Where the Edges Meet: What Emergents Can Learn from the New Mystics
by Dave T. Brown
”...The fingers and the thumb have a certain separateness. They have grown out of, and belong to, something larger than any one of them alone…the palm of the hand. The same pulse in the wrist brings the life blood to each of them. ...The basic truth which unites [different churches] is far bigger and more important than the things which separate them, and love for Christ pulses through them all and gives life, power and unity to them all.”—Leslie Weatherhead
I grew up speaking in tongues, getting slain in the spirit, and witnessing healings and exorcisms. As disciples of the Charismatic movement, my parents frequently held prayer meetings in our home, and such events became particularly intense when their evangelist, missionary, and prophet friends came to town. Those were interesting times to say the least, especially when I was placed in the “hot seat” for deliverance or healing.
To some, this type of spirituality is all fine and dandy, while to others it has the stench of a cult. Regardless, leaving theology and eccentricities aside, one of the things I appreciate about my Charismatic upbringing is the deep desire to get beyond dry intellectual debate to experience the divine, instead of just talking about it. And while I think back and cringe at some of my memories, I also have affection for some of the things I experienced. So I wasn’t surprised when, about a year ago, I stumbled on some YouTube videos of a group known as the New Mystics.
The New Mystics is a rapidly growing segment on the fringe of the Charismatic movement. It’s characterized by its emphasis on ecstatic experiences of God. Considered leaders of the movement, speaker John Crowder, who CurrentTV called “the YouTube Prophet,” and musician Ben Dunn often get “whacked up” in the “drunken glory” of God and stumble around mumbling like they’re flat-out wasted. They have raves during which hundreds of people, young and old alike, don whimsical attire and gather to trance out with trippy worship music and stumble and crawl around just like they’re completely fried. I’ve also seen them pray for people who then apparently get healed, like one man did in what they call the “pee pee miracle.”
And while I have to say that I view much of their stuff as freakish, what interests me the most about the people in this movement is their determination to experience God with wild abandon. These new Jesus freaks just don’t care what people think because, as they might say, they are tired of dry religion and seek to experience God without the chains of religious decorum.
They travel the world to bring a message of freedom from oppressive religion and a hope for a new way, and encourage Christians to lighten up. There’s a New Mystics-related festival in the UK called Sloshfest, put on by a group called Emerge Wales (led by a drunk monk and a Doug Pagitt look-alike). During the 2010 Sloshfest rave, the crowd sang a rowdy, pirate-style chorus with anti-imperialist lyrics that caught my ear:
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over…The Empire is over!
But it’s growing, it’s growing, it’s growing…The Kingdom is growing!
And that’s when I realized some of the common ground that Emergent has with the New Mystics, Charismania, and other nontraditional Christian religious movements: For one, we’re all often described by others as being fringe movements. And sometimes, including Emergent, we’re called cults as groups and heretics as individuals. But besides this, and more importantly, many of us within these movements seek an end to imperialistic domination of Christianity. We seek freedom from dogmatic tyranny. And I think it would be helpful (ecumenically at least) for Emergents to appreciate the common ground we have with other movements that have started on the edge of the establishment. Not just for historical interest or nostalgia, but to share stories and really learn some things from each other.
For instance, as I said, I admire the New Mystics’ determination to experience God’s power with wild abandon, to get beyond the tired, ivory-tower discussions about Church past and future, to open their eyes to the Kingdom that is here and now, and to get out and do something. I sometimes feel the Emergent movement seems stuck in a cycle of cerebral discussion. Sharing stories of experiences is what conversation is all about, and sometimes I feel like what we call a “conversation” is more like an intellectual debate that’s open mainly to the scholarly. Although movements need discussion and debate to strengthen their core, others involved can’t survive only on the orations of talking-head representatives.
Of course, I’m certainly not suggesting that we can best prove our connection with God by acting like we’re drunk all the time, nor am I suggesting that we can’t find heart-felt meaning in theological discussion. But I know that I have often felt more comfortable swapping big words like “eschatological” and “ekklesia” when I could have been swapping personal stories. Like how I’ve felt detached from the larger Church because, as an agnostic Christian, I don’t have any idea what I believe anymore but I still seek to experience God’s power in a very real way. Or instead of discussing the finer points of how Jung’s collective unconscious applies to atonement theory, I could have shared how I sometimes still find contentment when praying in tongues. I could have held hands in public, prayed with, and cried with my friend who was feeling lonely, instead of distancing myself from an unhip situation by casually helping him psychoanalyze himself. I could have thrown back my head and wailed or at least pumped my fists because of the joy I felt when singing a song about grace, but instead my hands found more comfort in the restriction of my pockets.
