CUM's Advent Journy Emphasizes Transcendental Experience Rather than Doctrinal Edification

Christ United Methodist Church had its "labyrinth walk" tonight. I had thought about going, just to see what it was like, but I decided I better not. I love doing things like that--i.e. popping in and meeting people in their religious context, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it.

Here was the advertisement:

An Advent Journey to learn Christian meditation and prepare to meet Christ will be offered 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday at CUMC. Youth and adults will experience this through the church's prayer room and the ancient practice of the labyrinth walk. Liturgical artist Marybelle Landrum will show her work and share the role of art and color in Christian meditation and worship.

You will notice the complete absence of Scripture. By the advertisement's you get the understanding that the simple reading and preaching of God's authoritative and penetrating word isn't enough for spiritual growth or anywise useful for reflecting on the Lord. Certainly the event has a blatant transcendental nuance.

The church, by Christ's commission, is to be about the work of discipleship. It is to get people to reflect on the Bible so that they come to understand who God is (as he reveals himself) and what he requires of us.

But this event does not aim at any such thing. The main intent of the walk is to evoke a "spiritual experience" (whatever that may be for you) and/or to stimulate "spirituality"--otherwise known as "Wow, something really amazing happened here (I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it really moved me)."

I understand why we are drawn to art over Scripture. Pictures are much more rousing. They are by their nature emotive and easily evoke sensations. They give you a felt experience so that you can walk away feeling inspired. And that is what churches want, because that will draw you back.

But we have to be careful about using such means of "devotion." This is not because I am against art or against events that evoke strong emotions (our worship services, though ever so simple and traditional, can be quite dramatic and therefore very emotional). We should be wary of such events because they allow us to think of God the ways we want.

When God's word is declared, God reveals himself as he is. He confronts us and tells us how it is. When you look at at picture the interpretation is much less objective. It relies more on your personal intuition. You interpret and take away what you want from it. And whenever that happens, you have entered into idolatry. That's because you have become the one who determines what God is like. Just like the Israelites did with their golden calf, you fashion him after your own thinking, rather than letting God dictate to you what he is like.

Don't get me wrong. There is a place for visual representations. That is what a sacrament is after all (and powerful visuals they are!). But these are the only signs God has ordained for spiritual development. And most of all, they are never to be dislodged from the Bible. The sign is always accompanied by the Word ("this is my body," "this is my blood").

God never gives our depraved minds a chance to wonder off into personal interpretations. He binds us to his word, so that we might be bound to him.