What to Say to the Nay-Sayers: Talking About Contemplation With Its Critics

Often, remaining silent is better than getting into a pointless debate.

If you are active in a church or other faith community, and you are drawn to (or practicing) silent prayer, if you talk about it with others you will likely, sooner or later, hear somebody say something along these lines:

“Isn’t meditation Buddhist? Or Hindu? Christians don’t need to do that sort of thing.” “Sitting in silence? It’s just a waste of time. We are called to be serving others, not avoiding them.” “Contemplat...