It’s my most personal column to date. In it I talk about my recent profession of life promises as a Lay Cistercian, and explain how that is related to my sense of being called to a contemplative life — even though, technically speaking, I live a “mixed” life since I aspire to contemplation without formally entering monastic life.

Please take a moment to check it out — and let me know what you think.

The Writings of Julian of Norwich

So today is May 13 — the other possible anniversary date for Julian of Norwich’s showings (the first being May 8). So to commemorate this day, I thought I would highlight editions of Julian’s writings that feature her text based on the old handwritten manuscripts we have of her writing — in other words, Julian in Middle English.

There are several editions of Julian in Middle English available. The first one I ever owned was the Colledge & Walsh edition, published by the Pontifical Institute for Mediaeval Studies in Toronto. Called A Book of Showings to the Anchoress Julian of Norwich, this was a two volume edition (the short and long texts of Julian’s visions bound separately) with extensive annotations. It’s a wonderful book — the editors drew on all of the most important manuscripts to pull together this edition — but, alas, now out of print. Used copies online range in price from about ten dollars to well over $100 — just be sure that you are getting both volumes, as the books should be sold as a set.

If you really want to go whole hog, you can order from Italy the SISMEL Edizioni del Galluzzo edition of Showing of Love: Extant Texts and Translations, edited by Sr. Anna Maria Reynolds, C.P. and Julia Bolton Holloway. This tome features four of the earliest manuscripts of Julian’s text, along with translations of three of them. Included are transcriptions of the British Library (Amherst) Manuscript of Julian’s “short” text (believed to date to the fifteenth century, making it the oldest Julian manuscript in existence); the Westminster Cathedral, Paris Bibliothèque Nationale, and one of two British Library (Sloan) Manuscripts of Julian’s “long” text (all dated to the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries). Along with the other manuscript in the British Library (Sloan) collection, these are the oldest copies of Julian’s work that we have, and like all handwritten manuscripts there are variations between them (like the date of the revelations: the Paris manuscript has the “XIIIth” of May, while the Sloan manuscript says the “VIIIth” of May). Furthermore, the Paris manuscript appears to have been edited at some point — the language is more formal and regularized than the Sloan manuscript, and its presentation of Julian’s arguments shine with a bit more clarity and polish. By contrast, the Sloan manuscripts seem to be more faithful to Julian’s own voice, showing more linguistic idiosyncrasies that are consistent with the dialect of East Anglia — including Norwich, where Julian lived. So it is nice to have a book that collects these different manuscripts together. It’s not cheap, though: expect to pay about two hundred Euro for the book itself, plus the shipping costs to get the book (it weighs about seven pounds) to you. If you think you want a copy, contact Julia Bolton Holloway directly.

The Showings of Julian of Norwich

Thankfully, less expensive editions of Julian’s writings are available, usually in annotated editions designed for students. My favorite would have to be Nicholas Watson’s and Jacqueline Jenkins’ The Writings of Julian of Norwich, published by Penn State, which includes both the short text and the long text (edited from both the Sloan and Paris manuscripts, creating a sort of “hybrid” edition of the long text). Carefully annotated, balanced in its presentation of modern Julian scholarship and textual criticism, and beautifully typeset, this is the edition of Julian I turn to first.

Meanwhile, Denise N. Baker edited the Norton Critical Edition of The Showings of Julian of Norwich, based on the Paris manuscript. This book features essays by several important scholars, including Grace M. Jantzen, Joan M. Nuth, Caroline Walker Bynum and B. A. Windeatt. And if you really want to economize, the TEAMS Middle English series of books from Western Michigan University includes a student edition of The Shewings of Julian of Norwich which is yours for the bargain price of only $10! Edited by Georgia Ronan Crampton, this book is based on the British Library Sloan manuscripts.

