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“Baptized Mysticism”: an Exploration of Paul Tillich's Theology of Mysticism and Its Spiritual Theological Implications

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“Baptized Mysticism”: an Exploration of Paul Tillich's Theology of Mysticism and Its Spiritual Theological Implications “BAPTIZED MYSTICISM”: AN EXPLORATION OF PAUL TILLICH’S THEOLOGY OF MYSTICISM AND ITS SPIRITUAL THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS by Sanghoon Baek A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Knox College And the Pastoral Department of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology awarded by Knox College and the University of Toronto © Copyright by Sanghoon Baek 2014 “BAPTIZED MYSTICISM”: AN EXPLORATION OF PAUL TILLICH’S THEOLOGY OF MYSTICISM AND ITS SPIRITUAL THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS Sanghoon Baek Doctor of Theology Pastoral Department Knox College and the University of Toronto 2014 ABSTRACT This thesis explores Paul Tillich’s theology of mysticism and its spiritual theological implications. It argues that Tillich’s concept of “baptized mysticism” weaves together his thoughts on mysticism and expresses a dialectical unity of Tillich’s two essential elements of religion, the mystical and the prophetic. The thesis begins in Chapter 1 with an overview of Tillich’s own experiences of the mystical and his definitive expressions of mysticism, then investigates his major writings in drawing out essential features of baptized mysticism in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, various appraisals of Tillich’s theory of mysticism from different vantage points and denominational backgrounds are presented to sharpen and enhance the understanding of his thoughts on mysticism and their spiritual theological implications. Finally, in conversation with some contemporary theorists of Christian spirituality, the thesis provides a modest proposal for Tillichian spirituality and prayer in Chapter 4. Paralleling aspects of the thought of Philip Sheldrake, Tillichian spirituality concerns the life oriented towards a sense of the “eternal now” and promotes not so much an ideal of a perfected state of being, but the “belief-ful” and courageous encounter of ontological threats and radical doubt in a condition of ever- increasing awareness, freedom, relatedness, and transcendence. A Tillichian saint is the ii mystic “wanderer” living on the boundary of the human limit and possibilities, in the unending desire of the “God above God.” Tillich’s baptized mysticism also proposes a life of contemplative prayer that has close affinities with Thomas Keating’s Centering Prayer. This thesis shows that Tillich’s theology of mysticism is cogent and coherent. It offers rich resources for understanding Christian mysticism and in grounding a Protestant theology of spirituality, one which provides effective guidelines for the spiritual life of Christians. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Peter Slater and Dr. Michael Stoeber for co-directing this project with commitment and patience. My appreciation to these supervisors goes beyond words and descriptions. My thanks also go to Dr. Andrew Irvine, Dr. Reid Locklin, and Dr. Robert Davis Hughes in their valuable questions and suggestions as readers of this thesis. And, I cannot forget the people who were the source of hope for me in their affirmation of my project as I was struggling to find a rationale, internal and external, for this project: Dr. Namsoon Song at Knox College, Dr. Donald Capps at Princeton Theological Seminary, and Dr. Janet K. Ruffing at Yale University. I want to share this joy of completing a thesis with the church members I have worked for through my long journey of doctoral study: those of Milal Church in Toronto, Hanmoory Church in New Jersey, Ottawa Korean Community Church in Ottawa, and Sigol Church and JeonjuSaengdonghaneun Church in Korea. Without supports and prayers from my family, this thesis would not have come to fruition. I am deeply grateful to them. Eun-Young, person of wisdom and cheerfulness, deserves my deepest gratitude in her presence as the life companion along the journey. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………..…… ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ……………………………………………………..……… iv TABLE OF CONTENTS …………..…………………………………………..……… v INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………………. 1 A. Background and Context ………………………………………………………….. 1 B. Thesis Statement …………………………………………………………………... 3 C. Introductory Remarks ……………………………………………………………… 6 D. Method and Procedure …………………………………………………………….. 9 CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF PAUL TILLICH’S EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS ON THE MYSTICAL …………………………………………………... 13 A. Tillich’s Life Experiences of the Mystical ……………………………………….. 13 1. Tillich’s Mysticism of Nature ………………………………………………….. 14 2. Tillich’s Mysticism of Beauty …………………………………………………. 24 3. Tillich’s Mysticism of Being …………………………………………………... 