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    The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality
    Unavailable
    The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality
    Unavailable
    The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality
    Ebook427 pages7 hours

    The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality

    By Carl McColman

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    In popular usage, "mysticism" typically refers to New Age or Eastern forms of spirituality. However, the mystical tradition is also an important component of the Christian tradition. At its heart--and much like its expression in other faith traditions--Christian mysticism is an ancient practice that incorporates meditation, contemplation, worship, philosophy, the quest for personal enlightenment, and the experience of Divine presence.

    This volume is a comprehensive introduction and guide to Christian mysticism. It is a big book about a big possibility: the hope of achieving real, blissful, experiential unison with God. Among the topics covered here are a general introduction to mysticism, the Bible and mysticism, the history and types of Christian mysticism, biographical sketches of leading Christian mystics, and practical instructions about practicing mysticism today.

    This is a breathtaking work that explores a form of spirituality that has changed lives over the course of 2,000 years. Learning about Christian mysticism and how it has been articulated through the centuries will prove inspirational for today's seekers, regardless of the faith tradition.

    "The mystic is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of mytic." --William McNamara
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHampton Roads Publishing
    Release dateAug 1, 2010
    ISBN9781612831206
    Unavailable
    The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality
    Author

    Carl McColman

    Carl McColman is a blogger, author, and spiritual director based in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He is the author of ten previous books exploring spirituality from a variety of perspectives.

    Read more from Carl Mc Colman

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    Reviews for The Big Book of Christian Mysticism

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    • 5/5
      Having studied mysticism in a secular, academic setting, I can attest to the difficulty of writing about something that truly is ineffable. Carl does a terrific job of attempting to express the inexpressible. Some may not like that this is not a How-To guide, but as the author makes clear, there is no such thing as a How-To guide to mysticism. He points us in the right direction and gives us plenty of resources in the back of the book to continue in your own, unique quest.
    • 3/5
      What I learned most from this is what I should have already known; my mind is far too busy to be a mystic. I could hardly focus enough to even read the words on the page, let alone practice what it preaches. I often found myself more frequently thinking how what I was reading could benefit my mother rather than what it could do for me. That being said I feel McColman, who was baptized into a non-practicing Protestant faith, later became a neo-pagan, and finally converted to Catholicism to find the mystical life he had been longing for, really did a great job of writing in a way that truly was open to call Christian traditions, without going ridiculously out of the way to do so (i.e. "Unless your a seventh day Adventist in which case...). There is something for everyone. If you feel your walk with Christ is too one sided, or that you are missing something in your spiritual life, this may be a good one for you.
    • 4/5
      Carl McColman's Big Book of Christian Mysticism is a readable and engaging introduction to Christian contemplative spirituality. It is well written and well researched, and will be helpful on the bookshelf of any who wish to experience God in prayer.