The Curious Case Of Christians Deserting God

There is a distorted view of God and the world and life in which prayer serves as a means for people to enter into a participation with God's plans for the world, and that insofar as they do so with integrity, so they gain a limited share in God's activity in proportion to the degree with which they are sanctioned by God, as defined by the religious sect to which that person belongs. And this fits perfectly well with certain premises that have historically circulated in the church. But the problem is that it is partial and a distortion and is all the more distorted in an age when the single most important fact about prayer itself is none other than that if prayer and meditation and contemplation were once taken for granted as central tenants of human life everywhere, they are no longer seen that way virtually anywhere. These are now regarded even by believers as somewhat marginal and secondary. What is most important today is action. Today, if prayer has any use, it is that of being in a supportive role to action. In this respect contemplative prayer is under particular scrutiny. That a few will defend it because they on some level accept it on authority without understanding it themselves only makes the reality of resting in God all the more curious and opaque.