Can We All Get Along?
Yes, Rodney King said it best.
I received an email yesterday from a person on MySpace who lists his religion as “atheist.” I had found his profile because he wrote a poem called “Self-Deification” (in which he basically talks about being his own God). I had done a keyword search for people in MySpace with “deification” in their profile, and sent him a message without taking the time to really consider that his idea of deification probably was worlds away from my own.
Okay, my bad. But his response basically said, “I don’t need Christians trying to preach to me because I’m an atheist. So go away.” I sent him an apologetic note, saying I’m sorry for bothering him and certainly didn’t mean to cause offense. I doubt if I will hear from him again, and that’s okay. He probably sees me as just another bigoted, self-righteous religionist who can’t help but annoy people whose views differ from my own. Of course, I prefer to think of myself as someone who takes delight in the fact that so many different people hold different (and even mutually exclusionary) perspectives; to me, that’s part of the beauty of creation, and it is because I find creation so beautiful that I have chosen to interpret my transpersonal experiences as evidence of a loving creator. But of course, not everyone sees it that way. Different views.
I’m sad now, not because Mr. Atheist rejects me and certainly not because his viewpoint is so foreign from my own. I’m sad because so many Christians have raised spiritual salesmanship to an art form, that those who have hung “no soliciting” signs around their souls need, out of sheer self-defense, to push me away before either of us have a chance to get to know one another. Perhaps I would have surprised this fellow with a Christian spirituality unfamiliar to him, one steeped in mystical agnosticism and (hopefully) radical trust and compassion. And he undoubtedly would have surprised me in some ways as well. But we’ll never know, most likely. And like I said, that’s okay. But also, that’s too bad.
Contemplative Prayer
I’ve just posted an essay on Contemplative Prayer in the “Spiritual Formation” section of this website.
Introduction to World Mysticism (Evening at Emory)
I’ll be teaching the following class through the Emory University Center for Lifelong Learning:
Introduction to World Mysticism
Madonna is studying the Kabbalah. The Secret is a runaway bestseller. Seven hundred years after he died, everyone’s reading Rumi. Yoga, Buddhism and other eastern practices are more popular among Americans than ever. So what gives? At the heart of all these cultural trends is mysticism, a vague word that can be translated as “the spiritual principle at the heart of religion.” Many people believe mysticism is the golden thread that unites all the world’s religions. Others scoff at the idea. Come decide for yourself in this class as we explore major themes and writings from the world’s great mystical traditions. Using Andrew Harvey’s The Essential Mystics as our textbook, we’ll examine the world’s great wisdom traditions — Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as pagan and philosophical forms of mysticism — acknowledging both the common ground and the distinctive qualities of each mystical path. Class is taught from an academic/nonsectarian perspective.
Textbook: The Essential Mystics : Selections from the World’s Great Wisdom Traditions by Andrew Harvey
Instructor: Carl McColman
4 sessions: Wednesdays, October 3-24, 2007 / 7:00-9:00 pm
Registration fee: $90
Quote for the Day
Once, when I attended a workshop on teaching religion, a presenter talked about how he took his students on wilderness trips to give them a taste of life nearer the edge. Whether they went hiking or white water rafting, the point was to step outside their high-carb comfort zones long enough to encounter the untamed holiness of the wild.
‘Excuse me,’ a member of the audience said, ‘but are there predators in those places who are above you on the food chain?’
‘Well, of course not,’ the presenter said. ‘I wouldn’t put students in danger like that.’
‘I wouldn’t either,’ the man in the audience said, ‘but don’t lull them into thinking they have experienced true wilderness. It’s only wilderness if there’s something out there that can eat you.’
— Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
Orthodox enough?
My recently redesigned Myspace page has made me plenty of new friends and has received many warm comments and messages from people who are enjoying a glimpse into my appreciation of the Christian mystical tradition. For this, I am most grateful.
