Reflecting on the Wisdom of Howard Thurman 

What can we learn today from one of the great American mystics? Howard Thurman cultivated a deep inner awareness, a body of profound spiritual writing, and a way of life that worked tirelessly to remove the things he saw as separating us from God. Read more on the life and work of Howard Thurman in October’s We Conspire series.  

How would we live if we truly saw everyone as a child of God? Powerful theologian and spiritual teacher, Howard Thurman (1899–1981) understood the sacred nature of everyone and everything from a very young age. The grandson of formerly enslaved people, Thurman grew up cultivating a strong and loving relationship with nature—observing and honoring the sacred in animals and plants around him. He was also greatly shaped by the culture and traditions of the African American Baptist church in which he was raised. 

Thurman co-founded the nation’s first interracial, intercultural church and became a theological leader at some of the country’s most prestigious institutions. As his career blossomed, his spiritual life deepened, and he developed his own theology grounded in mysticism, authentic prayer, and a deep commitment to just action. 

One of Thurman’s best-loved ideas is “the sound of the genuine.” He believed that each person has a unique, authentic voice within them that connects them to their divine indwelling. He writes, “Now if I hear the sound of the genuine in me, and you hear the sound of the genuine in you, it is possible then for me to go down in me and come up in you. So, that when I look at myself through your eyes, having made that pilgrimage, I see in me what you see in me. And the wall that separates and divides will disappear. And we will become one, because the sound of the genuine makes the same music.”  

Thurman also understood that peace doesn’t end with personal reflection and removing oneself from the troubles of the world. Thurman, like many mystics, forged a strong link between inner peace and social justice. In 1934, he met with Mohandas Gandhi, the nonviolent thought leader of the Indian Independence movement, and in the 1960s, he served as a spiritual advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, working to dismantle racial injustice in America.  

In Thurman’s book Jesus and the Disinherited, he wrote that Christianity, at its core, is a “technique of survival for the oppressed,” and he lived by this wisdom. Jacquelyn Smith-Crooks and Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown write of Thurman “[He] had the prophetic ability to make a connection between the silence and scrutiny of one’s inner life and the work for social justice.”  

Thurman believed that a contemplative and meditative stance was integral to the active prophetic life. Not only because contemplative practice draws us closer to the divine voice, but also acts as a respite from the weariness of struggling for social justice without becoming consumed by anger or despair. 

Thurman’s long and storied contribution to the spiritual, social, and theological fabric of the United States still resonates with many walking the spiritual path today. As Howard Thurman’s life and work show, cultivating a sense of deep, genuine peace requires both inner reflection and a commitment to meaningful outward action. 

Learn more about the life and work of Howard Thurman in this interview with Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown for the Daily Meditations.  

Reflect with Us 
Where do you hear the “sound of the genuine”? How do you recognize it? Share your reflection with us. 

Thank you to CAC Librarians Seth and Lee for their research on Howard Thurman.  

We Conspire is a series from the Center for Action and Contemplation featuring wisdom and stories from the growing Christian contemplative movement. Sign up for the monthly email series and receive a free invitation to practice each month.