Mystical Union

The gospel is a mystical message, based on an instant and effortless union with God achieved at Christ's cross.When you think of the cross, do you think of fun?If the answer is "no" then you have not been taught the cross aright. There is a delicious feast prepared for the believer. Nothing is more satisfying than the revelation of what Christ has conclusively accomplished for you. This book threatens to turn your Christianity upside down. No longer a struggle to please God -- the Truth will plunge you into a celebration of what He has done for you.With clear revelatory truths on the New Creation and the scandalous joys of the cross, Mystical Union promises to be one of John Crowder's most revolutionary, lifechanging works. The happy gospel of grace is about uninterrupted union with the Divine. This book lays out our most core beliefs. It promises to wreck your theology and cheer you up with undeniable Biblical truths on the free gift of perfection.

What is it to experience union with God? In this highly original and accessible book, one of our leading philosophers of religion seeks to answer this question by analyzing the several states of mystic union as they are described and explained in the classical primary literature of the Christian mystical tradition.

In “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism Adam Afterman offers an extensive study of mystical union and mystical embodiment through the divine name and spirit in Judaism.

Wisdom was in abundance in the ancient societies of Greece and India, but today it seems to be in short supply. Why is that? Where did wisdom go? This book was written to help us rediscover that lost wisdom and to incorporate the concepts of the sages and the mystics into our lives. The next parts are some of the new manuscripts I have included which talk about some of the differences between eastern and western religious thought and the ideas of the Islamic mystics, in which their thoughts and ideas could help us all solve our problems with radical Islamic ideology.

Mystics who have spoken of their union with God have come under suspicion in all three major religious traditions, sometimes to the point of condemnation and execution in the case of Christianity and Islam. Nevertheless, in all three religions the tradition of unio mystica is deep and long. Many of the spiritual giants of these three faiths have seen the attainment of mystical union as the heart of their beliefs and practices. Despite its importance, mystical union has rarely been investigated in itself, apart from the wider study of mysticism, and even more rarely from the aspect of comparative studies, especially those based upon broad and expert knowledge of the inner life of the three related monotheistic faiths. This text brings together essays that equally explore the broader idea of unio mystica as well as the mystic traditions within each religion.

The Columbia Series in Reformed Theology represents a joint commitment on the part of Columbia Theological Seminary and Westminster John Knox Press to provide theological resources from the Reformed tradition for the church today. The Reformed tradition seeks to discern what the living God revealed in Scripture is saying and doing in every new time and situation. This series intends to be a part of that ongoing tradition by examining theological and ethical issues that confront church and society in our particular time and place. Volumes in this series are intended for scholars, professional theologians, and for pastors and lay people who are committed to faith in search of understanding.

A manual for spiritual direction, this guide is also intended to be a contribution to the interface between modern depth psychology, contemplative prayer and the Christian mystical tradition. It has been written in response to an increasing hunger for spiritual direction and discernment from a holy Mother, which St Teresa can provide.