The Irony of Orthodox Critiques of Centering Prayer
How the gatekeepers of Orthodoxy forgot the wild roots of their own mystical tradition
The Irony of Orthodox Critiques of Centering Prayer
How the gatekeepers of Orthodoxy forgot the wild roots of their own mystical tradition
There is a certain irony in how modern Orthodox voices critique Centering Prayer. They claim it is foreign to Orthodoxy, untethered from theological tradition, lacking a proper sacramental frame. And yet, the very mystical path they now defend arose from practices far older, wilder, and less systematized than the structures they guard. The silence that shaped Orthodox contemplation was not licensed by theology. It was born in the desert, through raw encounter and release. And the deepest danger now is not in adapting modern forms of silence, but in forgetting the radical origins of their own.
Centering Prayer is also apophatic. The same apophatic theology that Orthodoxy itself claims. And here lies an even deeper irony: you cannot define theology while performing apophatic prayer. The very act of defining becomes cataphatic. The moment you step into explanation, you have already stepped out of the silence.
The Desert Fathers Were Not Systematic Theologians
They didn’t have dogmatic frameworks to “root” their prayer in. They weren’t citing councils. They weren’t building liturgical systems.
They were raw practitioners, forging inner silence in caves, huts, and tombs.
They said things like:
“Go sit in your cell. Your cell will teach you everything." "Prayer is the rejection of thoughts." "Become totally motionless, and you will know God."
That’s not doctrinal clarity—it’s existential fire.
Evagrius Ponticus: The Ghost in the Machine
Evagrius, the most influential source behind hesychasm, was condemned for heresy. Yet his teachings shaped the very system critics now claim is the only valid method.
So let’s be honest:
If you want to throw out Centering Prayer for lacking theological guardrails, you’d also have to toss out the backbone of Orthodox contemplative practice.
You don’t get to praise The Philokalia while denouncing the experiential freedom that gave birth to it.
And let’s be even more honest: the loudest critics have no direct realization or interior experience of the silence they police. Their objections aren’t born of prayer. They’re born of preservation.
Theology Emerged from Practice, Not the Other Way Around
What we now call “Orthodox mysticism” came after the experience. Not before. Not as a gatekeeper.
The Fathers didn’t wait for creeds to meditate in silence. They didn’t ask for permission to stop thinking.
They sat in the dark until the dark cracked open.
The Real Issue
It’s not about theology. It’s about control.
When you criticize Centering Prayer because it doesn’t follow your map, you’re ignoring the fact that the earliest Christians didn’t have one.
They were blazing trails into God, not defending borders.
If the silence they practiced had to be pre-approved by a bishop, there wouldn’t be an Orthodox mystical tradition to protect.
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RadTrad (Radical Traditionalist) Roman Catholics are also criticizing centering prayer, some of them falsely claiming that it is Buddhist in origin. Centering prayer always seemed to me to fit in comfortably into mainstream Anglicanism. I fail to understand why there is such a panic about it.
It’s interesting to learn that some Christians practice what you call Centering Prayer, which is also used in Buddhism & yoga. Of course it’s a real kind of praying — what could be more simple: you sit in the presence of God! No rules required! I’m intrigued by some of the words you use: The Philokalia, hesychasm, apophatic, even Orthodox mysticism — like a wisp of exotic incense drifting through the temple.