Now, I would encourage anyone interested in discovering Julian in her own voice to acquire all three of the student texts listed here — Watkins/Jenkins, essentially a “hybrid” of the Paris/Sloan manuscripts; Baker, based on the Paris manuscript, and Crampton, based on the Sloan. Why does this matter? Because of the textual differences I mentioned above. We should read the Sloan manuscript to get the best sense of Julian’s own voice, while the Paris manuscript offers the most incisive presentation of her theology. A hybrid edition that draws from both manuscripts hopefully preserves what is best in each, which is why the Penn State edition is so useful. Nevertheless, if you want to be thorough, take the time to explore each of these editions. It’s like listening to music in stereo: the distinctions only make it richer.

The Shewings of Julian of Norwich

Some contemplatives and scholars — a notable example being Maggie Ross — often insist that the only way to truly and fully appreciate the wisdom of a mystic like Julian of Norwich would be to read her in her own voice. I’m not quite that much of a purist: I’d rather see someone read Julian in an imperfect modern rendering of her words than not read her at all. But the more I learn about textual criticism, and the more time I spend with Julian in Middle English, the more I’ve come to appreciate the beauty and importance of reading an author like Julian in her original voice. It’s not like you have to learn Sanskrit or Mandarin Chinese! Middle English is actually quite easy to pick up (I’ve found that if I have difficulty with a passage, reading it aloud will often unlock its meaning), and if you have to have a dictionary handy and find yourself reading the text at a snail’s pace, well, so what? Julian is best read in a lectio divina manner anyway. So take the plunge. Get an edition of Julian’s revelations based on one of the old manuscripts, and explore. I am confident you will be richly blessed.

The Silent Cry

As the experience of oneness with God, mysticism is the radical substantiation of the dignity of the human being.

— Dorothee Soelle, The Silent Cry:
Mysticism and Resistance

I think this one just about says it all. It’s interesting to me that the most vocal critics of mysticism often seem to be those who have the most pessimistic view of human nature, stressing such ideas as the “total depravity” of humankind. It’s almost as if the mysticism-haters are saying “we reject mysticism because, frankly, we have no faith that God could ever love something as disgusting as a human being.”

Mysticism doesn’t say there is no such thing as sin, evil, or horrific ways in which human beings act against the nature of love. Mysticism merely proclaims that such horrors are never the final word. In pointing us to the transforming love of God, mysticism offers us the hope for healing and transformation, that even the most wounded (or wounding!)  person remains within the reach of God’s healing power and grace. Therein lies “the radical substantiation of the dignity of the human being.” We do not presume to dignify ourselves — rather, we receive our dignity, lavishly, abundantly, and beyond what we could ever earn or deserve, from and through the boundless love of God. And that is a dignity that no human act (or opinion) can ever efface.

]]> http://www.anamchara.com/2012/05/11/mysticism-and-human-dignity/feed/ 1 http://www.anamchara.com/2012/05/09/julian-and-patheos/ http://www.anamchara.com/2012/05/09/julian-and-patheos/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:39 +0000 Carl McColman http://www.anamchara.com/?p=10252 Continuing my celebration of Julian of Norwich this week, here is my latest column for Patheos: Julian of Norwich’s Timeless Message. Please follow the link and check it out.

Revelations of Divine Love

God is the ground of our praying. Arising from this, we are shown true prayer and steady trust and God wants us to be generous in both alike.

— Mother Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love,
Backhouse/Pipe edition.

This little snippet from the first chapter of Julian of Norwich’s book of showings struck me as so powerful in its implications that at first I had to wonder if it was even a literal translation, or just a paraphrase. Sometimes editors take liberties when rendering ancient texts into the language of today. So I turned to the Watkins/Jenkins edition of The Writings of Julian of Norwich in Middle English, and found the passage I quoted above in Julian’s own voice:

God is ground of our beseking. Heerin was seen two fair properties: that one is rightful prayer, that other is seker trust, which he will both be alike large.

