Steve Bishop and I are delighted that the journal Foundations has just published our article:
THE “CHRISTIAN” MYSTICISM OF MEISTER ECKHART AND TERESA OF ÁVILA
To be really frank I am very concerned how so many Christians are plunging into mysticism without knowing its dark, pagan background!
In this article we probe the so-called “Christian” mysticism of Meister Eckhart and Teresa of Ávila. The roots in the Orphic creation myth and Neoplatonism are scrutinised. We unpack how these two mystics would answer the six worldview questions. What is God like? What is the universe like? What is a person? Why do we suffer? What is the remedy? What happens after death? We conclude with a critique of “Christian” mysticism and show how it is both world-denying and auto-salvific. Neither option is Christian. We show how Dooyeweerd’s philosophy can help us engage with mysticism.
To access the article go to
Mark is a lively storyteller and the author of four books, including The Spy, the Rat and the Bed of Nails: Creative Ways of Talking about Christian Faith. His work is focused on storytelling and how this can help us to communicate the Christian faith. He has written many articles for the Baptist Times, RE Today, Youthscape, Direction magazine and the Christian Teachers Journal.
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1 Comment
Dr Philip Thomas · February 28, 2025 at 2:02 am
Thanks, Mark for your research and analysis of mysticism, vis-à-vis Neoplatonism (be it “Christian” or otherwise). I particularly like your testing of mystic philosophy by way of the “six worldview questions”.
I agree, meditation, should seek to draw us closer to God; and it reasonable to expect it must be carried out in a way that aligns with Scriptural principles. But also, to my mind, meditation MUST ultimately work to drive forward the principal task of all Believers, and that is “…to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything…” which Christ commanded of us (Matthew 28: 19-20). After all, Christian mysticism, which leads to “world-denying” or “auto-salvific” thinking, seems utterly at odds with the Great Commission. And that should be problematic for any Christian, whatever their stripe.
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