What is Contemplative Christianity?

[sojourner]

How do you find him in the center of your being? How did you do that?

By quieting my mind and listening with my heart.

Oh I see. Just a source, so that means there is another source of tradition.

YES!

Of course, we both know that not all ceremonies, laws, way of dressing, custom etc.. are not applicable to us. Is that the reason why we should seek another source?

NO! We seek other sources, because God's people have always used the whole Tradition -- written and unwritten, biblical and extra-biblical.

 

[sassysam29]

What does Holy Spirit mean to you?

The Holy Spirit is within me and is my intercessor....the way I communicate with God.

 

[sassysam29]

The point of the elephant and the blind man is that we all are those blind men. The elephant exists, but us being blind cannot truly understand what it is, touching only parts of it and extrapolating our ideas of what it is. I would not say the motives are rooted in self-gratification or self-reliance, or some ego thing. It's simply a matter of the mind trying to grasp with the mind, something which is beyond it's ability to fathom giving the resources available to it. What is ego, is when we say our understanding is "The Truth!", because we believe it to be so. That describes all of these "The Bible says", arguments. Ego. Being "right", while being blind only experiencing partial truths, relative truths to our points of view, like the blind men and the elephant.

I think I remember a "fairy tale". Twas blind but now I see

 

[Windwalker]

The Holy Spirit is within me and is my intercessor....the way I communicate with God.

That's a definition. What does that look like to you? How is that experienced that is different than what you normally do? It is just a believe layered on top of normal prayer, a faith that is what is happening, or is it something distinct, with its own flavor, its own taste, as it were?

 

[Windwalker]

I think I remember a "fairy tale". Twas blind but now I see

Hah! Yes, but that is of course a more recent church hymn. Yes, the metaphor is there, but what is the experience of this, and what do you see?

 

[sojourner]

It's not a "poetic license" I am wishing to obtain, it's faith.

"Faith" doesn't get the texts read.

It's taking the simple words (and yes, much of it is very clear and simple) and having faith that the record written is divine.

If you think "much of it is very clear and simple," it's only "clear and simple" because others have come before you and done A. Lot. of work. It's not so "clear and simple" as you think, because getting out of your own head and into the head of the writers is very, very difficult, when you're crossing significant literary boundaries imposed by language and culture.

As I have stated before, simply because we choose to find multiple interpretations of something doesn't change the intent of the matter.

It does, actually, do that very thing.

 

[sassysam29]

"Faith" doesn't get the texts read.

If you think "much of it is very clear and simple," it's only "clear and simple" because others have come before you and done A. Lot. of work. It's not so "clear and simple" as you think, because getting out of your own head and into the head of the writers is very, very difficult, when you're crossing significant literary boundaries imposed by language and culture.

It does, actually, do that very thing.

Please don't think I am being flippant or ungrateful for men who worked very hard to allow me to hold the bible, but I believe its God's provision and it can be seen mightily THROUGH their labor.

 

[sassysam29]

Faith doesn't get the texts read, but faith gives us assurance to trust the text that God empowered men to preserve.

 

[sojourner]

Please don't think I am being flippant or ungrateful for men who worked very hard to allow me to hold the bible, but I believe its God's provision and it can be seen mightily THROUGH their labor.

It also needs to be seen through your labor of exegetical discipline.

 

[sojourner]

Faith doesn't get the texts read, but faith gives us assurance to trust the text that God empowered men to preserve.

That doesn't address the post.

 

[sassysam29]

It also needs to be seen through your labor of exegetical discipline.

2 Tim 2:15 my Job

John 16:13 God's job

 

[sassysam29]

2 Tim 2:15 my Job

John 16:13 God's job

And one cannot be done apart from the other [emoji4]

 

[sassysam29]

And one cannot be done apart from the other [emoji4]

Correction...it can be done apart through our flesh, but only through God's divine wisdom through the Holy Spirit will we find truth......not our own truth, His truth and we cannot put human reasoning onto how that happens

 

[sassysam29]

Hah! Yes, but that is of course a more recent church hymn. Yes, the metaphor is there, but what is the experience of this, and what do you see?

I can only speak for myself but for me personally, it was coming to a point of seeing myself in the light of God's holiness. A full surrender of self to the allknowing God. Understanding that there was a great divide I could not mend through my flesh or my intellect. Letting go of all that I imagined was good in the sight of God and allowing him to redefine it. Religion is a prison because it focuses on DOING....instead of focusing on what was already done to empower me to do. One is death, the other is life. I was blinded by my own self righteousness and I now can see that the only true goodness is through Christ's blood!. I'm clothed (covered) in HIS righteousness and through gratefulness I love and serve Him. I'm no longer trying to obtain His grace....because it's freely given by my faith and trust in HIM ALONE

 

[sassysam29]

And I, as you, usually do not speak much because this is precious to me

 

[sassysam29]

I can only speak for myself but for me personally, it was coming to a point of seeing myself in the light of God's holiness. A full surrender of self to the allknowing God. Understanding that there was a great divide I could not mend through my flesh or my intellect. Letting go of all that I imagined was good in the sight of God and allowing him to redefine it. Religion is a prison because it focuses on DOING....instead of focusing on what was already done to empower me to do. One is death, the other is life. I was blinded by my own self righteousness and I now can see that the only true goodness is through Christ's blood!. I'm clothed (covered) in HIS righteousness and through gratefulness I love and serve Him. I'm no longer trying to obtain His grace....because it's freely given by my faith and trust in HIM ALONE

So you see, I do not idolize words on a page, but I see them as a love letter from the one I love

 

[Orbit]

A general comment here. The main argument seems to be that one side looks the Bible as the Word of God. It's not. God did not write the Bible. Men did. And what came to be counted as "The Bible" was the result of many committee meetings among........men. Indeed Christianity existed for hundreds of years before the Council of Nicea decided on the "canon" that became the Bible. Relying on the literal words written there, without an appreciation of their context as a dialogue between religious scholars at different points in history, is wrongheaded.

 

[sassysam29]

A general comment here. The main argument seems to be that one side looks the Bible as the Word of God. It's not. God did not write the Bible. Men did. And what came to be counted as "The Bible" was the result of many committee meetings among........men. Indeed Christianity existed for hundreds of years before the Council of Nicea decided on the "canon" that became the Bible. Relying on the literal words written there, without an appreciation of their context as a dialogue between religious scholars at different points in history, is wrongheaded.

The prophetic nature alone screams for acknowlement of the signature of God. Of course men were the instruments He used to write, translate and preserve His message to us. I cannot understand how a God you claim created the universe is not capable of the process of preservation

 

[Brickjectivity]

So anyway, what's a good way to find out how contemplative prayer is done? The link in the opening post was http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/christian-contemplative-tradition
It has some training courses and workshops mentioned, etc. What sort of background is required for centering prayer? Do you need to be baptized first? Do you need a catechism class first? Who wrote the Open Heart Open Mind mentioned in the brochure here: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/private/32977/field-file/cp-english.pdf

 

[Windwalker]

A full surrender of self to the allknowing God. Understanding that there was a great divide I could not mend through my flesh or my intellect. Letting go of all that I imagined was good in the sight of God and allowing him to redefine it.

So, would you call this emptying yourself, your ideas you brought with you into a full surrender and trust of God to all his Spirit to illuminate your understanding, not trying to understand God with your mind or reasoning?