Can Protestantism carry on the tradition of monasticism, especially the tradition of inner prayer and contemplation? (revised edition)

Question: Can Protestantism (other than Anglican and Lutheran) carry on the monastic tradition and the practice of contemplation of inner prayer?

A: Simply put, the answer is no.

This is not to say that Protestantism has no spirituality. Because spiritual practice is the transformation of the whole person, its meaning is very broad. Protestantism has spirituality, but its core aspects - monasticism and the practice of contemplation of inner prayer - have not been passed down. Generally speaking, when Protestants talk about spirituality, it mainly refers to the following aspects: reading the Bible, confessing sins and repenting, praying, singing, and training and cultivating external morality. But there is little mention of inner prayer, silent prayer, or holy prayer, vigilance and contemplation, etc. As for how to deal with the evil thoughts in your heart, which of these thoughts are cast by the devil, which are derived from your own lust, and how to drive these evil thoughts away Wait, the author is limited by what he has learned, and I have never heard of the Protestant having a systematic discussion.

First of all, Protestantism has no monastic tradition because it has no seminaries.

Protestantism has set an example since Martin Luther returned to secular life, that is, Protestantism should not have monasteries. Since then, I have never heard of that Protestant sect publicly claiming to have established a seminary system. Therefore, Protestantism without a monastery will undoubtedly be without rice to talk about inheriting the monastic tradition.

Second, Protestantism does not have a tradition of contemplation of inner prayer, because it lacks the monastic tradition and the tradition of the church with which it is closely linked (i.e. the early church other than Protestantism)

I have never heard of the Protestant teachings of inner prayer and contemplation. Since the teaching has never appeared, it can’t be called inheritance. What’s more, the monastic tradition is about the inheritance of teachers, and the guidance of teachers is lacking. From the perspective of literature and academic research (of course, this is good, it is the beginning of the Chinese church’s inheritance of the ecumenical tradition), It can only touch its superficial layers, and cannot penetrate its core (some say spirituality).

The author here is not to discourage academic research in literature, but to point out that academic research is not enough and is only the first step (please refer to the author's academic path and the path of contemplation ). The author believes that the inheritance of monasticism and the practice of inner prayer and contemplation in the Chinese church must be inseparable from academic research. Because academic translation and research provide us with a good basis for the literature, so that we can talk about them according to the literature to be well-founded. From this perspective, academic ministry can make a huge contribution to individual believers (regardless of their denomination), the Chinese church as a whole, non-believers, and even the entire Chinese civilization.

In general, Watchman Nee's system is interested in the tradition of inner prayer. For example, it has been pointed out that Witness Lee's Shouters practiced calling out the holy name of Jesus anytime, anywhere, and it is said that they believed that this method was also derived from the tradition of the Desert Fathers. The author believes that this lack of "the tradition of the church, the foundation of the seminary and the system of teachers' inheritance" is tantamount to imitating the past, and it is not advisable.

The Reformed tradition came out, because the theory of man (free will and divine grace) I mentioned was still under the thinking framework of Augustine and Pelagius, emphasizing divine grace over free will (even the heresy of one salvation and eternal salvation) Teaching), has always ridiculed monasticism, and of course held a wait-and-see or even negative attitude towards the tradition of inner prayer that the author admires.

Although I encourage believers to practice the Jesus Prayer individually (at the beginner stage) for the benefit of their spiritual lives, I do not believe that these traditions can be passed on and survived in Protestantism. At present, the only way for this tradition to survive in China is through the Orthodox Church and Catholic Church (and of course other Eastern Churches such as Syriac), because their monastic traditions have not been cut off.

In short, the author is not optimistic about the way Protestantism can inherit the tradition of inner prayer, and I can’t see any signs at present.

Now the author specifically talks about the inheritance of monastic traditions and the practice of inner prayer and contemplation of Angli Ganzong and Lutheran sects.

Question: Can the Anglican and Lutheran sects who established the monastery inherit the monastic tradition and the practice of inner prayer and contemplation?

A: Generally speaking, the author thinks that they are a step closer to the monastic tradition and the practice of inner prayer and contemplation, but whether they have reached the point where they can be passed on and survived, the author is still relatively negative, that is to say, a negative attitude. The reason is as follows.

First of all, the inheritance of monastic traditions involves the understanding of church traditions and beliefs, and until a unified statement of beliefs is reached, the possibility of true inheritance is very low

Spirituality and doctrine are inseparable. Even if everyone agrees with the Nicene Creed, differences in anthropology will inevitably affect the spiritual experience of monks. For example, the author believes that if Protestantism does not go out of the framework of Augustine and Pelagius, that is to say, it overemphasizes divine grace and depreciates human subjective initiative, and it will inevitably affect the Anglican and Lutheran methods and experiences of practice.

We cannot simply assume that the establishment of seminaries by some Protestant denominations equates to their ability to carry on monastic traditions, which I think is too optimistic. Therefore, if Anglican and Lutheran did not agree with Orthodox or Catholicism before a statement of faith, the probability of their monasteries being able to pass on is very low.

Secondly, the monastic tradition emphasizes the inheritance of teachers. The author holds a negative attitude on whether the monasteries of Anglican and Lutheran have teachers.

The question of where the founders of the Anglican and Lutheran monasteries came from is a big question. Although the early church like St. Anthony, St. Basil, etc. did not seem to have a special teacher, they could establish a seminary and a seminary system. But these start-up peculiarities are the exception, not the norm.

Generally speaking, in order to establish a seminary, the founder must have a teacher and be recognized by the teacher. This question is similar to the emergence of Protestantism and is not accepted by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The author does not know the history of their establishment of the seminary, but holds a negative view (if any readers know more about this history, please correct me).

In conclusion, Anglicanism and Lutheranism are better accepted than other Protestant denominations in terms of acceptance of the monastic tradition and the practice of contemplation of inner prayer, which is of course a good thing. But to say that they can reach the point where they can truly inherit the monastic tradition and the practice of inner prayer, I don't think it is possible yet.