Read the Bible Like a Mystic, Carl McColman
Read the Bible Like a Mystic, Carl McColman
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Read the Bible Like a Mystic
Contemplative Wisdom and the Word

Author: Carl McColman

Narrator: John Patrick Walsh

Unabridged: 5 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/22/2025


Synopsis

There is a better way to read the Bible: with the eyes of a mystic and the heart of contemplation.

Can the Bible be saved? More and more Christians are troubled by how difficult passages in the Bible can be used to promote sexism, homophobia, hostility to other faiths, and other problems—but a sterile, "academic" reading of the sacred text seems spiritually unfulfilling. Carl McColman, author of The New Big Book of Christian Mysticism, reminds us that there is an ancient "third way" of approaching the Bible: reading the scripture like a mystic. This contemplative approach to the Bible understands that much of the sacred text was never meant to be taken literally, yet this approach maintains that spiritual wisdom, guidance in prayer, and encouragement for meditation are encoded throughout the sacred text.

Read the Bible like a Mystic will help Christians find an expanded relationship with their sacred textbook, and it will also invite all people—Christian and non-Christian alike—to bring together the wisdom of the written word with the wisdom of the contemplative life and the call to foster peace, justice, and equality in our world. Whether you come to the Bible from a preexisting interest in Christianity or mysticism, this book shows how contemplative wisdom unlocks the liberating power of the Word for our time.

About Carl McColman

Carl McColman is a contemplative writer, storyteller, podcaster, and spiritual director. He is a life-professed member of a Lay Cistercian community under the spiritual guidance of Trappist monks. He is the author of numerous books, including The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, and regularly speaks and leads retreats on topics related to Christian mysticism, Celtic spirituality, and interfaith dialogue. Carl and his wife, artist Fran McColman, live near Atlanta, Georgia.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bebo on August 15, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This was a good introductory book to Christian mysticism! I enjoyed that the author noted the importance of combining scholarly and mystic approaches, and that the author continuously noted the......more