Watkins’ and Jenkins’ annotations point out that “seker” means “certain” while “alike large” means “be equally generous.” So it may not be a literal rendition, but it seems accurate enough. And what a wondrous statement it is! Julian, the fourteenth century visionary, reports that God wants us to be generous in our prayer and generous in our trust. Hold nothing back! Share all your anxieties and worries with the Divine Mystery — and then let them go.

So do the two go hand in hand? I think so. If I can more fully and freely give myself to God in prayer, I am liberated to more fully and freely trust God, even when worldly circumstances might suggest that such trust is hardly useful at all. Trusting in God is hardly a magic ticket to ease and happiness — my family and I watched the movie Soul Surfer the other night, about a young devout Christian named Bethany Hamilton from Hawaii, whose two great loves are God — and surfing. She and her family had been praying that God’s will be done in her life, only to have a horrifying tragedy ensue: one October morning when she was 13, a shark came along and made a meal out of one of her arms. At this point skeptics will cry “See! Life is absurd!” while true believers will emphasize the rest of the story, of how less than two years later Hamilton won a national surfing competition with only one arm and went on to become a professional surfer — and an evangelist who travels internationally. See the deal? God can give us something far beyond anything we can imagine, but that doesn’t mean we get to avoid the suffering and pain that is a part of every life. In fact, sometimes it is through that very suffering that miracles happen.

Bethany Hamilton's Autobiography

How can we trust life, and God, in the face of apparent absurdity, unspeakable tragedy, or just normal circumstances where life seems so hard, and hope in such short supply? I believe Julian’s insight provides us with a meaningful answer. Be generous in prayer, both the vocal and the contemplative varieties. Be transparent before the Divine Mystery. Befriend God’s presence in your life through word and silence, and then learn to trust. I think trust is a spiritual “muscle” — if we use it, it gets bigger and stronger, but if we’re lazy with it, it atrophies. It’s our choice. We just have to remember that we might be called to trust even through the most harrowing of circumstances —but if Christ can trust on the cross, and a young surfer girl can trust losing a limb, cannot you and I do the same?

I hope you might be able to write me a quick note about a good way to get started in a more contemplative/mystical oriented Christianity.  I was involved in religious fundamentalism for most of my adult life and now I am trying to recover from that.  I am hoping you might point me to some books that would help me embark on this path.  Thanks for your time.

The Big Book of Christian Mysticism

Thanks for a great question. This is actually the subject of my next book, Answering the Contemplative Call, but since that book won’t be out until next January, I’ll go ahead and try to give you some things to think about now. First, and perhaps most important, there’s no systematic way to become a contemplative — because contemplation is relational rather than juridicalor systematic in its nature. It’s not about “four spiritual laws” but rather about falling in love with God. And like any love relationship, it can never be properly captured in words! With this in mind to keep us both properly humble, I’m just going to offer a few thoughts to keep in mind as you move forward on the grand adventure of moving deeper into silence as a way to more fully love the Divine Mystery.

And yes, I’ll finish up with a few recommended books!

This first step is specifically for the person who wrote to me, who is a former fundamentalist. But others might find this useful as well…

Into the Silent Land

1. Put some effort into gratitude (where possible) and forgiveness toward the fundamentalists you left behind.This is important, because if your experience is anything like mine, extricating ourselves from fundamentalist communities can be difficult if not emotionally traumatic. Since fundamentalism is anchored in a way of seeing God that stresses God’s anger toward non-believers, the fundamentalists you used to associate with may interpret your leaving their community as a spiritually dangerous move — you are putting yourself, so they believe, in harm’s way. In their way of thinking, it would be a kindness to you to do whatever is necessary to keep you in the fold. They are probable incapable of seeing that their attempts to stop you from leaving will be harassing if not abusive, but you — again, if your experience is anything like mine — will see clearly that you have become a target. Obviously, if you have not already done so, you will have to set some boundaries to protect yourself, which may include refusing to have any contact with your fundamentalist former associates. Perhaps you won’t have to go to that extreme, but you might, depending on their behavior. But once you have protected yourself from harassment or abuse, the next major step will be safeguarding your own soul — that you don’t allow bitterness, anger or fear to dominate your memories of your sojourn in fundamentalism. What is important here is to forgive anyone who hurt you, and to discern — and celebrate — all the good motivations and experiences that shaped your fundamentalist journey.

