If you’ve ever said, “Jesus told me to marry him,” while also calling the Desert Fathers “demonic”… you might be a mystic.
If the Holy Spirit gave you directions to Target but you think Lectio Divina is witchcraft… you might be a mystic.
And if your “relationship with Jesus” feels like a spiritual rom-com where he always agrees with you and hates your enemies—congrats, you’ve invented personal mysticism, evangelical edition™.
Joe Boyd nails the irony: evangelicalism is full of unacknowledged mystics who think mysticism is for heretics and Catholics. They whisper “I feel led” like it’s prophecy and then shame others for not hearing God in the exact same key. That's not orthodoxy. That’s spiritual narcissism in a WWJD hoodie.
Here’s the rub: Jesus was a mystic. So was Paul. So was Mary Magdalene—oh wait, scratch that, she’s still banned from most pulpits because she dared to teach men after kissing the Light.
The gospel wasn’t “Ask Jesus into your thoracic cavity.” It was “Wake up. The kingdom of heaven is among you.” That’s a mystical-political bomb, not a Hallmark card.
Evangelicalism turned mysticism into a vending machine: insert prayer, receive goosebumps, assume theological supremacy. That’s not encounter. That’s enchantment disguised as certainty.
But here’s the good news: You’re allowed to be a mystic on purpose. You’re allowed to explore divine presence without pretending it makes you infallible. You’re allowed to say, “God is real, and I have no idea how to explain it.” That’s not weakness. That’s maturity.
So let’s stop calling other mystics dangerous while building entire ministries on vibes and vision boards.
If you talk to Jesus, welcome to the club.
If he talks back, welcome to the mystery.
Just don’t pretend your inner dialogue is universal doctrine.
Blessed be the deconstructors who didn’t lose their faith—only their illusions.
So true! I've called myself a mystic for more than a decade now. Having a Spiritual Director and trustworthy friends who is key to ensuring (the best I can) that I'm "hearing" Spirit accurately. Those who know me and Spirit well can affirm or help me discover the heart of God and how I'm to respond/act.
And while I'm focusing on all of this, that thing we call the Bible? Filled with mysticism in between lots of somewhat history and cultural symbolism and not the final word. Nor is the Koran or the documents of Bahauallah or the words of Mary Baker Eddy. Why do we humans think somebody has to have the last word? God, aka the Creative Principle, is not static. Always creating, communicating, becoming. And so are we. We feel more in control when we think we have the mystery in a container that we can hold. But then, by definition, it's no longer mystery. Here's to whirling dervish out of control mysticism that dares to listen to personal whispers and allow everyone else the same luxury.
Yes! I began my Christian life in the charismatic movement of the early 1970s and boy was I a mystic! (I once prayed over a stalled Volvo for God to heal it.) Over the years I migrated away from the movement and into a DTS style moderate Calvinism and ultimately to high, John Piper-ish Calvinism. I still, nevertheless, held onto my mysticism although it was buried deep. As I progressed through my deconstruction I remember telling my sister, "I think I'm becoming a mystic."
Letting go of certainty was hard, but the implications of staying in my evangelical bubble were worse. I now realize that what I don't know far outweighs what I actually know.
Oh my word!!! I struggled with "asking Jesus into your heart" (loosely based on Rev 3:20) as a 12 year old and continued to struggle with this sort of stuff for over 50 years! Couldn't work out what I was getting wrong...and of course, I wasn't!!
Thanks for this… as I have been exploring my faith and its foundations, one of the things I have come to know I need and value is a sense of understanding God as mystery, not to be explained, but to be experienced, with one’s whole self. I cannot always explain or understand myself, so how can I explain or understand God, except as Love? I do not need others to tell me who God is, but I do need others that I can sit with, and share, through suffering and joy, the unfolding of God in our lives. From this contemplation comes a strengthening of faith, a conviction that God is at work, and the courage for action.
Thanks for adding to and enlarging my understanding of this, and helping to confirm and affirm my experience. I appreciate it. Blessings to you.
This is so well articulated. I think another challenge with the mystical messages so freely available if we tune in, is learning how to listen. I remember a long time ago when I was just learning to tune in, another woman got a message that she needed to leave her children. I remember how shocked I was. To me that would be non-negotiable and a situation that would have called for honing the listening craft more critically. I don't know what she decided but the Divine doesn't always speak clearly. Sometimes the messages come in images that need to be felt into before we can understand. People have their own unique antennae, and so it's not just one message doesn't fit all, but one message may have many layers and require presence, not just a steno pad. Thanks for your posts, Joe. They are good medicine.
Yes, listening only to the mystical revelations without some framework for values and principles can be dangerous, indeed. Without knowing the woman in question, I would venture that maybe her subconscious (or “Spirit”) was trying to alert her to the need for autonomy and some conscious space away from her family from time to time. But sometimes when those messages come across they are in very strong and vivid terms, making it seem much more all-or-nothing than it should be.
