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Christian Mysticism And Why Is It Important

What Is Christian Mysticism And Why Is It Important?

Sacred Structures
Jim Baker

Christian Mysticism is a complex spiritual topic and defies easy definition. Historically, mysticism is defined as hidden, unspeakable, can’t be put into words, an awareness and experience of the reality of God beyond ritual, doctrine, and dogma.

Alan Watts (1915–1973), a British philosopher, put it this way: “The truth that religion, to be of any use, must be mystical has always been denied by the seemingly large number of people, including theologians, who do not know what mysticism is. . . . Its essence is the consciousness of union with God.”

Carl McColman, author of, The Big Book of Christian Mysticism-The Essential Guide To Contemplative Spirituality, offers perhaps the most precise definition: “Christian Mysticism is the spiritual encounter with a sacred mystery that cannot be put into words, but may be embodied through feelings, conscious awareness, experience, or intuition – or even through darkness or unknowing.” He goes on to provide a five-fold definition:
Mysticism refers to the experience of God, which can range from an ordinary sense of “practicing the presence” to a truly extraordinary “peak” mystical experience;
Mysticism also refers to an exalted level of consciousness: the sense of being enlightened or attaining nondual ways of knowing and seeing;
Mysticism may point to someone who has extraordinary abilities: a truly gifted sense of Union with God, or the possession of supernatural, charismatic gifts;
Mysticism can also mean having an abiding belief in God’s presence and intimate activity in one’s life, even without extraordinary experience or gifts;
And finally, mysticism also points to the inner dimension of religious faith and practice, where religion means more than just an institution or a set of external rituals, but points to an interior transformation that has been nurtured by religious observance but ultimately transcends the limitation of religious dogma or institutional identity.
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