Fully Human, Fully Divine

You became a fundamentalist for a reason — well, probably for a variety of reasons — and, I suspect, somewhere in there is a profound hunger for God, and/or a transforming experience of God’s presence in your life. Those are the jewels to hold on to — and to protect from being swallowed up by understandable feelings of resentment, disgust, or cynicism. The contemplative life is about truly experiencing and sharing with others those Divine qualities that fundamentalists pay a lot of lip service to, but never actually get around to manifesting in their lives — qualities like compassion, forgiveness, grace, loving your neighbor as yourself, and authentic, earthy humility. Actually fundamentalists do a pretty good job with these qualities when relating to other fundamentalists! But it’s moving outside the tribe that is so impossible for them. As a contemplative, you will be called not only to love, forgive, etc. other contemplatives, but even those who are radically different from yourself. And one of the best ways to practice this is — difficult though it may be — to show compassion, love, forgiveness, grace, etc. even to fundamentalists! Now, if you have set boundaries to protect yourself from harassment and abuse, that doesn’t mean that in order to be compassionate you now have to let those boundaries down! You may have to — for now, or for the rest of your life — practice compassion etc. on an interior level, releasing your internal feelings of rage and dread and replacing them with the most compassionate/forgiving feelings that you (with God’s help) can muster. It’s a lifelong journey! But all aspects of contemplative spirituality unfold slowly and beautifully over time. Which leads to my second point:

Revelations of Divine Love

2. Be gentle and patient with yourself (and others). Change takes time. Contemplative spirituality is like the slow food movement. It’s countercultural to our American idolatry of immediate gratification. We learn to accept ourselves as noisy (both externally and internally), narcissistic, distracted, messy, imperfect beings who can barely think about or relate to God, the Divine Mystery, in any way beyond self-interest. “Accepting” our many blemishes is not a way of acquiescing and doing nothing to grow in the Spirit! But rather, it is building a foundation of love and self-compassion that sets the stage for the deep interior transformation that the Spirit works in us, over time. Contemplation steers a middle course between two classic Christian heresies: Pelagianism and Quietism. Pelagianism (named for the unfairly maligned Celtic theologian Pelagius) seeks all spiritual betterment on our own terms, relying not on God but on our own selves to become holy. Quietism, by contrast, insists on doing nothing but passively waiting for God to form us in whatever way God chooses — and if God chooses to leave us mired in our compulsions, addictions and narcissism, than who are we to try to change? As the middle way, contemplation insists that living a life shaped by love, grace and forgiveness is possible, but must be attained by the Spirit’s lead — and our willing cooperation. Once again, the contemplative path prays for, and seeks to manifest, those lovely spiritual qualities that others merely pay lip service to: confidence, trust, love, joy, peace, patience in suffering, gratitude, forgiveness, compassion, kindness, moderation. The fruits of the spirit; the Beatitudes; the marks of a holy life. Just like it takes elbow grease to keep your house clean and your car well-maintained, you have to work at your own inner transformation — but the work begins by praying for, and trusting in, the leading of the Spirit. And then recognizing that such growth into holiness, into deeper silence, into loving simplicity, is a long process indeed. But the changes are organic, satisfying, and permanent. Which is why they need time to take root.

