When the Mind Goes Blank, Start Typing

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 3:29 am by Michael Hardin

When the Mind Goes Blank, Start Typing 2015-05-26T03:29:04-04:00 Michael Hardin

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As I start this post I have no agenda, nothing specific to write about so I am as curious as you to see where my mind is at this morning.

I wonder why I find the Modern Devotion [in Holland] (1380-early 16th century) so interesting. I remember sometime in the mid 1980’s I discovered their work. I initially wanted to write a class term paper on The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempen. He was a member of Florens Radewijn’s house in Deventer. The more background I read on this little movement, the curiouser I became. I ended up writing my paper on Geert Grote, the ‘founder’ of the movement.

This was a lay [not a monastic] movement seeking to ‘live the Christian life’ in late medieval culture, which among its many other divisions also had the local clergy, the secular clergy, various monastic movements, some lay movements, etc. Like our modern day charismaniacs, there were those known as ‘Free Spirits’ (what a strange movement), with its itinerant preachers and writers always stirring up some trouble, there were the Spiritual Franciscans who, as I mentioned in a post yesterday [in a quote from Van Engen], were incredibly strict and quite persecutory, even Inquisitorial, and there were the beguines which are also a quite interesting movement of women who chose to live as lay persons in a form of Christian community. There were many others groups and movements all over Europe as well.

Grote was influenced by John of Ruusbroec [for those of you who may have read his work] and would found a house where first, sisters, then another house where brothers, undertook to live a common life together. They said the daily office [from all I can tell individually rather than corporately], had an order or a constitution and even had papal approval. They were known as the Brethren of the Common Life. They sought above all else to shape their character into that of Jesus by always keeping him in the forefront of their mind’s eye. Perhaps it is this Jesus centeredness that attracts me.

Certain folks like to appeal to medieval Christian mysticism and exemplars from that time in order to justify their mystical emphasis. They may even [try and] read the writings of these mystics. However, the mystics had something that these contemporary ecstatics have never had: an ordered and common life, an ordered and common liturgy. Modern mysticism is rife with all manner of what people think they see when they ‘enter’ an ecstatic state. What medieval mystics knew that our moderns don’t is that it takes a lifetime to reach a state of pure contemplation. Our moderns have technologized the process, slickly packaged it and sell it to you now in seminars. I mean, who would pay for someone to say, “What I am going to teach you this weekend will take a lifetime to learn and master?” In our fast-food culture we want Instant Mysticism much like we prefer instant oatmeal or a McDouble Cheeseburger. Our modern mystics with all their claim to simply be ‘passing on in a certain stream of Christianity’ have hardly begun to scratch the surface of the contemplative life and knowing God. One might say they are not the best doorway into authentic Christian mysticism.

There is a current hullabaloo out there in a certain charismaniac group I used to belong to (before I was given the boot). Many if not all of the folks in this group fancy themselves as mystics. However, I truly do wonder if they are confusing projection with revelation. Most of what I hear from these types of folks is contradictory or blather or both. There is hardly anything substantive, anything rational, anything substantiated, anything authentic. The mimetic frenzy stirred up by some of our contemporaries in their ‘mystical’ schools [sic] is the exact opposite of a true contemplative, especially those in the Christian tradition. Our modern mystics are out of control. While it is good that we can no longer persecute them in the name of God (the Inquisition), as happened to their late medieval counterparts, still like others pre-Reformation, we too must say publically how and why we see them deviating from the Jesus Path.

There is nothing like knowing church history as in depth as one can. As I see it, there are a number of interesting ecclesial parallels between the late Middle Ages (the 14th and 15 centuries) and our own time. I wonder if Phyllis Tickle is right and the church goes through some major transformation every 500 years. If so we are due. It was 498 years ago that a priest-monk-professor set out 95 theses on penance for debate and nailed to the church community bulletin board, the church door. 498 years is pretty close to 500 I think. Are we ready? I don’t think so, but then late medieval Christianity wasn’t ready for the Protestant Reformation. Yet. Here. We. Go.

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