Confessions VI (Dismantling the Tradition — and its Consequences)

Dear Friends, Known and Unknown,

I have been speaking of a hidden unity I see in the New Age movement, inasmuch as its apparent holistic, all-embracing spiritual cafeteria does in fact, seem to me much more narrow and selective, than is commonly acknowledged.

That is, it seems to me to involve a ***certain definite complex of related ideas and practices***. These are often important and beautiful in themselves. They often include, for example, the need to be self-watchful, ‘centred’, and not reactive. There is also a marked call for authenticity, optimism, hope – and other important virtues. All of this is frequently expressed in life, I want to add, with genuine and moving beauty.

Clearly no Christian can have concern with any of this – as far as it goes.

However, it also seems to me that the New Age smorgasbord is focussed on this coherent complex, to an often-subtle, but active exclusion of other spiritual ideas and ideals. In this, I see a hidden unity.

And in this connection, I mentioned the former Catholic and now Episcopalian priest, Matthew Fox.

Now as I have said, these confessions are written at a stressed and pained time in my life. And Matthew Fox’s thinking has a significant depth and complexity that I am not sure I can do full justice to now.

I just want to be very personal. I want to confess an internal dialogue with you, Reverend Fox or at least with what I hear you say. What I hear you say - I repeat for emphasis.

I confess I have made a real attempt to listen to you, Reverend Fox, and what I hear you say fits all too well with the New Age pattern I see of dismantling the Christian Tradition.

Yes Reverend Fox, I know that you have done a great deal of heartfelt, careful work with the Christian Tradition. I do not place you amongst those mindlessly throwing aside the tradition, with no attempt to engage it.

But at the same time, what I am hearing involves a continuous reduction or ***relativisation*** , bordering on complete ***dismissal*** of vast amounts of the Christian tradition.

In seeking to establish your theology of ‘Creation Spirituality’ and ‘Original Blessing’, I hear you relativising to the point of negating a vast dimension - which you call ‘Fall/Redemption’.

As though the central Christian ideas of the Fall and the Redemption often amounted to little more than a pathological expression of morbid psychology, power-politics and ‘patriarchy’.

When I hear what I hear, it seems to me that there is no faith in the tradition of the Mystics over the millennia, testifying to a ***vision*** of the Fall of humanity and of God-become-human to redeem humanity.

No I hear only – rightly or wrongly – a ***hermeneutic of suspicion***, in regard to so much of the Christian Mystical Tradition.

Now I often hear penetrating psychological insight in your words, even rich human wisdom and heart.

But for my own ears at least, I hear far too little Mystery and Faith. The Christian Mystery is reduced to … almost nothing.

Yes, occasionally you seem to concede that just possibly the massive over –emphasis, as you see it, on the Fall and Redemption, had limited value in a previous age.

And I confess when I hear these things, I am reminded of New-Agers conceding that Piscean ideas, perhaps, had some value in the age of Pisces.

In what I hear, I feel a link between your view of Fall/Redemption, and the New Age mystics, who honour and embrace you. And who you honour in turn (cf. Original Blessing pg 314).

I hear your concern that Fall/Redemption theology is ‘Christolatrous’. By which you seem to mean ‘idolatrous of Christ’ inasmuch as it is actually too Christ-centred - at the expense of honouring the Creator-Father and the Spirit.

You would also appear to mean at the expense of a low Christology of Jesus, as a prophet ‘who calls others to their divinity’ (see my comment to this entry).

If I understand you correctly, I can only say that I fear your attempt to dismantle what the Church considers the core of Christianity, betrays –I repeat - a deep reductionism, bordering on utter negation of the Transcendent Mystery of Calvary.

The Transcendent Mystery that countless Christian mystics, within and without the Church, endeavoured for centuries to understand, honour and preserve …

Within and without the Church … I confess I have in mind here Rudolf Steiner and his words I have quoted here before: ‘Was heute zu retten ist, das ist das Mysterium von Golgotha’ - What is to be saved today is the Mystery of Golgotha.

A Mystery of Redemption that makes no sense at all, without a profound regard for the nature of the Fall …

I suspect that you might consider both Rudolf Steiner and myself as ‘Christolatrous’ in emphasising the tremendous importance that the tradition gives to the Fall, to the nature of Evil, and to the central role of Jesus Christ in the Redemption …

Now, dear friends, even if I am mistaken in my real efforts to understand Matthew Fox’s writing, I am nonetheless convinced that both within the Church and without, there is an effort to reduce the central Christian ideas.

Often to reduce them to nothing but psychology and power … To be ***replaced*** perhaps by a ‘Creator Theology of the Original Blessing of the Father’? Who knows?

For thinkers in this vein, this kind of replacement will be largely, if not entirely wholly good. To throw out ‘Fall/Redemption’ will mean to throw out a great source of pathology, intolerance, despair and more.

And replacing it by a new spirituality of great ecumenism, hope and non-judgment.

But are there no dangers in this dismantling of the Tradition, I ask myself. Is there nothing to be LOST in what I think Fox is recommending us - that Fall/Redemption theology be jettisoned in favour of a ‘Christianity’ that conforms so very much to the ‘New Aquarian Spirituality’?

Is there nothing of consequence to be lost? I am afraid that not only are great worlds of essential Christian meaning to be lost – but that I also fear the consequence of this loss for HUMAN civilisation may be vast indeed. And I suspect that this is what Rudolf Steiner among others, saw quite clearly.

Without acknowledging the Fall, we can easily lose the sense of universal tragedy. We are more prone to an individualistic New Age doctrine, that each of us ‘creates our own reality’ – as the New Age mantra has it. And that any tragedy that exists is simply an individual tragedy of one’s own making.

Thus is the teaching of the tradition obscured - that not only is there a fallen humanity, with outstanding representatives from age to age - from Caligula to Attila to Mao - but that there are also fallen angels. There are fallen angels of incomprehensible power, who actively seek to bring ruin.

Yes I confess it appears to me that a radical de-emphasis of the Fall has profound consequences for the spirituality which it shapes. For the ideas that shapes one’s spirituality ARE important, and to exchange one set of ideas for another, is not ***without consequence***. As Matthew Fox and other writers of a New Age cast are definitely aware.

And it seems to me that there may be many ***further*** consequences of exchanging a so-called ‘Christolatrous’ Fall/Redemption theology, for one wherein the Mystery of Christ is radically diluted. If not altogether decimated.

I confess that in my soul, there lives deep concern that among these consequences is a diminishing of human FEELING, of human heart and an all-too-cosy accommodation with the secularist capitalism ravaging the world. And why I feel this, I will soon be attempting to voice …

These confessions will continue on TUESDAY, instead of Monday. May your weekend be blessed, my friends.