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening

3. Don’t stop doing all the “non-contemplative” spiritual exercises you find meaningful. Contemplation is not about giving up going to church, or no longer reading the Bible, or abandoning vocal forms of prayer. On the contrary! The great contemplatives throughout history have insisted that, at least within Christianity, contemplation ought to be built on the foundation of a centered, humble, ordinary life in Christ. Things may shift and change: perhaps you used to spend an hour a day reading the Bible and reciting vocal prayers; as you develop a lectio divina practice you will find more and more of that time given to silence, to simply resting in God’s loving presence. A contemplative practice is not about giving more time to God so much as it is about letting go of the thoughts and things that stand in the way of simply allowing the presence of the Divine Mystery to unfold in your life. But be wary of the temptation (and yes, you’ll likely feel this sooner or later) to abandon all other spiritual practices in favor of simply sitting quietly before God. Again, that is the cul-de-sac of quietism. Contemplative silence is about fostering intimacy with God; but compare that to marital intimacy. As much as I love the physical intimacy my wife and I share, it is only one small part of our marriage. We share resources, we maintain a home together, we work together to care for our daughter and achieve our financial goals, and so forth. The spiritual life works the same way. The intimacy of contemplation must be embedded in a larger life of service and relationship-building. Otherwise it goes off kilter; it devolves into “navel-gazing.” So don’t throw away those prayer books! Just learn how to hold it all in balance.

The Cloud of Unknowing

4. Build relationships with other contemplatives, including looking for a soul friend or spiritual director.Christianity is not a do-it-yourself religion, not even on the mystical or contemplative level. The hermits of the 3rd and 4th centuries quickly discovered that they needed to wash each others’ feet in order to truly be faithful to the Christian life. By the time of St. Benedict in the 6th century, a life of solitude in pursuit of God was understood as something that emerged out of communal life, not in place of it. Sometimes this is difficult, especially for those of us who have been burned by religious abuse in the past. We are naturally suspicious of other people’s zeal. But the contemplative life is about love, remember? So we need someone to love. Hopefully a community of someones. Thankfully, it is becoming easier and easier to connect with other contemplatives, through organizations such as Shalem, WCCM, Contemplative Outreach, and various monastic affiliations like Benedictine Oblates or Lay Cistercians. More and more local churches are forming contemplative small groups within their roster of parish ministries; I’m seeing this especially among Episcopalians but I think you can find it in many other groups as well. Another option is the unprogrammed Quakers, but they have no ritual or sacramental life, so if that is important to you the Quakers might not be the best choice. You have to discern what is right for you — the key is to find a community where they won’t look at you like you’ve sprouted an extra head, just because you spend an hour a day in silence! And just as important is making sure there is at least one person with whom you can honestly and candidly share what’s going on in your heart. Such a person might have a formal relationship with you — a spiritual director — or be more of an informal peer — a soul friend. There are advantages to either kind of relationship. To learn more about spiritual direction, visit the website of Spiritual Directors International. Finding a spiritual director or a soul friend is a process — you need to connect with the person who is right for you. Of course, trust serendipity, but also listen to your heart: you’ll know when you’ve made the connection that will both nurture and gently challenge your growth in love and intimacy with the Divine Mystery.

The Way of a Pilgrim

5. Make time in your life for silence, solitude, and stillness.You probably were wondering when I would get around to this! Let me repeat myself: contemplation is about letting go. Letting go of the clutter in our lives, both physically and mentally. Embracing simplicity. Learning to see the vast openness between and beneath the frenzy of our mental chatter. Turning off the television, computer, iPad, iPod, iPhone, etc. etc., even if only for an hour a day. Spending one day a month, and/or one week a year, at a monastery or some other place of deep silence. Finding time to be alone with God, in a church, in the woods, or even at home. Learning to be mindfully present with all the tasks of the day: when you exercise, be present with your exercising, don’t send your mind ahead to next Monday morning. Same when you are cooking, or gardening, or cleaning. Be mindfully present, each and every moment of the day, and when you find that your mind has wandered off, gently call it back. Be here now: embrace the sacrament of the present moment. And enjoy silence wherever you can find it. Sometimes, for those of us with families or busy lives, it might just come in a few stolen moments at the beginning or the end of each day. For now, that’s enough! Just make a point of attending to it, each and every day. And when possible, try to deepen and lengthen the time you give to God in silence. You will find that you cherish it more and more.

