‘What Richard Foster and Dallas Willard were to my generation – prime tour guides to the spiritual life – I hope and believe Carl McColman will be for the next generation. If you don’t know about him and his work, you should.'
Have you ever had a dream that shook you to your core? Or been given a book at the exact time you needed it? I know I have and if either of those ring true for you, you will raise your pint glass and cheer with what your ears are hearing from my guest today, Carl McColman.
Carl McColman is an author, blogger, speaker and Lay Cistercian. Carl also has a contagious laugh. I’m sure you’ll hear my own laughter deepen and extend with each one of Carl’s delightful guffaws. But back to Carl’s work...Carl has written numerous books including Christian Mystics: 108 Seers, Saints and Sages, Befriending Silence, Answering the Contemplative Call and The Big Book of Christian Mysticism. You can also find his writing on Patheos, in The Huffington Post, and Contemplative Journal. In our conversation here, Carl and I dive into the various meanings of the word ‘contemplative’, how a dream at the age of 18 inspired a friend to give him a copy of Evelyn Underhill’s classic book Mysticism, how his image of the Divine changed and deepened in the midst of loss, and the humbling and difficult work of loving our enemies. You can learn more about Carl at carlmccolman.net. Twitter: @CarlMcColman Facebook: @CarlMcColman
‘Christopher Pramuk’s latest work, At Play in Creation, offers a truly stunning introduction to the long-held but often forgotten Wisdom tradition. Priming our theological imaginations with the rich and sensuous language of poetry and with Merton’s poem Hagia Sophia as a guide, Pramuk opens us to the divine music hidden in each of our encounters and allows us to glimpse the unseen Reality whom Merton calls Sophia.'
Christopher Pramuk is the author of Sophia: The Hidden Christ of Thomas Merton and Hope Sings, So Beautiful: Graced Encounters Across the Color Line. I highly recommend you locate either one of these books as you also pluck the focus of our conversation today, At Play in Creation: Merton’s Awakening to the Divine Feminine. Chris Pramuk is a theologian, author, scholar and lifelong musician who just joined the faculty at Regis University as chair of Ignatian Thought and Imagination, and associate professor of theology. Chris is the type of professor you wished you had in college. In our conversation Chris shares how he uses Pink Floyd in his teaching, the suffering of God with humanity as we explore the meaning of Sophia-Wisdom, and we conclude our conversation with a story about Chris’ son, Henry, who when he was two and a half exemplified Sophia-Wisdom breaking forth on the shores of Lake Michigan. With that, here is my conversation with Chris Pramuk. You can learn more about Chris at hopesingssobeautiful.org.