“If Love is not the answer, then we just asked the wrong question”
"That’s emotional gatekeeping—based primarily on an undefinable spiritual vibe.". Actually, it's spiritual gaslighting and it's a form of DARVO, making us the offenders and them the victims.
As someone who is WAY more comfortable with certainty than uncertainty (and an enneagram 5 to boot) I understand how well meaning people would construct this narrative. Even the term "mystic"(in which there's no structure or rules and who knows what chaos could ensue??!!) makes me shudder. Learning to trust God's goodness and knowing that I cannot be outside of his love helps me stay sane. Joe, when I read your posts I usually exhale a breath I didn't know I was holding in. Thank you for being brave.
Wow, did this make me cackle! I had my first mystical/numinous experience at eight. Fortunately, I grew up Roman Catholic and while mystics made everyone uncomfortable, we had a sound mystical tradition so I was safe, albeit rare.
I met my first "evangelicals" in college over 40 years ago. Something seemed "off" to me then and still does today. But I think you've explained it. It's the functional mysticism cloaked as certainty, while calling anything in the "mysterion" witchcraft or demonic.
What I do with this, well, I will think on it. Maybe the Spirit will speak to me. And maybe I will be less uncomfortable around Evangelicals in the future.
Thanks for this article! Makes so much sense. One of the first elements of my deconstructing was reading George Macdonald stories which seemed like subjective but real experiences of God…stories that accessed the divine without being prescriptive. They seemed to present relationships with God as individual though human morality might be held in common. (That was a bit of a muddle. If you read George Macdonald you’ll see what I mean.)
Julie, this is very nuanced viewed. I like it. I was very influenced by the work of John Searle who believes that consciousness is epistemically objective (science can study it), even though it is ontologically subjective (it only exists as experienced). I’d argue that this applies to spirituality, since spiritual experiences only exist as experienced. They’re a type of first person conscious experience. But they are very real, hence the use of the term ontological.
WOW! Well played Sir. Game, set, match! This stuff is so good and resonates with me in a huge way. Just sorry it took me this long to find it! Keep it coming young man! 😊🙏
You Might Be a Mystic If...
If you’ve ever said, “Jesus told me to marry him,” while also calling the Desert Fathers “demonic”… you might be a mystic.
If the Holy Spirit gave you directions to Target but you think Lectio Divina is witchcraft… you might be a mystic.
And if your “relationship with Jesus” feels like a spiritual rom-com where he always agrees with you and hates your enemies—congrats, you’ve invented personal mysticism, evangelical edition™.
Joe Boyd nails the irony: evangelicalism is full of unacknowledged mystics who think mysticism is for heretics and Catholics. They whisper “I feel led” like it’s prophecy and then shame others for not hearing God in the exact same key. That's not orthodoxy. That’s spiritual narcissism in a WWJD hoodie.
Here’s the rub: Jesus was a mystic. So was Paul. So was Mary Magdalene—oh wait, scratch that, she’s still banned from most pulpits because she dared to teach men after kissing the Light.
The gospel wasn’t “Ask Jesus into your thoracic cavity.” It was “Wake up. The kingdom of heaven is among you.” That’s a mystical-political bomb, not a Hallmark card.
Evangelicalism turned mysticism into a vending machine: insert prayer, receive goosebumps, assume theological supremacy. That’s not encounter. That’s enchantment disguised as certainty.
But here’s the good news: You’re allowed to be a mystic on purpose. You’re allowed to explore divine presence without pretending it makes you infallible. You’re allowed to say, “God is real, and I have no idea how to explain it.” That’s not weakness. That’s maturity.
So let’s stop calling other mystics dangerous while building entire ministries on vibes and vision boards.
If you talk to Jesus, welcome to the club.
If he talks back, welcome to the mystery.
Just don’t pretend your inner dialogue is universal doctrine.
Blessed be the deconstructors who didn’t lose their faith—only their illusions.
—Virgin Monk Boy
So true! I've called myself a mystic for more than a decade now. Having a Spiritual Director and trustworthy friends who is key to ensuring (the best I can) that I'm "hearing" Spirit accurately. Those who know me and Spirit well can affirm or help me discover the heart of God and how I'm to respond/act.
Love that
And while I'm focusing on all of this, that thing we call the Bible? Filled with mysticism in between lots of somewhat history and cultural symbolism and not the final word. Nor is the Koran or the documents of Bahauallah or the words of Mary Baker Eddy. Why do we humans think somebody has to have the last word? God, aka the Creative Principle, is not static. Always creating, communicating, becoming. And so are we. We feel more in control when we think we have the mystery in a container that we can hold. But then, by definition, it's no longer mystery. Here's to whirling dervish out of control mysticism that dares to listen to personal whispers and allow everyone else the same luxury.
Peach!
Yes! I began my Christian life in the charismatic movement of the early 1970s and boy was I a mystic! (I once prayed over a stalled Volvo for God to heal it.) Over the years I migrated away from the movement and into a DTS style moderate Calvinism and ultimately to high, John Piper-ish Calvinism. I still, nevertheless, held onto my mysticism although it was buried deep. As I progressed through my deconstruction I remember telling my sister, "I think I'm becoming a mystic."
