Embracing Contemplation: Reclaiming a Christian Spiritual Practice

by John H. Coe (Editor), Kyle Strobel (Editor)

What does a Christian life lived "by the Spirit" look like?

For many Christians throughout history, fulfilling Paul's command in Galatians 5:25 included a form of contemplation and prayer that leads to spiritual formation. But in large part, contemporary Christians—perhaps especially evangelicals—seem to have lost or forgotten about this treasure from their own tradition.

Bringing together scholars and practitioners of spiritual formation from across the Protestant spectrum, this volume offers a distinctly evangelical consideration of the benefits of contemplation. The contributors draw on historical examples from the church—including John Calvin, Richard Baxter, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley—to consider how contemplative prayer can shape Christian living today. The result is a robust guide to embracing contemplation that will help Christians as they seek to keep in step with the Spirit.

340 pages, Paperback

Published February 26, 2019

Reviews

[George P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Christian book publishing trends are any indication, contemplative spirituality is a hot topic among Christian readers — hot in the dual sense that it arouses intense interest as well as intense opposition. Proponents claim it is an ancient Christian practice capable of deepening a person’s love for God and neighbor. Opponents counterclaim that it is biblically subpar, smacks of medieval Catholicism, and opens the door to New Age mysticism.

In Embracing Contemplation, John H. Coe and Kyle C. Strobel assemble a team of theologians to assess the appropriateness of contemplative spirituality for evangelical Christians. These various authors examine the Bible, church history, and the writings of contemporary authors and arrive at a measured appraisal of contemplative spirituality. Coe and Strobel conclude: “contemplation and the contemplative life is fundamental to the maturing Christian life.”

This approval of contemplation should not be interpreted as a blanket approval of everything that calls itself “contemplative spirituality,” of course. In his chapter, “The Controversy Over Contemplation and Contemplative Prayer,” Coe identifies forms of contemplative spirituality that are “sub-Christian.” Similarly, in “A Distinctively Christian Contemplation,” Glen G. Scorgie differentiates authentically Christian contemplation from what is found in other religions.

Because contemplative spirituality is often seen as a Catholic practice, several authors show how Protestant Reformers and well-known evangelicals practiced a gospel-based form of contemplation. This includes three “Johns” whose evangelical credentials are not in dispute: John Calvin, John Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards. See Ashley Cockworth’s “Sabbatical Contemplation?” for Calvin and Tom Schwanda’s “To Gaze on the Beauty of the Lord” for Wesley and Edwards. Of particular interest to Pentecostal readers is Simon Chan’s chapter, “Contemplative Prayer in the Evangelical and Pentecostal Traditions.”

Throughout the book, the authors do a good job of placing evangelical theological commitments at the forefront of the conversation about contemplative spirituality. What is consistent with those commitments is allowed; what isn’t is discarded. This measured approach is better than a knee-jerk rejection or simplistic embrace of what passes for contemplative spirituality today.

Book Reviewed
John H. Coe and Kyle C. Strobel, eds., Embracing Contemplation: Reclaiming a Christian Spiritual Practice (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019).

P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.

P.P.S. This review is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com with permission. It appeared in the May-June 2019 issue of Influencemagazine.

P.P.P.S. I interviewed John Coe and Kyle Strobel in Episode 175 of the Influence Podcast, which you can listen to below:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/influencere...

[David J. Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carefully defends the assertion that moving toward contemplation is in fact a retrieval of an earlier Christian practice, not a syncretistic betrayal of Christian spirituality. Essays touch on both the why's and how's of the matter. Academic but edifying.

[Josh Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

John & Kyle have helped produce a much needed volume to the Christian community. In the light of the Christian movement of spiritual formation it seemingly feels like there needs to be a reconcilation between evangelicalism, biblical tradition and assumptions about the nature of contemplation. These essays are each goldmines of wisdom, and ever so thoughtfully build upon each other to make a successful case for a christian contemplative tradition.

[Kent Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the last several years, I have been drawn to begin to practice contemplation/meditation. But I have been sorely disappointed with any help I might receive from a large number of writings. I saw danger in most of these from being influenced by practitioners who were not Christian. The writers were professing Christians, yet over and over I could see they were highly influenced by the practitioners from Greek or Eastern religions. I asked, "How can anyone who follows false religions tell me anything about finding the true God?"
In many of these writings, I also found way too much emphasis on aesthetics and self-imposed suffering. Martin Luther writes of the fallacy of putting your faith in self-abasement.