Ironically, I’ve also received several messages from people who want to check out my theology and/or my beliefs. (more…)
New blog discovery of the day
Check out Heather’s Poor Excuse. Not only does she provide as an epigraph an irreverently-translated quote from Hafiz, but she’s got plenty of thoughtful posts like her recent How Not to Read the Bible, an intelligent rant about the many misuses of scripture by both Christians and non-Christians, filled with nuggets like this: “…the arrival of Christ into the history of the Jewish people is like the plot twist in an M. Night Shyamalan movie.”
How Many Social Networking Sites Can You Be on Before You’re Certifiably Compulsive?
Okay, as I alluded a few days ago, I’ve dusted off my heretofore inactive MySpace page; found a great layout for it that is elegant rather than flashy, set up “fan pages” for Julian of Norwich and The Cloud of Unknowing, and am now happily sending friend request to anyone with a listed interest even vaguely related to Christian mysticism. Meanwhile, I kept hearing wind of other social networking sites… Facebook… Virb… Ning… even — egad! — Zaadz. I had already established an account with LinkedIn, and have been having way too much fun at LibraryThing, and of course, there’s my good ol’ LiveJournal account, which is pretty moribund since I migrated first to SquareSpace and on to WordPress, although I do pop back in there for a visit every now and then. At any rate, last night in a burst of giddy internet enthusiasm, I set up accounts with all of the above (except Zaadz; there I merely applied for an account, it seems they are a bit more, er, exclusive). What’s next? The Ooze? Care2? ThySpace? Orkut? Should my social networking ambition be to recieve an invitation to join A Small World? At what point is too many social networking web accounts, well, too many? A therapist friend of mine warned me when I became a Catholic that I was immersing myself into the OCD playground. Is social networking just another way for me to live my compulsive life?
I’m rationalizing it this way: currently I’m “dating around” all these different sites. Do I like the “big city” feel of MySpace, or do I want something more elite à la Zaadz or Virb? Or would I find a happy medium between those two extremes at FaceBook? Should I go for a strictly business approach, courtesy of LinkedIn? Or should I just blow off all this cyberdistraction and keep reading the mystics and writing about them here????
Stay tuned…
Virb and Ning
Is anyone who reads this using Virb or Ning? If so, please let me know, I’d love to pick your brain.
Julian’s best translator
I have just learned of the blog that belongs to John Skinner, an English spiritual author whose translation of Julian of Norwich is by far the best available. He has also done translations of The Book of Margery Kempe and The Confessions of Saint Patrick. His own book, Hear Our Silence, about a two-week period spent with the Carthusians, looks quite tasty but is, alas, out of print and used copies are rather expensive.
Visit his blog at Hear Our Silence.
Scary Sexist Homophobic Christian Preacher, Revisited
If you’ve got some time to burn, check out the Mystery of Iniquity Blog — the link points to a post in which the author comments on my post (and critique) of Mark Driscoll’s “Jesus wasn’t a hippie in a dress” video. The conversations in response constitute a microcosmic example of just how hard it is for gender-traditionalists and feminists/post-patriarchalists to discuss the core issues that divide us. Here is an enlightening glimpse into the values rift that is at the heart of both our cultural and our ecclesial paralysis.
What’s at the heart of this particular conversation? The Bible and how we interpret it. Basically, the traditionalist position is “The Bible is God’s word, and God is not sexist/misogynistic, therefore the Bible is not sexist/misogynistic.” The post-patriarchal position runs more along the lines of “The Bible is sexist/misogynistic, which means either it fails as God’s word, or it implies that God is also sexist/misogynistic, or at the very least it points to how far we have evolved in both our understanding of God and of ethics; in any case, the Bible remains relevant only to the extent that we can honestly criticize it.”
Similar rifts divide those who argue for and against the acceptance of gay and lesbian persons in church and society; those who argue for and against the morality of legally available abortion, and those who argue for and against the acceptance of religious diversity and interfaith respect.
