Houston Smith was a mentor of mine when I was going to school in Berkeley. He was a student of world religions and thought that Progressive Christianity as moving further and further toward “a rallying cry to be good.” This is a message that he and I both think misses the mark. Yes, we need justice. But we also need transcendence. People desperately seek transcendence. [i]
I most admire the brand of Progressive Christianity that seeks justice and also wholeheartedly celebrates transcendence and Mystery with a capital M, including the Mystery of God with us (Emanuel).
Some might press further…and ask, what is your core orthodoxy?
Jesus is the plumb line of faith for me and for most Liberal Mainline Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox. Anything in scripture that conforms to the inclusive love of Jesus found in His dynamic unity of Divinity and humanity and in His words in the Gospels, I accept. The areas of Paul and the Hebrew Scriptures that contradict that spirit of inclusive love, I take to be culturally conditioned and outside of the primary Gospel witness.
Jesus is the exquisite Mystic, upon which all Christian Mysticism is based. Jesus’ united nature apprehended through prayer and through his teachings are my alternative orthodoxy, which informs how I interpret the Bible.[ii]
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[i] Smith, Houston. The Soul of Christianity: Restoring the Great Tradition, pg. XX.
[ii] For a thorough treatment of how I interpret Jesus please see my first book, Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots.
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Be Still and Listen by Amos Smith is now available at Contemplative Life Bookstore.
Welcome to Contemplative-Life.org. Our mission is to present the best of contemplative teachings. Through contemplative awareness, one becomes open and present to the mystery of God in the here and now—in the midst of daily life.
Amazon is offering the kindle version of Be Still and Listen for $6.99.
Also by Amos Smith, Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots
Contemplative U Course- Everyday Mysticism: An Introduction to the History, Theology, and the Practice of Contemplative Christianity
The Way of the Wisdom Jesus: Going Beyond the Mind to the Heart of His Teaching – If you put aside what you think you know about Jesus and approach the Gospels as though for the first time, something remarkable happens: Jesus emerges as a teacher of the transformation of consciousness. In this online course, Episcopal priest, teacher, and retreat and conference leader Cynthia Bourgeault serves as a masterful guide to Jesus’s vision and to the traditional contemplative practices you can use to experience the heart of his teaching for yourself. Based upon her book the Wisdom Jesus.
Prayer is a core Christian practice, but for many, this means “saying prayers” or asking God for various favors. In this course, we will review a variety of methods of prayer that have been used for centuries in Christianity. Whether you’re a beginner who is just learning how to pray, or a more mature Christian who has been at it awhile, this course will offer specific guidance, encouragement and support for practicing several time-tested methods of prayer. Enjoy a review of this course by Rich.
Simply Good News is a short course based on Prof. N.T. Wright’s latest book, Simply Good News. Tom Wright will guide you through the chapters of his book through videos that suggest what some of the main points are. You will instantly get into the heart of the idea of ‘good news’ as it was understood by the 1st Century writers of the New Testament. You will be brought into their world in order to make more sense of what ‘good news’ means in our world.