Writing the Icon of the Heart

6. Don’t get hung up on technique: but try different ways to embrace the silence. Traditionally, Christianity has been less concerned than other faith traditions with techniques of meditation or contemplation; but some Christian practices do exist, and it is worth getting to know them: the prayer of the heart (Jesus prayer), centering prayer, and Christian meditation are three well-known examples. Then there is praying with icons, the Rosary, and Eucharistic adoration. Each of these “methods” offers a different way to embrace silence, some are wordier than others, but all include ways to focus the mind so that our attention is tethered — if it wanders off (or I should say, when it wanders off) we have a focal point to return it to. It is well worth your while to explore these different methods or techniques of silent prayer, and once you find one that speaks to you, make it a daily part of your life. But a warning: don’t get hung up on the “right way” to meditate: remember, Christian contemplation is relational. For Christians, the right way to pray in silence is the way that nurtures an ever-deepening relationship with the Divine Mystery. Meditative techniques are always merely a means to that most important end. If you’re more worried about “doing it right” than about loving God, something is out of joint. Be mindful of this.

Prayer

7. Read, read read! I would include this piece of advice even if you hadn’t asked for a reading list, but since you did, here goes. As I have written elsewhere, contemplation is about words almost as much as it is about silence, and we who have access to books and the internet are tremendously privileged to be able to learn from some of the greatest contemplatives in history (some of whom are still with us). Here are a dozen books to get you started (including two by yours truly), but of course there is a lifetime of great reading material available to you. One word of caution: don’t get so caught up in reading about the contemplative life that this becomes a substitute for actually living the life. Wouldn’t it be tragic if someone spent their entire life reading romance novels only to die in loneliness! Here’s a rule of thumb: try to balance your time spent reading contemplative literature each day with the same amount of time spent in silence. If you can find an hour to read each day, try limiting your reading to just 30 minutes — and give the other 30 minutes to God in silence. Try it! You’ll still get lots of reading done, but your spiritual life will grow by leaps and bounds.

Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism

Okay, here are twelve books to get you started:

1. Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird (also available on Kindle). A masterful introduction to the basic elements of contemplative prayer, elegantly written, theologically orthodox but expansive in its spirit. Can’t recommend this one  highly enough.
2. Revelation of Love by Julian of Norwich (also available on Kindle). If you read one work of classical Christian mysticism, let this be the one. Poetic affirmations of the love of God in vivid, earthy descriptions of a medieval woman’s visions.
3. Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault (also available on Kindle). This book works as an introduction to centering prayer, but really is more universal in its treatment of how contemplative can be a force for deep inner healing.
4. The Cloud of Unknowing by Anonymous (also available on Kindle). Written by a contemporary of Julian of Norwich, this 14th-century manual of contemplation shows the long history of the practice — and the roots of practices like centering prayer.
5. The Naked Now by Richard Rohr. Down-to-earth reflections by one of the most popular Franciscans of our time on how to “learn to see as the mystics see” — recognizing that contemplation and mysticism entail a transformation of consciousness.
6. The Way of a Pilgrim by Anonymous (also available on Kindle). 19th-century Russian Orthodox classic that reads like a novel; the story of a wandering pilgrim whose life is transformed by the Jesus Prayer: the prayer of the heart.
7. Writing the Icon of the Heart by Maggie Ross. Beautifully written collection of essays by an Anglican solitary who is not only a gifted contemplative but also understands the relationship between silent prayer and social justice, including care for the earth.
8. Prayer by Abhishiktananda. The author, a French Benedictine priest who lived most of his adult life in India, provides rich meditative insight into the nature of prayer, informed by his study of Indian philosophy. A classic both in Christian and interfaith terms.
9. Fully Human, Fully Divine by Michael Casey. The author, an Australian Trappist monk, uses the Gospel of Mark to explore the destiny of the contemplative life: Union with God. A profound book to read (and savor) slowly, as a companion to lectio divina.
10. The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism edited by Bernard McGinn. Probably the best anthology of classical Christian mystical writings, featuring McGinn’s scholarly (but helpful) introductions to the key writings of the greatest contemplatives.
11. 