My friends, we who both love the Christian faith and identify with post-patriarchal, post-homophobic, post-modern ethics, have quite a task before us. We must find ways for the trads and the posties to talk to each other. Not past each other, but to each other. This will be a slow, painful process. But I am convinced that God will have it no other way.
What’s new…
Here are the latest additions to the non-blog portion of this website:
- A Contemporary Mystical Experience? — an excerpt from The Aspiring Mystic;
- Colere — a poem I wrote for the original “House of Breathings” website, way back when;
- Francis of Assisi — a new page under the “Mystics” section.
Enjoy!
Quote for the Day
As a general rule, I would say that human beings never behave more badly toward one another than when they believe they are protecting God. In the words of Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas, “People of the Book risk putting the book above people.”
— Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith
The Celtic Way of Seeing
The Celtic Way of Seeing: Meditations on the Irish Spirit Wheel
By Frank MacEowen
Novato, CA: New World Library, 2007
Review by Carl McColman
As I hinted a few days ago, I’ve really rather wandered away from the world of Celtic wisdom since becoming so engrossed in ancient Christian mysticism, Benedictine spirituality, and the postmodern emerging church movement. Indeed, I hadn’t even read a Celtic-themed book in months, when I picked up Frank MacEowen’s latest book, The Celtic Way of Seeing. But I’m glad I did pick this one up; it gives me hope that there is still much that the non-sectarian representatives of Celtic spirituality can offer us. Indeed, MacEowen himself is a wonderful example of Celtic spirituality expressed in a trans-religious manner: he brings the mindfulness of a Buddhist and the nature-sensitivities of Native American wisdom to his exploration of Irish myth, and thankfully, this syncretistic mix pays off. As a lifetime student of indigenous wisdom and earth-based healing practices, MacEowen naturally gravitates to the Celtic seer tradition; in this book, he avoids spiritual trendiness by simply recounting a traditional story while providing rich, layered, reflective prose in which his reflections on the inner meaning of the old tale becomes an invitation for his readers to embark on a similar journey of inner discovery. (more…)
The Phoenix Affirmations
The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity
By Eric Elnes
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006
Review by Carl McColman
Eric Elnes is a UCC minister and activist based in Arizona; he was instrumental in writing the list of twelve declarations for the future of the Christian faith known as the Phoenix Affirmations, both for the town in which they were crafted as well as the mythical symbolism of the fiery bird that is resurrected from its own pyre. This document calls the Christian community to a more self-conscious and intentional commitment to love as the foundation and cornerstone of the faith, with twelve points spelling out how love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self comprise the Christian life (you can read the current version of the Phoenix Affirmations online here). The Phoenix Affirmations are being promulgated particularly by Crosswalk America, an organization that bills itself as “where Christian compassion meets progressive action.” Meanwhile, this slender book offers an overview of the affirmations and the rationale behind them. (more…)
Killing the Innocent?
Will the state of Georgia execute an innocent man? Thanks to draconian death penalty laws passed when Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House, it looks like the answer to this question could be yes. Read about Troy Davis who is scheduled to be executed on Monday, despite new evidence that suggests he’s innocent. Here is yet another example of why the death penalty remains inconsistent with Christian values.
Please pray for Mr. Davis, for the family members of the police officer killed in 1989, and for all those who now have to weigh the new evidence in Davis’ favor versus a system that makes it difficult if not impossible for a man like him to make one final appeal.
International Christian Retail Show
Today was the final day of the International Christian Retail Show, held this year in Atlanta. I attended all four days of the trade show; made all sorts of contacts for the Abbey Store and a few personal contacts (to promote my writing and/or this blog) and, best of all, made some new friends. (more…)
Earthmystic on MySpace
Okay, I’ve had a MySpace page for a year or so now, but I’ve finally gotten around to sweeping the floor and decorating the walls and making it presentable. So please go take a look (and if you have a MySpace page of your own, I do hope you’ll send me an add request).
