How Can Contemplative Christianity Help Me?
About This Event
In a world that feels overwhelmed by uncertainty, how do we become a calming, healing presence for ourselves and others? Growing numbers of people — including many disillusioned by organized religion — are discovering guidance in the ancient wisdom of the Christian contemplative tradition.
Explore how practice-centered spirituality can enrich your life and relationships in How Can Contemplative Christianity Help Me? taking place live online Sunday, May 18, 2025, from 4 – 5:30 p.m. PT. Register by May 17 to get access to the recorded replay for a full year.
At this online gathering, we’ll explore the lineage and future of contemplative Christianity, including its origins, emphasis on practice over belief, and how it uniquely speaks to our challenges today. Discover how to create and sustain a regular contemplative practice, bringing forward the new consciousness that is needed to awaken a more loving, just, and sustainable world.
“Whatever you choose to call yourself, Christian or not, I hope you will aspire to be a humble human being, with a sense of the sacredness of everything.”
—Brian McLaren
Event Details
We hope you will join us in exploring the past and future of the Christian contemplative tradition with some of the most prominent voices in contemplative thinking and practice today.
Brian McLaren, James Finley, Carmen Acevedo Butcher, and guest teacher Pico Iyer will guide attendees through teachings, conversations, and practices designed to help us explore the benefits of the ancient lineage of contemplative Christianity for our lives today.
Event access information will be sent 24-48 hours before the event. The event recording will be emailed 5-7 days after the event. Participants will need a device with reliable Internet access, such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer to access Zoom.
Registration
Registration for this online gathering is open from April 2 through May 17, 2025. This event will be recorded. All those who register by May 17 will have access to the replay for one full year.
Cost
The cost of attending this online gathering is $95. We believe that finances should not be a barrier to participation. For that reason, we have made additional price levels available at $30, $10, or $5. We encourage you to select the price you are most able to afford.
Code of Conduct
CAC encourages authentic conversation in our various online experiences. We expect all participants to abide by our Community Code of Conduct.
“Finding the CAC community has been a homecoming for me.”
—Joe E., CAC Community Member
Featured Teachers
Brian McLaren, Dean of CAC Faculty
Former evangelical pastor Brian McLaren is a champion for a more loving, inclusive and contemplative Christianity. A faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation, he teaches ways to reconnect with the message Jesus lived and died for — unconditional love. Brian is the author of “Faith After Doubt,” “Do I Stay Christian,” “Life After Doom,” and host of CAC’s podcast “Learning How to See.”
James Finley, Core Faculty
Student of Thomas Merton and clinical psychologist, Dr. James Finley teaches how connecting to our Divine indwelling can transcend fear and shame and awaken to our True Self. A faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation, James is the author of “The Healing Path,” “Merton’s Palace of Nowhere” and the host of CAC’s podcast “Turning to the Mystics.”
Carmen Acevedo Butcher, Affiliate Faculty
Carmen Acevedo Butcher, PhD, is an award-winning author, poet, and translator of spiritual texts — she has translated the books “The Cloud of Unknowing,” and “Practice of the Presence.” Carmen teaches at UC Berkeley, focusing on language evolution and inclusive communication. Her work highlights the power of words and the connection between personal and global healing.
Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer is an Oxford-educated speaker and author of “Aflame: Learning from Silence,” “The Half Known Life,” and “The Art of Stillness,” among others. He is a contributor to The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The Financial Times, and his TED Talks have garnered millions of views. A proponent of the practice of stillness, he divides his time between Japan and the New Camaldoli hermitage in Big Sur, California.
This event will be recorded, and the replay will be emailed within one week after the event.
All registrants will have access to the replay for one full year.
Event details are subject to change. If you have any questions, contact our Community Support team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Participants will need a device with reliable Internet access, such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer to access Zoom.
Even if you are unable to join live, we recommend registering for the event, as all registrants will receive access to the online gathering recording for one full year.
Online gathering recordings will be sent to all registrants via email the week following the online gathering. Event recordings are available to view for one calendar from the event date.
To cancel your online gathering registration and request a refund, please send your request to our Community Support team.
If written notice of your cancellation is received by CAC on or before May 14, 2025 the amount of each cancelled online gathering registration will be fully refunded to the credit card used to register.
Unfortunately, we cannot refund online gathering registrations canceled after May 14, 2025.
Registrations for the online gatherings are individual registrations. We ask that you do not share event access outside of individual or household viewing.