Greetings!
Welcome to Carl McColman’s blog, now hosted by Patheos. You may have reached this page because you tried to access a link to Carl’s old blog. Well, now that you’re here, follow one of these links to see what’s up.
Or, scroll down to learn more about Carl McColman’s books:
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.
— Brian D. McLaren, author of A Generous Orthodoxy and other books
Answering the Contemplative Call: First Steps on the Mystical Path invites you to reflect on the steps anyone can take to begin (or deepen) a regular spiritual practice. Informed by the wisdom of the great Christian mystics, this accessible and user-friendly book illustrates how wisdom from the past can be relevant to seekers today. The mystical life is a life of transformation, and this book celebrates how responding to the desire for a closer sense of God’s presence — the “contemplative call” — means entering into a God-centered process that truly can change us forever. Christian author and activist Brian D. McLaren praised the book, saying “What Frommers, Rick Steves, and Lonely Planet are to travel guides for physical locales, Carl McColman is fast becoming for the spiritual journey. There is so much that recommends this delightful guide — Carl’s own depth of experience, his wonderful ability to bring in apt quotations from the great contemplative saints of history, his ability to be both simple and deep without ever becoming simplistic or murky. As I read, I kept thinking of friends with whom I want to share this treasure — a travel guide to an adventurous journey that will last forever.” For more information, click here.
Buy Answering the Contemplative Call:
Paperback: Amazon • Barnes & Noble
Independent Bookstore (Online or Near You)
Ebook: Kindle • Nook • iBooks • Kobo • Sony eReader
The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality looks at one of the most misunderstood aspects of Christian spirituality: the mystical tradition, a wisdom lineage which stresses the love of God for humanity created in the Divine image and likeness — a tradition of prayer, meditation and contemplation, in which the mystery of Divine Love leads to the splendor of enlightenment, personal and social transformation, and spiritual joy. But what is mysticism, and why is it not more commonly spoken of in Christian circles? In the 20th century an eminent Catholic theologian named Karl Rahner famously said, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.” In The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, author Carl McColman reflects on what Rahner could mean — and how mystical spirituality could be a blessing not just for saints or nuns and monks, but for all Christians, and indeed for anyone interested in profound spiritual transformation. Caroline Myss calls this book “a masterpiece of scholarship and wisdom,” while Anglican author Cynthia Bourgeault calls it “a wise and supportive guidebook for those going deeper on the Christian mystical path… what makes it sing is the authenticity of the author’s own contemplative journey.” For more information click here.
Buy The Big Book of Christian Mysticism:
Paperback: Amazon • Barnes & Noble
Independent Bookstore (Online or Near You)
Ebook: Kindle • Nook • iBooks • Kobo • Sony eReader
Audiobook: Audible
The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader: Spiritual Lessons from C. S. Lewis’ Narnia celebrates how teaching about the Christian contemplative life is “encoded” within the pages of one of C. S. Lewis’s most charming books, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (in the beloved Narnia series). Lewis built his illuminating story — of a ship sailing through enchanted waters to the very end of the world — around the key elements of the Christian life: baptism, communion, struggling against injustice and temptation, and (as the story progresses) moving into deeper wisdom teachings centered around the experience of silence, the encounter with darkness, and finally, the breathtaking splendor of enlightenment. Eventually the Dawn Treader sails beyond a place where the stars sing, into a luminous world of wonders presided over by Aslan, the Divine Lover. Carl McColman’s The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader helps readers of all ages to discern the often subtle spiritual teachings found within Lewis’s charming (and deceptively simple) story. Popular Catholic author James Martin, SJ, praises this book and its author: “By turns playful, provocative and profound, McColman asks us to ‘become like little children’ in order to understand some very adult lessons.” For more information, click here.
Buy The Lion, the Mouse and the Dawn Treader:
Paperback: Amazon • Barnes & Noble
Independent Bookstore (Online or Near You)
Ebook: Kindle • Nook • Kobo • Sony eReader
Spirituality: A Postmodern and Interfaith Approach to Cultivating a Relationship with God is a new edition of Carl McColman’s first book. Originally published in 1997, this 2008 edition features a new foreword by the author. Spirituality is a book about the spiritual life that doesn’t tell you what to believe. In our day and age, more and more people are likely to describe themselves — and their spirituality — in ways like this: “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” Or “It’s easier for me to find God in nature than in a church.” Or “I can’t limit myself to just one faith tradition: I see God in all of them.” If statements like these make sense to you, you aren’t alone. Today, more people are searching for spiritual experience outside traditional channels of religious faith. But even alternative or New Age spiritualities can be filled with dogmatic assertions and prescribed notions of how to behave and what to believe. By contrast, Carl McColman’s book answers the question “What is spirituality, and why does it matter?” with insights drawn not only from religious traditions, but also popular culture. Here the emphasis is on celebrating the many ways spirituality makes a powerful and positive difference in our lives. Although it is grounded in the Christian tradition, Spirituality can be a meaningful “map” to the inner life for anyone, of any faith or wisdom tradition, who wants to explore the spiritual life in an authentic and optimistic way.
Buy Spirituality:
Paperback: Amazon • Barnes & Noble
Independent Bookstore (Online or Near You)
Disclosure: the links on this page are set up to provide me with a small commission on purchases made by people who use those links. Indie bookstores are especially wonderful (and challenged in today’s economy) so I encourage you to support them. In addition to these small commissions, I receive royalties on all new copies of my books that are sold, regardless of the retailer. Thank you for your support.
Click here to see a complete list of books by Carl McColman,
including out-of-print, Celtic, and interfaith titles.
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