Now at last I have had the help I need to begin. Embracing Contemplation is a compilation of chapters written by thirteen contributors. Only in two have I seen a small tendency to accept Greek or Eastern meditation and some of the others have very clear warnings against doing so. I found true Biblical theology pointed to as our foundation for contemplation and meditation. I might warn you about a challenge. I needed my computer handy looking up theological words on nearly every page. And I was a Bible major and New Testament Greek minor in college. But the joy in understanding was well worth it.

I spent a long time pouring over this book and decided a good place to begin was to practice natural contemplation, focusing on God the creator and seeking to be aware of his glory shining all around us. Often, a short walk or drive could turn into the delight of experiencing, understanding and knowing him more. In the winter, I noticed the delight my wife expressed each time it began to snow. So I sought out videos that showed that beauty (mixed with beautiful music) and a couple explaining the science of this wonderful part of creation. We first spent many sessions absorbing what they could tell us of God's nature. Then with the addition of the scripture, "Though your sins be as scarlet, he shall wash them whiter than snow", we experienced tremendous peace as we viewed them again and again.

I added lectio divina and immediately had an amazing experience reading, studying, meditating, and envisioning a passage on Jesus' healing a blind man in Mark 8. This experience has given prayer for my own healing and for the healing of others more power and meaning. I know lectio divina will become a regular part of my experiencing the Word of God.

I was having a hard time understanding one part on the beatific vision. So I wrote the writer of that chapter (and co-editor of the book), Kyle Strobel with a question. He replied with the link to a long article he had written on the practice. It is the most powerful thing I've read so far on contemplation/meditation. I look forward to pressing into its application. If you'd like this article, message me. For such a personal response from an author, I look forward to more of his books.
I know this review of Embracing Contemplation is rather long but I wanted to truly share with you the importance of finding this book.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evangelicals are very suspicious of contemplation. Many view it as an infiltration of Buddhism or New Age fuzzy spirituality into the church. So, they have remained uncomfortable and awkward about ancient contemplative practices. On account of this dismissal, many evangelical circles have found themselves experiencing spiritual poverty and incompleteness.

Embracing Contemplation seeks to address this issue. This book convincingly argues that evangelicals need to recover the lost treasures of their own tradition. John Calvin, Richard Baxter, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley had much to contribute on contemplation. Not only did they write extensively about this topic but also their lives were full of contemplative practices.

For these evangelical fathers, one of the crucial applications of Galatians 5:25 was to lead a life that promotes contemplation and spiritual formation. This work encourages, challenges, and spurs evangelicals to mine the spiritual gold from the scriptures and glance through the pages of Christian history to explore what it means to live ‘by the Spirit’.

Grounded in the word of God and the Church Fathers, this book attempts to keep the conversation going in order to recover the long forgotten practice of contemplation.

The editors, John H. Coe and Kyle C. Strobel, gather 13 different essays from 13 different spiritual formation scholars. This is a great strength because the various voices bring diverse perspectives that give specificity and richness to the conversation. Each contribution is unique and invaluable.

The essays are written in everyday non-lofty and non-academic language. Philosophical and theological jargon is kept to minimum, which is a great strength. All sorts of people can make use of this book. You don’t have to be a theologian or a philosopher to understand this work. It is simply accessible, readable, and timely for the evangelical world.

I thank IVPress for providing me with a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Matthew V Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good, for what it intends to be, so it’s difficult to rate. It reads like a theological journal made up of academic essays seeking to justify contemplation as a worthy and relevant spiritual practice. And that it does well. So if that’s the book you want to read them this is the book for you. But for someone who is acquainted with contemplation it’s a bit strange. It’s the farthest thing from contemplation seeking to explain and justify contemplative spirituality. But, if it helps people feel safe exploring it, then it is well worth the effort.

[Dustin Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on a controversial topic seldom discussed in evangelicalism. Like any edited collection, some essays are better than others. At times, it can be a bit repetitive. However, this work provides a helpful intro to contemplative spirituality in Protestant Christianity. It’s thoroughly biblical and theological. It’s given me some food for thought. Highly recommended for those desiring to grow in spiritual formation both as a discipline and within their own spirituality.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not the easiest read--pretty scholarly. But I appreciated hearing from different strains in Christian theology--all agreeing that contemplation has a long and not unbiblical history. As in so many issues, it's wise to learn more about something before determining it has no place in a Christian's life. One of the most valuable discoveries for me was the distinction between meditation--looking inward--and contemplation--looking Godward.

[Jeff Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of Christian contemplative practice. It anchors this in sound theology, roots it Biblically, and gives a multitude of examples of the contemplative practices of our evangelical “ancestors.” If you e ever questioned the role of contemplative disciplines in the local church this will provide great food for thought.