Tag Archives: John Philip Newell
Universal Christ Mystics
Unveiling the Universal Christ Universal Christ Mystics Friday, August 27, 2021 Perhaps because the Romans never occupied Ireland and parts of Scotland, the Celtic Christianity that developed there retained its connection to the natural world. The writer John Philip Newell explains how Pelagius (c. 354–418), an early and frequently misunderstood Celtic Christian theologian, saw creation… Continue Reading Universal Christ Mystics
Reconnecting with the Unconscious
Liminal Space Reconnecting with the Unconscious Thursday, April 30, 2020 My friend John Philip Newell is a poet and scholar who believes in the transformative power of Celtic Christian spirituality to support us in our era. The ancient Celts made great use of liminal times and places to integrate the “paired opposites” of which the… Continue Reading Reconnecting with the Unconscious
Our Deepest Desire
Meeting Christ Within Us Our Deepest Desire Thursday, May 30, 2019 Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart’s desire. —Psalm 37:4 One of my favorite mystics is the English anchorite Julian of Norwich (1342–1416). After a serious illness, during which she experienced “shewings” or revelations of Jesus’ love, she wrote… Continue Reading Our Deepest Desire
Knowledge of Good and Evil
Suffering: Week 1 Knowledge of Good and Evil Tuesday, October 16, 2018 During our recent CONSPIRE 2018 conference, we explored how the path of descent is the path of transformation. Darkness, failure, relapse, death, and woundedness are our primary teachers. We looked at personal and societal suffering including slavery, the oppression of Native Americans and… Continue Reading Knowledge of Good and Evil
Hope and Humility
Politics: Week 2 Hope and Humility Wednesday, July 18, 2018 At a time when our politics may seem bleak and hopeless, poet, peacemaker, minister, and scholar John Philip Newell offers us both encouragement and challenge: We live in a moment of grace. Through the hedges of our divisions we are beginning to glimpse again the… Continue Reading Hope and Humility
The Substance of God
The Natural World: Week 2 The Substance of God Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Many indigenous spiritualities, Franciscans, and Celts saw creation as good, as a theophany or revelation of God’s very being, just as Genesis taught. How did Christianity come to be so divorced from nature? John Philip Newell (b. 1953), a poet and scholar… Continue Reading The Substance of God