None of us on the fringes want to be held down by spiritual tyranny. That’s why we’ve voluntarily exiled ourselves to the desert of edge-pushing spirituality. And that was one of the things that attracted people like my parents to the Charismatic movement. They wanted more than establishment-friendly religion. And while Charismania has frequently (and often rightly) been criticized as all emotion and no substance, I think it’s unwise to adhere to the opposite extreme of all head and no heart. More specifically, I think we all could handle a little more emotion in our spiritual regimen. It’s okay to cry or laugh in church. It’s okay to express our passion with boisterous antics…or weepy, knees-on-floor reverence.
It’s okay to come out from behind the mask of objective distance. Because sometimes life sucks and we need to share the burden with somebody. And sometimes God has worked a miracle and we need to shout it from the rooftops. Sometimes we’re pissed off and it does more harm to hold it in. And sometimes we’ve experienced a hit of holy joy and freedom that we can’t explain, and we should share these things because that’s what community is for.
I don’t want this precious movement of the emerging church to end up as just another dry, debate-filled clique that gradually becomes the empire it set out to avoid. But I have enormous hope that that will never be the case. Because we are all part of a bigger story that will continue to evolve. Even as we sometimes try to distance ourselves from the label, we on the fringes are still an integral part of the larger Christian movement that’s been rolling on for millennia, and it always will be bigger than any one empire that tries to lay claim to it.
In context with the quote I put at the beginning of my rant, Leslie Weatherhead also wrote that “Christianity must have a marvelous inherent power, or the churches would have killed it long ago.” And although I no longer know exactly what my theology is concerning that “inherent power,” I choose to believe that it is indeed marvelous. It’s also wild, untamable, and often unexplainable, and I think it would be good for us to set it free.
Dave Brown is a writer living in Austin, TX. He blogs at TheAgnosticPentecostal.com.
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Dave,
Thank you so much for this post. I too have experienced the more charismatic side of things but haven’t known how to make heads or tails of it once I started questioning some of the narratives that the charismatic ministry I was a part of was operating under.
I’ve known it’s real and it has always been powerful for me, but I haven’t known what to do with it outside of the revival, ever increasing, glory bomb, narrative.
Thank you for giving me permission to redig those wells.
Great to see this post. One of the leaders of Sloshfest is currently on UK Big Brother!
Emergent in the US has struck me from the UK as being more of a theological than a spiritual movement (no offence intended!). In the UK, the ‘alternative worship’ scene has led things, which gives things a different feel: spiritual/aesthetic elements of faith seem more integrated with theology.
One of the things that confuses me about the charismatic movement (I was converted into a Vineyard-style church) is that in principle it should be incredibly democratic, with everyone receiving gifts from God, but rarely is. I’ve just visited Mr Crowder’s website and was slightly disappointed to read some fairly thoughtless stuff about revival and 100,000 people becoming Christians at rallys in India. This is very difficult, and leads me to question whether this is a movement just for spiritual thrillseekers and doesn’t tough real life too much. By that I don’t mean that we should all be skeptical, but that engaging with the world shapes your theology and language.
There are some parallels with the Nine O’clock Service, which was very much the pioneer of the alternative worship scene here in the UK. NOS was a local congregation and had a very clear mission emphasis.
I just watched a video of Sloshfest and saw some friends there having a good time. God bless ‘em! Not sure whether the term ‘New Mystics’ really sums them up, though!
well nice to follow Simon on here, and yes found this interesting in the week the drunk monk became a TV personality.
share some of Simon’s journey too so no suprise perhaos if i also get his comments.
but i think this post raises something very important. we live in an age that is once again very open to the mystical/spiritual but doesn’t get the traditional forms it has come in. the Cahrismatic movement has been really good at opening this agenda to the church but IMHO just hasn’t had a theology of culture and mission that has enabled it to connect. i feel those of us int eh alternative emerging end of things need to find a way to be charismatic but with integiry in a more post-modern and cross-cultural theological stance. i feel that desire very much in your post Dave. yes we need some New Mystics, and if we feel yes and no about waht we see from some then how do we forge such an agenda oursleves?
i do a lot of work as a christian cross-cultural missionary in the Pagan and New Age arenas, i learn there to find God at work in many people and to suspend my judgements to look further and find where God is at work. i’m coming to realise i need to have the same attitude to Christians, and that seems so much harder – so where is God in the New Mystics? the right question, thanks for rasing it
I agree completely, Steve (and Simon and Jamie and Julie). Didn’t realize the drunk monk has been on TV over there. Very interesting. Anyway, I love the way you put it, Steve: ”...Find a way to be charismatic but with integrity…” And Simon, I agree it is hard to see the forest for the trees, so to speak. I just think it helpful to try and see what we can learn.
