A Conversation about Contemplative Practices

Abstract

My observation is that people inside and outside the church are looking for practices of meditation and mindfulness. At the same time, it is not clear whether and in what ways Dutch Baptist pastors experience contemplative practices springing from healthy sources in the Christian tradition. The question arises: what are the contemplative spiritual practices that Baptist pastors recognise, and how are these theologically rooted and at the same time connected with everyday life? This article explores the dialogue between contemplative practices of a few Dutch Baptist pastors, sources of contemplative practices, and connections to baptistic theology. This is done by listening to stories of Baptist pastors regarding their experiences with contemplation. These experiences are brought into dialogue with sources from the contemplative tradition and perspectives from Baptist theologians.