Interview: Carl McColman in Conversation with Richard Smiley

Richard Smoley, editor of Quest Magazine and author of books like Inner Christianity and How God Became God, recently interviewed me to celebrate the publication of The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism. A shortened form of the interview will be published in Quest, but we recorded the Zoom call and so the Theosophical Society of America (who publishes Quest) is going to release the interview on October 19, 2023 at 7 PM Central Time.

We had an energetic and wide-ranging interview. I admire Richard greatly as a writer and scholar, but he and I do not eye to eye on everything, and so this interview crackles with energy as we explore some challenging topics together. We talk about the relationship between mysticism and religion, the distinction between Christianity as a wisdom tradition and Christianity as the institutional church, and why I see a difference between mysticism and esotericism and how that understanding shaped my book. But the interview is not a debate, and so we also explore much common ground, including our shared appreciation for Centering Prayer and the importance of fostering a nuanced understanding of the mysticism of love.

Whether you are new to my work or have been reading my stuff for a while, I think you are going to find this a fascinating interview. Its online debut will be streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and The Theosophy Society of America’s website  on Thursday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. CT. I hope you check it out!

Click here for more information about this free online event.

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