Some Exponents Of Mystical Religion

The chapters of this book were given as a course of Lectures on the Modern Era Lectureship Foundation, at the University of Southern California, in April, 1929. The opening chapter is a fresh attempt to reinterpret the nature and significance of mystical experience. It carries on and aims to clarify my position in this field of religion. The other chapters are in the main historical illustrations through great personalities of the meaning and value of the mystical approach to God. It is believed that each chapter adds something further to the interpretation of mystical experience given in the first chapter, so that the book is essentially one coherent whole. - From the Introduction

Mysticism is a controversial topic that all too frequently receives one-sided coverage. On the one hand there are many enthusiasts who are willing to defend mysticism at almost any cost, including sacrificing logical and theological integrity. On the other hand there are philosophers and theologians who see mysticism as not much more than an evil to be stamped out. This book takes a careful look at the philosophical and theological questions involved and attempts to locate a modest place for mysticism within a genuine evangelical framework. Questions addressed in this book include such matters as: Is mysticism a perennial philosophy that appears in different guises but is always the same underneath? Can we argue for an objective reality behind all mystical experience? How can we understand the fact that mystics talk about something that they say is beyond language? How has mysticism shown up in various Christian traditions? Can we reconcile mysticism with the New Testament? The conclusion of this book is based on an understanding of mysticism as an unmediated link to an absolute. In that sense there is a form of mysticism taught in the New Testament, but it is a mysticism that does not require ecstatic experience and does not constitute a separate source of revelation. Nevertheless, this New Testament mysticism describes an integral part of biblical spirituality.

Here Deacon Eddie Ensley shows that mysticism isn't just for monastics and contemplatives. It's for each person, every day of their lives, every time they open their hearts to God. Mysticism, he says, is a simple and profound treasure, available to all of us.

Rufus Jones (1863-1948) helped organize the Quäkerspeisung (Quaker feeding effort), saving millions from starvation after the First World War. In Germany he is best known for having travelled to Berlin to seek a personal meeting with Hitler after the Kristallnacht in 1938. And, at the conclusion of a long life devoted to service, it was largely due to Jones that the American Friends Service Committee was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947. But Jones was also the quintessential «American scholar», seeking to harmonize theory and practice. He was a pivotal figure of the 20th century who stayed in close touch with authors and statesmen the world over. He earned a reputation as a modern mystic and an active pacifist, and was regarded as the moral conscience of his era. His scholarship encompassed education and pedagogy, philosophical questions, church and Quaker history, as well as the political issues of the day. Jones dealt with such issues as justice, democracy, and child-rearing. His ideas are still alive today and still arouse controversy. He was particularly anxious to avoid the cultivation of an elite, pleading instead for individual growth and personality development. Over the course of his life, he was awarded twelve academic titles, taught at numerous universities, delivered countless lectures, and was one of the first theologians to recognise the significance of radio and to make full use of it. To this day Rufus Jones is still honored as a «seer», «Protestant mystic», and even as a «Master Quaker» and «Quaker Giant». It is time also to take a critical look at these honors.

African American Philosophy and African American Philosophers have played a central role in understanding and also shaping what it means to be black in America. Some of their conclusions were reactions to the mistreatment they received from the majority population, but other of their conclusions were extensions and/or novel positions taken with a view through past perceptual lenses. Yet, with the mass exodus of black students from HBCU’s after the civil rights era, many of the important figures and their inquiries have been little or poorly studied. The significance of this work is found in its attempt to grapple with one such seminal figure, his memory of his ancestors, and the education he received from Morehouse College (in the Atlanta University Center), all of which formed the roots of the ideas he later produced. Howard Thurman, former Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University, and mentor to figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., left quite a large ideological footprint; however, just as others of his milieu, his ideas have been largely overlooked. Thurman’s deep-rooted knowledge of black culture, particularly black religious ideas as they existed during the period of African enslavement in the United States and as they were exhibited in the Negro Spirituals, shaped his thinking and allowed him to produce a body of work grounded in the musings and traditions of his ancestors. This volume investigates, forms an analysis, and even critiques Thurman’s work such that others can benefit from the profundity of his thoughts while also taking note of their relevance for today’s philosophers concerned with humanity.

Focusing on the "ontological indwelling of God" as the basis and ground of the soul, the author expounds its capacity for spiritual experience, which he describes metaphorically as "being with Christ in paradise." Aspects of mystical experience are briefly discussed, an extended description of the author's own experience is presented, and practical suggestions are offered to the reader for his or her own spiritual enrichment.