30 B. Tillich’s Various Definitions of Mysticism ……………………………………… 33 1. Mysticism as a Relation with Being …………………………………………… 34 2. Mysticism as a Drive …………………………………………………………... 42 3. Mysticism as an Action of Faith ………………………………………………. 46 C. Threefold Theoretical Focus in Tillich’s Thoughts on Mysticism ………………. 48 1. Mysticism as Category and as Type of Religion ………………………………. 48 2. “Baptized Mysticism” as the Unity of the Mystical and the Prophetic ………... 63 3. Mysticism as Fragmentation and Anticipation ………………………………… 74 CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF PAUL TILLICH’S ACCOUNTS OF MYSTICISM …………………………………………………………………………………………... 83 A. Tillich’s Thoughts on Mysticism in the German Period …………………………. 86 1. Mysticism and Guilt-Consciousness in Schelling’s Philosophical Development (1912) …………………………………………………………………………... 86 2. Systematische Theologie (1913) ……………………………………………… 101 3. “On the Idea of a Theology of Culture” (1919) ……………………………… 104 4. “Basic Principles of Religious Socialism” (1923) ……………………………. 108 5. “Justification and Doubt” (1924) ……………………………………………... 113 6. “Realism and Faith” (1929) …………………………………………………... 120 v B. Tillich’s Thoughts on Mysticism in the American Period ……………………… 124 1. “Totalitarian State and the Claims of Church” (1934) ………………………... 124 2. “The Permanent Significance of the Catholic Church for Protestantism” (1941) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 129 3. “The Word of Religion” (1942); “Vertical and Horizontal Thinking” (1945)…132 4. Systematic Theology I (1951) ………………………………………………… 136 5. The Courage To Be (1952) …………………………………………………… 141 6. Christianity and the Encounter of the World Religions (1963) ………………. 147 7. Systematic Theology III (1963) ……………………………………………….. 154 C. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………. 164 CHAPTER THREE: REVIEW OF THE APPRAISALS OF TILLICH’S THEORY OF MYSTICISM …………………………………………………………………………. 170 A. Philosophical Perspective ………………………………………………………. 170 B. Psychological Perspective ………………………………………………………. 184 C. Theological Perspective ………………………………………………………… 203 D. Spiritual Theological Perspective ………………………………………………. 221 E. Inter-Religious Perspective ……………………………………………………... 234 CHAPTER FOUR: SPIRITUAL THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TILLICH’S THEOLOGY OF MYSTICISM ………………………………………… 247 A. Tillichian Model of Holiness …………………………………………………… 250 1. Defining Holiness …………………………………………………………….. 250 2. Philip Sheldrake’s Proposal for Holiness …………………………………….. 254 3. Tillichian model of Holiness …………………………………………………. 266 B. Tillich’s Conception of Prayer and Contemplation …………………………….. 288 1. Construction of Tillichian Prayer and Contemplation ………………………... 289 2. Centering Prayer as a Tillichian Way of Prayer ……………………………… 311 CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………………….. 322 BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………………... 335 vi INTRODUCTION A. Background and Context A distinguished scholar of Christian spirituality and mysticism, Bernard McGinn indicates in his paradigmatic survey of the literature on Christian mysticism1 that the German Protestant tradition has been on the whole more negative than positive in its evaluation of the place of mysticism in Christianity and evaluates Paul Tillich’s understanding of mysticism as a “complex” case. In McGinn’s view, which seems to be largely dependent on James Horne, whose view of Tillich’s thoughts on mysticism will be evaluated in Chapter Three of this current thesis, Tillich’s scattered remarks on mysticism play no fundamental role in twentieth-century theories of mysticism due to his somewhat “reserved” attitude toward it. Interestingly enough, this assessment of Tillich’s view of mysticism and his contribution thereof is contrasted by the views of Carl Braaten and Frederick Parrella, who point out that Tillich grounded his theology on mystical ontology.2 This latter viewpoint goes well with Tillich’s own persistent critique of the tendency in the mainline Protestant theologies to ignore or devalue the positive functions of mysticism as “mystic phobia.”3 Although he neither developed a systematic theory of 1 Bernard McGinn, The Foundations of Mysticism: Origins to the Fifth Century (New York: Crossroad, 1991), 269. McGinn’s survey consists of the three approaches, theological, philosophical, and psychological, and includes many significant works on mysticism up to date. 2 Paul Tillich, A History of Christian Thought, ed., Carl E. Braaten (New York: Harper & Row, 1967): Frederick Parrella, “Tillich and Contemporary Spirituality,” ed., Raymond F. Bulmann & Frederick J. Parrella, Paul Tillich: A New Catholic Assessment (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1994); “An Emerging Spirituality,” Bulletin of the North American Paul Tillich Society, vol. 28, no. 1 (Winter, 2002). This publication is abbreviated hereafter BNAPTS. 1 2 mysticism nor took an entirely positive stance toward mysticism, mysticism occupied a central place in his life and works and one can find in his philosophical theology a sophisticated, distinctive understanding
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