What Is Christian Mysticism? Luther, Enthusiasm, and the Word of God

This week on Christendom and the World, Pastor Andrew Preus is joined by Pastor Jesse Schlie for a conversation about mysticism and enthusiasm and whether there is such a thing as true, biblical Christian mysticism.

Luther strongly warned against enthusiasm—the idea that God speaks to us apart from His external Word. But what does that mean for prayer, meditation, spiritual experience, and a Christian's personal awareness of God's work in their lives?

In this episode, we discuss:

• What Luther meant by enthusiasm
• Why God speaks to our hearts through His Word, not out of our hearts
• The dangers of seeking signs, dreams, visions, and extra-biblical revelation
• Mysticism and its place throughout church history
• Luther's theology of the cross
• Oratio, meditatio, tentatio — prayer, meditation, and testing
• The relationship between Christian experience and Scripture
• How Luther's understanding of faith differs from the mysticism that came before him

True Christian spirituality isn't found by looking beyond God's Word for something new. Rather, the Christian is brought deeper into the mystery of Christ through the Word, through faith, prayer, meditation, and the trials of life.

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