I have to be honest and say I’ll need a bit of convincing before I can see God in this. I’m not against experience (I’ve been practicing meditation for close to two decades) but this seems quite missionally and Christologically ungrounded.
Interesting thoughts Matt, that bring up a question for me. Just curious: What specifically would make charismatic expressions of faith “missionally and Chistologically ungrounded,” while Hindu-type practices like meditation are grounded? ...If that is, in fact, what you’re implying. What would be the difference in justifying practices from other cultures and belief systems as valid incarnations of Christ experience, and disqualifying the things I’ve mentioned? Just wondering where the dividing line is for you. Cheers.
(or, matt, did I miss some tongue-in-cheek with your comment? maybe you’re too subtle for my low-brow ways.) :-)
Thank you SO much for this article. I have always supported Emergent and love how God has used in my life. However in the last few years God has moved me into His prophetic movement side. For a borderline conversative, rational evangelical, I was flabbergasted. However, I know God in a way I did not know was possible and would not exchange for my head anymore! Loved your honesty and objectivity and astute insights.
It’s ‘bout freakin time!!!! I love John and Ben… can’t wait to go visit out west and hang… Thanks for posting this… it was the biggest heart sigh i’ve had in quite a while ….
well, i’m a “PoMoCharisMystic” so….
Tippin my cap yer way.. and passing some wine!
Blessings!!!
I have thought about this for years. Im a post charasmatic former member of the assembly of god denomination who has very little connection to those roots if any at all. Regardless I have seen a myriad of connections between that world (Pentecostalism) & the other (Emergence). I think some good things could come from this…
Not been to this site for some time now and never commented on it but thought this was a very interesting article, I love the fact that there is always something to learn from others whenever we get over ourselves and our labels and engage with people in real relational ways, I for one am looking forward to the day when those that are “emerging” in every sphere, the missional, the intellectual, the prophetic, the activists etc and can openly engage and learn from each other, and most importantly in ref to Jamie in comment #2 feel free to explore them without the need for permission…otherwise we end up creating the very same doctrinal walls that we’ve spent years breaking free from.
I am of a charismatic leaning trying to walk in integrity, I still fundamentally believe in the power of the holy spirit, I’ve experience Gods power in my own life and watched him heal and bring freedom to others yet I’ve learned so much from the emergent dialogue, I recognise much of my charismatic history has huge flaws but IMHO there is always a way forward once we’ve sifted through the dross. blessings and thanks for the dialogue
Dave,
Are you serious?
I’m assuming that while researching this post you watched a sampling of John Crowder’s videos. This is the guy who claims to have met Jesus while on an acid trip and refers to the glory of God as drunkenness. The guy whom claims to travel around with “little fat Friar Tuck angels?” I grew up in Pentecostalism and realize that like all religious expressions, some of the action was human-generated, but the teachings were always biblically defensible. Crowder’s stuff is full of unbiblical, extra-biblical ideas. If EV is short of blog ideas let me know. No wonder Christopher Hitchens has such a following. Christians are an easy mark from within and without.
This is Satanic deception…these are pagan experiences you are filming and talking about here…they have nothing to do with our Lord Jesus Christ and nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity or God’s Church…repent or you will find yourself lost! Pentecostalism is foolishness & contrary to Scripture!
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I loved seeing your references to Leslie Weatherhead. I thought “Christian Agnostic” was my own unique term for myself until my pastor turned me on to Weatherhead’s book by the same name. I’ve never been the same since reading that bood, and it’s opened lots of doors which have made me feel at peace with my experience within the Christian faith. I liked your essay- great points. Although theology and theological discussions are fun and interesting, it’s the personal stories and experiences that really connect us, and it’s within those connections that we really see beyond ourselves and experience “God.”