    Answering the Contemplative Call

    The Big Book of Christian Mysticism by Carl McColman (also available on Kindle). My introductory book on Christian mysticism, which includes an introduction to the contemplative life through a detailed discussion of the practice of lectio divina.

12. Answering the Contemplative Call by Carl McColman. My new book won’t be out until January 2013 (you can preorder it now, though!) — really, more of what this entire post is about: how to get started in your own contemplative response to the love of God.

So there you go. At least a year’s worth of reading (If you finish all these books in less than a year, perhaps you aren’t spending enough time in silence). May rich wonders abound in your life as you explore the contemplative path. Thanks for your question, and God bless you.

I’d be curious to know your thoughts on this matter.

Answering the Contemplative Call

I am pleased to announce that my forthcoming book, Answering the Contemplative Call: First Steps on the Mystical Path, has been entered into the Amazon.com database. The book will not be released until January 2013, but you can pre-order your copy by clicking here. Eventually the book will also be available on Kindle and Nook, but if you like a good old fashioned paper-and-ink book, you can pre-order this title now.

First, from the west coast, Alison Leigh Lilly and Jeff Lilly have created a new podcast called Faith, Fern and Compass: Nature Spirituality in the Digital Age. As the subtitle implies, the show is grounded in a strong eco-spiritual ethos, anchored in but by no means limited to the Lillys’ own druidic path. Jeff and Ali are fun and playful hosts but the content is anything but frivolous: ranging from poetry to in-depth discussions of theoretical and philosophical thought, generally dealing with aspects of living a truly embodied spirituality in the natural world. I’m mentioned in the “pre-season” episode 2, which deals with noise (and silence). Episode 1 has a particular treat: Alison reading her visionary story “Yewberry.” Beginning this month the podcast’s regular season kicks off, which includes a paid subscription option with extra content, but there will always be a free show each week for those who can’t or choose not to pay. Like any podcast, you can easily subscribe to this show via iTunes.

On the opposite end of the country (i.e. here in Georgia), crimefighter-turned-spiritual novelist Scott Lindquist and his wife, Unity minister Sydney Magill-Lindquist, have a radio show on Blogtalkradio called Open Minds, Open Hearts which explores the nexus between progressive Christianity, interspirituality and interfaith dialogue. They’ve interviewed some dynamite people, include Brian McLaren, John Shelby Spong, Danielle Shroyer, and a variety of Vedantists, Wiccans, Unity ministers, progressive Christians, and so forth. Scott and Sydney and gentle folks with a strong sense of the possibilities inherent in positive interfaith dialogue, and their show is a place where possibilities come out to play. Check it out.

So there you go. Happy listening!

The larger question here, as I said in responding to one of the comments: It’s a fine line, really. As a contemplative I believe it is my job both to love my enemy (and often, “my enemy” is not so much who I dislike, but who dislikes me) and to be compassionate toward those whose values and behavior seem objectionable to me. But where does love and compassion stop, and acquiescence and accommodation begin?

I believe it is important for contemplatives to take the high road whenever engaging in conflict with persons who hold values different from or hostile to our own. But neither should we run away from conflict, for it is only through honest and direct confrontation that we can create the space for the Holy Spirit to transform all of our lives (including our own). Of course, we need to learn how to fight fair, something that is often in short supply on the blogosphere! Anyway, I hope this article is more constructive than not — but please let me know what you think.