I’ve also been amused by the whimsical way in which MySpace users create pages for their favorite saints and celebrities. I was most unhappy to find that no such page existed for Julian of Norwich. So I rectified the situation!
Incidentally, the layout I’m using (as of this posting) is adapted from a wondeful one created by Mike Industries.
Have fun…
MySpace!
Okay, I’ve had a MySpace page for a year or so now, but I’ve finally gotten around to sweeping the floor and decorating the walls and making it presentable. So please go take a look (and if you have a MySpace page of your own, I do hope you’ll send me an add request).
I’ve also been amused by the whimsical way in which MySpace users create pages for their favorite saints and celebrities. I was most unhappy to find that no such page existed for Julian of Norwich. So I rectified the situation!
Incidentally, the layout I’m using (as of this posting) is adapted from a wondeful one created by Mike Industries.
Have fun…
No, I haven’t forgotten.
So over the past two years I’ve put so much energy into contemplative spirituality, from trying to wrap my mind around the ancient Orthodox teachings on theosis or deification, to exploring my own deep interior silence as a Lay Cistercian, to reflecting on how Ken Wilber’s integral theory (primarily grounded in Buddhism) can make sense within a mystical Christian context. It’s all loads of fun (yeah, I know, I’m a geek) and for the most part keeps me out of trouble. (more…)
Audio Mystica
This week I’m attending the International Christian Retail Show here in Atlanta. Today I was most happy to learn that a company named Christian Audio has (or will soon be) releasing a number of the writings of great mystics on audio CD, including:
- Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing
- Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions
- Benedict of Nursia, The Holy Rule of St. Benedict
- Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God
- Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God
- John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul
- Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle
- Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
I think I’ve just found a way to make my 22-mile commute much more bearable.
Loving my faith
Someone asked me recently why I loved my religion. Here’s the answer I gave.
As a Catholic, I appreciate the culture of my religion, from Gregorian Chant, to the writings of great mystics like Teresa of Avila or Julian of Norwich, to the soaring architecture of Gothic Cathedrals, the pomp and ceremony of a pontifical mass, the profound silence of a Trappist monastery, the warm sense of spirituality in a cathedral lit by hundreds of flickering candles, each one representing someone’s heartfelt prayer. I also love the theology of Holy Communion: when we eat the consecrated bread and wine, Christ himself feeds and nurtures us. This is a faith where I truly encounter the love of God.
Agnostic
Of course I’m an agnostic. I’m not a gnostic. And that’s what an agnostic is: not a gnostic…
Spiritual Formation Online — The New Generation
My Spiritual Formation page is up and running. Currently I only have one link off of it — the introductory, What is Spiritual Formation? page — but I’ll resurrect the pages from my old “Spiritual Formation Online” website, concerning topics like Contemplative Prayer, Spiritual Direction, and creating your own Rule of Life; in addition, I’ll write entirely new pieces on Lectio Divina, the Daily Office, the Rule of St. Benedict, and so forth. What fun. If only there were 30 hours in an 8-day week…
Why Read the Mystics?
Why should anyone bother reading the mystics?
Okay, some people would rather spend their lives reading People magazine or playing with their Xbox or simply trolling Ebay for that amazing find. So be it. One of the qualities of lavish grace is that it doesn’t force itself on anyone. So the first and perhaps most important answer to my question is simply, “Because you want to.” But having once established that interest (or desire) is present, still, why bother? Why not just read the Bible (or sacred texts from around the world), or sample the best of contemporary religious writing, or (actually a very worthy goal) moderate our religious study with exploration of science, technology, literature, philosophy, literature and the arts?
Okay, so it makes sense to incorporate the reading of mystical writings with an overall balanced intellectual and spiritual life. Fair enough. But mysticism still can be a wonderful focus for anyone interested in a deepening inner/spiritual life. Meanwhile, in the first sentence of this paragraph I’ve given you a clue to what I see as the two-fold reason why anyone can profit from getting to know the great works of the Christian mystics (or of the mystics of any contemplative tradition, for that matter). (more…)
