Christians Can Meditate After All

Many of the seekers that I speak with are Christian because they see Christ as the way to discover and connect with God. Not content with having a Supreme Being to worship, they also feel the visceral need to connect with their Creator in a personal way. Jesus did after all say that no one finds the Father “Except through me,” . . . by living as He did, forgiving others by not hating, but by loving.

It seems to them there must be a better way to connect with their Father in heaven than by merely reciting, muttering, or the repetitious droning words and thoughts. So they yearn for a relationship that will go deeper, seeking other possible methods of communication with God. 

In the search, some stumble upon alternative spiritual mysticism or pop philosophies and are sometimes introduced to what they’re told is meditation. But it soon becomes apparent how divergent from their core Christian beliefs these proposals can be. Nearly all of it reeks of non-duality and New Age philosophy, sometimes obvious . . . other times veiled in weighty, beautiful-sounding half-truths. 

These Christians become discouraged. And rightly so. They want nothing to do with it. Giving up, few ever establish and improve conscious contact with their Creator. This can ultimately lead to an unfulfilled life.

There are those who, by merit of lifestyle, are already conflicted and drawn to the anesthetic effects of conscience-numbing trance. It’s relieving. These are ready converts who easily switch over to become students of non-duality and New Thought or New Age sects . . . even Buddhists. Guided meditations are typically packed with suggestions that accomplish this quite easily.

Through Non-Contemplative Meditation, however, Christians do have a completely safe means to meditate. There is no conflict with the teachings of their religion or with Scripture. It is completely different from anything they’ve seen in the field. It is practicing true mindfulness, but with the mind of the Father, not some guru or self-help personality. And it works.

Christians don’t like the feeling of detachment that classic meditations evoke. No one does. Proponents of escapist approaches would argue that such feelings are normal, simply a defiant ego responding to the absence of mental commotion. That is only partly true. 

The deflation of Ego certainly is necessary for spiritual growth, and no Ego likes that. But there’s something else going on too. Something that virtually all meditations except this one deliberately evade. Beyond that initial dread, there is also God-given conscience. It kicks in to warn us of danger. 

We all have a conscience and when operating as it’s supposed to, the addition of philosophies antithetical to what we know in our hearts is right will make us uneasy. And under the entrancing influence of classic meditation, many Christians must walk away.  

These are some of the primary reasons that Christians are skeptical of classic, escapist meditation. But there’s no reason for the meditation dilemma to continue.  Non-Contemplative Meditation is fully compatible with Christian teachings across all denominations. It is the anti-hypnotic, missing link to conscious contact with God for all the truly faithful.  

Next week – “But my Minister says meditation is evil!” No kidding. He might be right!