God Does not Exist* (Contemplation Part 1 of 10) DECONSTRUCTION & MYSTICISM with John Crowder

Contemplation Series Part 1 of 10
Over ten episodes of the newly re-launched Jesus Trip, John Crowder will explore Contemplation: the most vital spiritual practice of the ancient church, which the modern evangelical world knows little to nothing about and even demonizes due to countless misconceptions. This series explores theological and practical applications, covering topics such as deconstruction, apophatic (negative) theology, Christology and more.

John has a much longer, 20-hour E-Course on Contemplation called "Sacred Mystery: A Course on Contemplation" available at:

Find our E-Courses, video & audio teachings and books at:

Find upcoming conferences, schools and events at:

Find out about Cana New Wine Seminary online at:

Become a member of our live monthly webinar platform, the Inner Sanctum:

Follow John on Twitter at:

Follow John's personal Facebook page at:

Follow John's public Facebook page at:

Follow John on Instagram at:

Send a big fat love donation!!

[brycerings]

You are one of the few YouTube channels I keep notifications on for. I’m thrilled to see you back doing the Jesus Trip! You have been consistently in my prayers for the last few years and I am so thankful for your faith-walk — even after devastating hardships. Bless you, John!

[JacobJones-qfxb]

Now this is what you call, The Unadulterated Gospel !!🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[davidombowsky]

So glad you are back on the trip John! I went to one of your meetings in 2010 and since then your work has been such a huge part of life. I bought 40 copies of Mystical Union to give to friends, cause it was so meaningful to me. I have prayed for you many times over the last few years. I knew that you would come out of your hellish season a new person and I have been so excited to see how God would use that season for His calling.

[transfiguredword]

You have such a way with words! I love the Christian contemplative and apophatic tradition. In recent years, I have grown a lot from the insights and wisdom of Fr Richard Rohr. In his book “The Universal Christ”, Rohr does a wonderful job distinguishing between the Eternal Christ and Jesus of Nazareth, whereas a lot of folks continue to conflate these two realities.

Meanwhile, I love that realization of Christ in us! Is this not the glorious revelation given to us through Jesus, that we are the Temple of God, the Dwelling Place of the Divine? (Eph 2:22)

As such, I like the vision of Jesus as the prototype, as God brings many sons to glory. Likewise, the revelation of Paul was not just the Eternal Logos made flesh in Jesus, but in us as well. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Thus what Jesus modeled individually, now has taken on a corporate reality. One body, many members. (1 Cor 12:12) One Temple, many Living Stones. (1 Pet 2:5)

Some folks talk about Christ someday "returning." I suppose Paul might thus respond...“Do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Cor 13:5) The whole point of that Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire is to burn away the dross of the old nature, so that Christ (the Divine Nature) might be more fully revealed in our lives! (Col 3:9-15)

Kenosis to theosis! Such a potent concept, somewhat lost here in the west, which got so focused on justification, that it lost sight of glorification. (Rom 8:29-30) That whole idea of leaving behind the elementary things, so that we might press unto perfection (Phil 3:7-14, Heb 6:1). St Gregory of Nyssa does a wonderful job addressing this idea of pressing towards perfection in his classic work "The Life of Moses". And yet he points out how the virtues of God are infinite, and thus so is our quest into His Perfection!

Yet so many folks remain distracted by the idea of “going to heaven”. All the while, God wants to manifest the kingdom in our lives. In the glorioius words of Pseudo-Macarius in his opening homily on Ezekiel 1, that we might come to an awareness of “the soul as the chariot throne of God.” Such is the interiorized apocalypse (unveiling) of Christ in us!

I so look forward to the next episodes...

[scottboatright]

I have never heard.. JESUS... put so clear and beautifully! This is pure gold! This is not debatable! Thank you John! 🙏🏻♥️

[carmencalhoun]

My God this is DELICIOUS! Oh taste and see that the Lord is Good! Thank you!!!

[memymo]

I have missed you, John. I am SO glad that you are back for those of us that cannot afford the other things. If it wasnt for your craziness...from beginning to end...if you hadnt been the weird guy that first made me angry, then made me scoff and laugh, then made me think twice, then made me honestly assess the state of my christian life and the dissimilarity between what i had compared to what the ancient church had (which had always been brewing beneath the surface as i could no longer deny the vast dissimilarity between what i had been taught and what the new testament taught) then i never would have bought a book from you. And if i had never bought your book Mystical Union i would still be in the depths of darkness and depression with no way out. I would just believe that Jesus failed me or he just didnt love me. Right now i am struggling through the reshaping of corrupted christian teachings that miss the very gift of mysical union and it has been painful. The renewing of my mind from forms of Christian thought that are just wrong has been like having my teeth pulled with no pain killers. It has been so dark and so lonely. i am alone in this journey. I cant talk to anybody about it. I have tried and they think i am a heretic. But God is faithful. I got up this morning after a very dark couple of months struggling with myself and he showed me somethings about myself and why i keep returning to "vomit" and i journaled about it and then i turned on youtube and your face greeted me. I didn't know you had started a new series. i was just going to listen to some old truth. But, suprise! What a gift. Anyhow, thank you John. You will never know how much you have helped me see the truth and given light to a burned out, broken, confused and deeply sad person who couldnt understand what she needed to do to know God. Joke was that he has been here all along. It was I who was trying to reanimate a corpse instead of walking in newness of life!

[CarlRSapp]

Looking forward to Jesus Trip being back John. 🎉

[GingerVertican]

We love you John. Welcome back. Been praying for you so often and that’s the truth - we are family in Christ and carried you & your wife in our hearts and prayers very frequently. Thank you for coming back to teach us!

[jonathancaliguire]

Stoked you're back with these John! This video series has impacted me so deeply in the past. Grateful for your work!

[davidball]

So much Glory on you, John! Look forward to seeing you again on the Emerald Coast in August!

[conorlowes]

I've been reading vladimir lossky's mystical theology of the eastern church, so good timing

[Evolsieh]

Thank you, thank you, Thank you John for Jesus trip. Listen to every program in the past and now. To hear this in this time when “the world has gone mad” is such a help to me. I only can praise God for giving you fresh and deeper insights into His mystical presence within us. Thank you. I found myself crying again ( offence was setting in)
Yes, there is a hope for me and may be even for the rest of this fallen world. 🙏🏻Jesus will never give up, revealing God to us in all His facets.

[chuckkourtjian]

Thanks John! You help me understand we are in a supernatural relationship with God, uninterrupted union, even if we don’t understand it. We get to spend eternity learning more about God. Just be with Him! ❤️

[suvipelkonen]

Thank you for being back with Jesus trip! I just realized how much I have missed this. Bless you!

[josesalcedo]

Thanks for coming back again and putting together what many have been craving, experiencing and wondering. Blessings

[candiceargall]

God is an experience! Love it!What a joy-ride (literally) this series is going to be ❤

[KainosJoyPodcast]

True! Evengelical leaders so easily forget about Gods covenant in Jeremiah- “all will know me, from the least to the greatest “ ❤

[adventuresinparadise]

I am SO STOKED that the Jesus Trip is back. You absolutely hit it out of the park with this one. I am really excited to learn more about this topic and implement it into my life. Thank you thank you thank you! 🙏🏽

[GruftieJF]

waited for this for so long! So glad the Jesus Trip is back again