The divisive legalistic approach to the Bible baffled mystics through the ages. It led mystics to pronounce, “Why has Christianity preferred the courtroom to the bridal chamber?”
The focal point of the Bible should be the marriage of the soul to God—the unity of Jesus’s divinity and humanity, which can be mirrored in us. The passionate romance of the Song of Songs[i] should be central, not legal deliberations.
But, of course, the problem is not the Bible. The problem is our approach to Scripture and the way it’s taught. I resonate with author Kathleen Norris: “Children . . . begin to reject both poetry and religion for similar reasons, because the way both are taught takes the life out of them.”
The unitive, compassionate mind of Christ illumines the Bible for us, not the dualistic egotistic mind (Phil. 2:5). In other words, Scripture doesn’t need to change. The way we see the Bible needs to change. This book is about reading Scripture with a mystical mind—a mind that’s open to non-dual thinking and to Mystery.
[i] The Song of Songs is the twenty-second book of the Hebrew Scriptures, found in between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah.
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#BookBeStill
Be Still and Listen by Amos Smith is now available at Contemplative Life Bookstore.
Welcome to Contemplative-Life.org. Our mission is to present the best of contemplative teachings. Through contemplative awareness, one becomes open and present to the mystery of God in the here and now—in the midst of daily life.
Amazon is offering the kindle version of Be Still and Listen for $6.99.
Also by Amos Smith, Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots
Contemplative U Course- Everyday Mysticism: An Introduction to the History, Theology, and the Practice of Contemplative Christianity
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