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Program Details

A Way to God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey

Trappist monk Thomas Merton was a spiritual giant, an intellectual genius and an activist in his own way. He was a mentor to the Berrigan brothers and the anti-war movement of the sixties, a critic of technology’s illusions, capitalism’s blind spots and of church obfuscations. His spiritual journey took a decided turn away from Augustinian dualisms and guilt to Meister Eckhart and the creation spirituality tradition beginning in 1958 when he met Dr. D. T. Suzuki who insisted he study Meister Eckhart in depth. He was an ecumenical pioneer, meeting Rabbi Heschel and Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi, and developing friendships with Martin Luther King, Jr. Thich Naht Hanh, and the Dali Lama (who, when asked what kind of God he believed in, paused for a while and said, “the God of Thomas Merton”). We will explore and discuss some of Merton’s rich teachings.

“The future of Christianity itself will depend upon its ability to reinvent its forms and practices so that it might become a mutually enhancing presence with  the dynamics of life.  Among current spiritual theologians, no one has a more comprehensive vision of the necessary changes that must take place than Matthew Fox.  In A Way to God he shows how Thomas Merton’s work can be understood as a powerful current within the Creation Spirituality tradition that is so essential for this reimaging of Western religion.”—Brian Thomas Swimme, professor of cosmology, CIIS

Fee: $20. Once you have registered, you will receive a coupon for $5 off Dr. Rev. Fox’s book for this retreat when you purchase it from his website.

For other events in this series, check out our Divine Friendships program page.

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