Carl McColman's Blog, page 18

Encountering Silence: A Conversation with Sister Joyce Rupp

The Encountering Silence co-hosts (Cassidy Hall, Kevin Johnson and Carl McColman) recently spoke with Servite Sister Joyce Rupp, on the occasion of the publication of her most recent book, Return to the Root: Reflections on the Inner Life .

Joyce Rupp is well known for her work as a writer, international retreat leader, and conference speaker. She is the author of numerous bestselling books, including Praying Our Goodbyes, Open the Door, and Fragments of Your Ancient Name. Some of her books, l...

The Wrath of God and Wishful Thinking (or, Julian of Norwich and Biblical Images of God)

Recently a reader of this blog wrote the following to me:

I am just starting out on this journey and feel drawn to the mystical/contemplative side of Christianity.   To this end, I am using your book “Answering the Contemplative Call” and also “Growing into God” by John Mabry as my guides.   I do not have a spiritual director as yet but am trying to find one near where I live in the UK.    In the meantime, I am using the 2 books mentioned above and finding them very useful.    By the way, I love...

“Do I stay Christian?” A Conversation with Brian D. McLaren on a Significant Question for Our Time

Last Wednesday I had the distinct honor of being part of a group interview with leading Christian theologian Brian D. McLaren. The occasion was in celebration of Brian’s latest book, Do I Stay Christian? A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned. It’s a provocative title and, indeed, a provocative book. Brian is aiming to have a balanced but honest engagement with people who are identity as Christian, and/or participate in the institutional church, but now are considering...

“It Cracks Up the Archangels Every Time!” (“Because They Have No Taste in Comedy!”)

I read lots of serious books: books about Christian theology, spiritual direction, the history of mysticism, and the psychology of meditation… that sort of thing. I’m not complaining — I love pretty much everything I read (actually, at this point in my life and career, if I don’t love it, I quickly stop reading it, because there’s always something else clamoring for my attention).

Like most people, I don’t want to read heavy literature all the time, even if it’s concerning topics I love. So afte...

Free Online Event: Carl McColman, Brian McLaren and others talk about Brian’s New Book (May 25, 2022)

Even the most committed Christian sometimes wonders if it’s worth it to participate in the institutional church. Religion can be a huge commitment of time and resources, and especially in our day, more and more people are saying “no thanks.” It’s an honest question that we all face sooner or later: “Do I stay Christian?” Now we have one of the leading progressive Christian voices of our time, Brian McLaren (who wrote the forward to my book Unteachable Lessons) reflecting on this meaningful quest...

Read a Book About Silence (and support “Encountering Silence”)

Friends, many of you know the podcast I co-host, Encountering Silence (and if you don’t know it, check it out!).

The following list of books represents some of my co-hosts’ and my favorite books on the topic of silence. We offer it here for your browsing and reading pleasure. The titles are linked to the books’ pages on Amazon — please note that if you follow one of these links and make a purchase through Amazon, at no extra cost to you Amazon will provide a small commission to help keep our pod...

The Erotic Dimension of Mystical Spirituality (or, Why Do Mystics Love the Song of Songs?)

Almost from the beginning of the Christian era, mystics and saints and theologians and spiritual teachers have reflected on one of the most beautiful and poetic of the “wisdom writings” in the Bible to explore the mystery of the love of God and how that love seeks intimacy with us, God’s human creatures. I am referring to the Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon or the Canticle of Canticles. It’s not so much a “book” as a poem or extended lyric; it’s short — only 8 chapters and barel...

An Open Letter to a Priest Who Posts Hostile Political Posts on Social Media

With the news that Elon Musk is acquiring Twitter, once again the question of how social media functions (or ought to function) in our society is back on peoples’ minds. Ever since I saw the movie The Social Dilemma, I have been conscious of the challenges that social media brings to our common life. Chief among those challenges is the question of how we navigate our social and political differences and disagreements.

Christians are not immune to these social and political conflicts, and often w...

Online Event: “Writing as a Contemplative Practice” (May 9, 2022)

Friends, join me for a special online program on Monday, May 9, called “Writing as a Contemplative Practice.” This is part of a larger conference called “Writing for Your Life.” The conference is set up so that you register only for the programs you want to attend, so you can sign up just for my program, but you can also sign up for other programs by Barbara Brown Taylor, Kate Rademacher, Brian Allain, Brandan Robertson, and many others! Register for as few or as many of these online events as y...

Divine Union is Embodied: Notes on the Incarnational Nature of Christian Mysticism

I’ve been working my way through Mystical Theology and Contemporary Spiritual Practice: Renewing the Contemplative Tradition, a book in Routledge’s “Contemporary Theological Explorations in Mysticism” series. There’s a delightful essay in it called “Unlikely Mystics” about the sense of wonder and numinous reality that people encounter when visiting medieval cathedrals. Based on her research at Durham Cathedral in England, author Rosalind Brown describes the cathedral as “mystical space for ordin...