Christianity is either mystical or it’s crap.
You can’t systematic-theology your way out of a jealousy, lust, or pride problem. It’s not all about reason and propositions; at the end of the say we don’t just need principles, we need rescue. That’s why Sinai isn’t all we got. We still needed Calvary!
Which means that “mystical” is the right word here — we are talking about real, tangible, visible-in-my-life effects brought about by a spiritual being who is not me. This is not just an arrangement of mental furniture, an “I like to think of it like this…” — you can get that from Tony Robbins or Oprah or Buddha or whoever. No, this is something beyond myself.
Now, not every spiritual being that is not me is my friend, and discernment is certainly called for. But the fact that some mystics have truck with demons is no reason to refuse to engage with the Holy Spirit. When Moses and Aaron met with Jannes and Jambres, there were lots of mystics in the room, only two of them righteous. But those two really were righteous, and the story doesn’t really go anywhere without them. (Far too many Christians today are so terrified of becoming Jambres that they refuse to be like Moses. It’s a problem when Christians think any tangible spirituality smacks of the occult.)
In the New Testament, Paul attests to another person who is not him indwelling him (Gal. 2:20). He teaches us that through the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, we escape the present power of sin (Rom. 8:10-11), permitting us to present our dead bodies (7:24) as a living and acceptable sacrifice (12:1). Peter tells us that through God’s promises we may become partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). These are either real things that actually happen, or they’re empty promises that don’t actually make a difference in our lives.
The universal testimony of the NT is that it is real, and will stand up to all the rational examination you care to give it — which Paul, John, and others certainly did! Nothing wrong with theologizing, but let’s not kid ourselves about the nature of the discipline: we’re either talking about things God actually did and does, or we’re just blowing smoke and arranging mirrors.
The doctrine-wonks can’t have it both ways. Christianity pointedly claims that it is not just doctrine; it is either real intervention by God in time, space, and history, or it’s a lie.
Word.