Contemplatives Arn't Always What You Think
A big thank you to all of you who have become subscribers to the Liturgical Rebels podcast here on Substack. Some of you I know are not familiar with the podcast which I started in February 2024 as a way to help people think outside the box about what is a spiritual practice and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I only started posting these episodes here on Substack a month ago so if you want to check back to those I have interviewed in the past you can find all the episodes here. I have interviewed artists like Kelly Latimore and Kreg Yingst, musicians like Jeff Johnson, and poets like Drew Jackson. Even someone who is involved in Yarn bombing as a spiritual practice. At the end of last year I interviewed a range of people involved in Celtic Spirituality.
This year I am focusing on those who think outside the church with their spiritual practices - those involved in justice, environmentalism and even fair trade gold. I have been fascinated by those who see faith through the eyes of bread making, and indigenous leaders and theologians from other countries who have a very different view of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
This last week I interviewed two contemplatives who have very different views of what it means to be a contemplative. Keven Sweeney, author of The Cosmic Christ, The Concrete Jesus shared the influence of black prophetic theologians and the mystics in shaping his faith. It was fascinating. That interview will be published on Wednesday this week.
In another two weeks I will publish my interview with Ian Mobsby, a British missioner/pioneer practitioner working mainly with missional forms of new monastic communities and the renewal of parishes mixing the experimental and traditional approaches. His latest book is The Seeking Heart: A Contemplative Approach to Mission and Pioneering. Ian now works for the Niagara Diocese in Canada where he is using contemplative practices as a form of mission. Another fascinating interview that you don’t want to miss.
These interviews are keeping me busy. Tomorrow I will interview James Amadon who now heads up Circlewood which grew out of Mustard Seed Associates that Tom and I started and the following week missiologist Michael Frost from Australia. I am thoroughly enjoying the new perspectives they share and the enrichment they bring to my life. I hope you enjoy them too.