Critical Questions in Christian Contemplative Practice

by Philip St. Romain, James Arraj

The stories, discussions and short essays you will encounter here can at first glance appear bewildering. What does talk about everything from the psychological unconscious to strange energy movements in the body that the Hindus called kundalini have to do with the Christian life of prayer and contemplation? But the wide-ranging debates found here are the result of the Christian mystical tradition trying to wake up and throw off the torpor of a sleep that has lasted more than 300 years. And the most amazing thing about these discussions is that they are taking place in a new context which is not a theoretical theological analysis of the spiritual life, but among people who are concerned with how one would go about living the contemplative life day by day, and who are actually trying to do it. In short, we face the first sustained practical interest in contemplation since the end of the 17th century, but already this enthusiasm has raised critical questions that need to be addressed lest these new beginnings go astray.Part I introduces us to three modern attempts to renew the Christian life of prayer.Part II allows us to meet people today who have had Christian experiences of prayer and contemplation.Part III explores how the renewal of the Christian contemplative life is interacting with Eastern forms of meditation.The material here came originally from www.shalomplace.com and www.innerexplorations.com

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2010