revelation to humans in Scripture? But then it appears we are back to some form of circularity. Is there nothing transcendental about human reasoning powers? Comparing this testimony to mysticism, or as some, to the neo-orthodox notion of an irrational supranatural, existential encounter or a tangential brush with the “wholly other” (God) is not very satisfying or productive.
Rolland McCune