James Houston on Christian mysticism

by Edmondo Senatore at photo.net

I have at times been very critical of Christian "mysticism." I grew up in a tradition which very much emphasized personal experiences with God (focusing especially on "inner peace"), and at many important junctures in my life I have experienced moments which I readily describe as personal encounters with God. And yet I have at times become wary and even critical of such emphases, for numerous reasons, including: the individualistic subjectivity of such mysticism, the emotional manipulation sometimes present in churches aiming to acheive such spiritual experiences (especially in neopentecostal-influenced Latin American evangelicalism), the concreteness of Anabaptist concepts of discipleship (Nachfolge), and Latin American theology's emphasis on the here-and-now.

I recently came across a chapter in a book at the library titled "Reflections on mysticism: How valid is evangelical anti-mysticism?" The book is in homage to Klaus Bockmühl (who --judging by our library's collection-- was a fairly conservative, pastoral German theologian of the 20th century). Houston describes him saying that "while in temperment he was more anti-mystical, he had a strong conviction of Biblical mysticism" (p. 163).

Houston begins the chapter by outlining some common Protestant objections to mysticism: it is associated with visions and raptures, it implies direct encounter with God in a non-mediated way, it is seen as a expression of Roman Catholic piety or interpreted as Neoplatonism, it is rejected by the Enlightenment, it is suspected for its tendency towards individualism and radicalism, and it creates an elite in the Church. He mentions that F. Heiler juxtaposes mysticism (receptive) with profetism (resolute), and that A. Nygren equates mysticism with egocentrism as opposed to theocentric faith seen in the Bible and the Reformation.

Houston then proceeds to explain how Christian mysticism differs from Platonism. He mentions its concept of God (non-existent in Platonism), the notion of grace (God initiates, not man’s self-realization), the idea that virtue is a gift, and not a means of purification, the communal orientation (fellowship and not withdrawal), and the absence of dualism (not just an elite are called to a “higher” contemplative life). However there are correlative parts which explain the influence of Platonism on early Christian, mainly the importance of the invisible reality and the immortality of the soul.

Houston continues by expounding upon the qualities of Christian mysticism, noting that mysticism must be present in Christianity if we are to speak of Christian “wholeness”. It is part of being human: “the self is essentially more than a mere self; transcendence belongs to its nature” (p. 165, citing L. Dupré).

• Christian mysticism is conservative in nature; the religious experience is shaped by the dogma. “The Christian mystic does not experience unidentified reality which he then can conveniently label God, but rather he is aware of the mediation of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, of the reality and the love of God Himself” (p. 173). Faithful Christian mystics do not enunciate new dogmas or use their experiences to establish or confirm Biblical truths. 
• Christian mysticism leads to the embodiment of Christian living, rather than to narcissism. “To experience God directly in one’s life, as the theophanies of the Old and New Testament depict, is also to be transformed by God [… Christian mystics] are not such morbid, pathological, sentimental or weak creatures. Strength, courage, definiteness, wisdom, realism, truth, love are their fundamental characteristics” (p. 175). 
• Christian mysticism is not a special faculty, but rather the integration of what we are called to be. “‘The Christian mystic’, then, is simply […a person] who is ‘living by the Gospel’. He or she has an integrity of heart and mind, for the things of God” (p. 176).

Houston concludes the chapter with the suggestion that such mysticism could not have originated in the Greco-Roman world, but only from the Judeo-Christian concept of “the presence of Yahweh with His covenant people, and of Jesus Christ in the Church. True mysticism is simply expressing personally the presence of God in our midst. […]If it is Christian mysticism when we allow God’s self-giving and self-revealing life to penetrate into the innermost centre of our human persons, and in turn to enable us to ‘love our neighbor as ourselves’, then clearly we should seek it with all our heart, soul, and might” (p. 177).

I consider the article a helpful defense of the validity of "Christian mysticism", which at the same time provides helpful paramters to protect against the non-Christian distortions of such experiences.

"Mysticism, then, is not sanctity. The heart of godliness is love, divine love, that is both received and shared. So progress in loving and being loved reflects more progress in humility, self-giving, simplicity, and godly contentment than the more dramatic gifts we tend to associate with the mystical life. It is more the heroism of the commonplace than the sensationalism of the extraordinary" (p. 166).
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Houston, J. M. (1991). Reflections on mysticism: How valid is evangelical anti-mysticism?. In M. Bockmühl & H. Burkhardt (Eds.), Gott lieben und seine Gebote halten: In memoriam Klaus Bockmühl (pp. 163-181). Giessen: Brunnen.