Letting go of certainty was hard, but the implications of staying in my evangelical bubble were worse. I now realize that what I don't know far outweighs what I actually know.
Oh my word!!! I struggled with "asking Jesus into your heart" (loosely based on Rev 3:20) as a 12 year old and continued to struggle with this sort of stuff for over 50 years! Couldn't work out what I was getting wrong...and of course, I wasn't!!
Thank you so much for this one!
❤️🙏🏼
Hi there,
Thanks for this… as I have been exploring my faith and its foundations, one of the things I have come to know I need and value is a sense of understanding God as mystery, not to be explained, but to be experienced, with one’s whole self. I cannot always explain or understand myself, so how can I explain or understand God, except as Love? I do not need others to tell me who God is, but I do need others that I can sit with, and share, through suffering and joy, the unfolding of God in our lives. From this contemplation comes a strengthening of faith, a conviction that God is at work, and the courage for action.
Thanks for adding to and enlarging my understanding of this, and helping to confirm and affirm my experience. I appreciate it. Blessings to you.
🙏🏼❤️
DUDE!!!!! I had so many 'a ha' moments reading this! My heart is screaming with glee over this. This makes so much sense. Thank you for this.
Bruh! 😜
This is so well articulated. I think another challenge with the mystical messages so freely available if we tune in, is learning how to listen. I remember a long time ago when I was just learning to tune in, another woman got a message that she needed to leave her children. I remember how shocked I was. To me that would be non-negotiable and a situation that would have called for honing the listening craft more critically. I don't know what she decided but the Divine doesn't always speak clearly. Sometimes the messages come in images that need to be felt into before we can understand. People have their own unique antennae, and so it's not just one message doesn't fit all, but one message may have many layers and require presence, not just a steno pad. Thanks for your posts, Joe. They are good medicine.
Thank you Jane!
Yes, listening only to the mystical revelations without some framework for values and principles can be dangerous, indeed. Without knowing the woman in question, I would venture that maybe her subconscious (or “Spirit”) was trying to alert her to the need for autonomy and some conscious space away from her family from time to time. But sometimes when those messages come across they are in very strong and vivid terms, making it seem much more all-or-nothing than it should be.
“If Love is not the answer, then we just asked the wrong question”
I love this response. Thank you.
I love how several of the folks who responded started with exactly what I said out loud - YES!! Thank you Joe!
❤️
"That’s emotional gatekeeping—based primarily on an undefinable spiritual vibe.". Actually, it's spiritual gaslighting and it's a form of DARVO, making us the offenders and them the victims.
So affirming! I've been privately calling myself a mystic for a few years now. Thank you for your bravery, once again!!
😊
Spot on
🙏🏼
As someone who is WAY more comfortable with certainty than uncertainty (and an enneagram 5 to boot) I understand how well meaning people would construct this narrative. Even the term "mystic"(in which there's no structure or rules and who knows what chaos could ensue??!!) makes me shudder. Learning to trust God's goodness and knowing that I cannot be outside of his love helps me stay sane. Joe, when I read your posts I usually exhale a breath I didn't know I was holding in. Thank you for being brave.
Thank you Claudia! That made me really happy to read.
Wow, did this make me cackle! I had my first mystical/numinous experience at eight. Fortunately, I grew up Roman Catholic and while mystics made everyone uncomfortable, we had a sound mystical tradition so I was safe, albeit rare.
I met my first "evangelicals" in college over 40 years ago. Something seemed "off" to me then and still does today. But I think you've explained it. It's the functional mysticism cloaked as certainty, while calling anything in the "mysterion" witchcraft or demonic.
What I do with this, well, I will think on it. Maybe the Spirit will speak to me. And maybe I will be less uncomfortable around Evangelicals in the future.
I'm very indebted to your story. Thanks Bro.
Thank you for being here 🙏🏼
Another excellent post!
Thank you
You’re welcome. I think you and I are on a similar path. I enjoy your posts.
You are welcome.
That read like a rant that had been cooking for a nice long while…. Dang. Love it! From a fellow mystic 🙏🏽💜
Haha - maybe now that you say it….😂
Thanks for this article! Makes so much sense. One of the first elements of my deconstructing was reading George Macdonald stories which seemed like subjective but real experiences of God…stories that accessed the divine without being prescriptive. They seemed to present relationships with God as individual though human morality might be held in common. (That was a bit of a muddle. If you read George Macdonald you’ll see what I mean.)
Julie, this is very nuanced viewed. I like it. I was very influenced by the work of John Searle who believes that consciousness is epistemically objective (science can study it), even though it is ontologically subjective (it only exists as experienced). I’d argue that this applies to spirituality, since spiritual experiences only exist as experienced. They’re a type of first person conscious experience. But they are very real, hence the use of the term ontological.
WOW! Well played Sir. Game, set, match! This stuff is so good and resonates with me in a huge way. Just sorry it took me this long to find it! Keep it coming young man! 😊🙏
🙏🏼