{"id":1374,"date":"2015-02-17T06:39:10","date_gmt":"2015-02-17T11:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourbestlifenow\/?p=1374"},"modified":"2015-02-23T20:52:00","modified_gmt":"2015-02-24T01:52:00","slug":"healing-the-divide-an-interview-with-author-christian-mystic-and-church-reformer-amos-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourbestlifenow\/2015\/02\/healing-the-divide-an-interview-with-author-christian-mystic-and-church-reformer-amos-smith.html","title":{"rendered":"“Healing the Divide” – An Interview with Author, Christian Mystic and Church Reformer, Amos Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Healing the Divide<\/em>.”<\/a> That’s the title of Amos Smith’s book.<\/p>\n

Fr. Richard Rohr<\/a> calls it “a foundational work written in a style that will be respected by scholars–yet easily accessible to ordinary Christians and would-be seekers.”<\/p>\n

Leonard Sweet<\/a>, author of I Am a Follower<\/em><\/a>, suggests this: “Read Healing the Divide<\/em> and eat the mystery. It’s a check-up call to your identity and mission.”<\/p>\n

Cynthia Bourgault<\/a> says Amos Smith’s book Healing the Divide<\/em> gets to the “Christian mystical epicenter” which will rescue Christianity “from contamination from both the Christian hard right and the sometimes rudderless new age” approach to spirituality.<\/p>\n

Amos Smith is a graduate of Chicago Theological Seminary <\/a>and a pastor in the UCC tradition. As an author, thinker, church reformer, and mystic, Smith sees his mission in life is to live deeply into and out of the mystical traditions within Christianity. In fact, it would be safe to say, he believes this to be his mission in the Church and the Church’s hope for a meaningful future in the world today.<\/p>\n

Recently, I had the distinct honor of briefly interviewing Amos Smith by SKYPE<\/a>. I asked him about this book and several other questions such as the following:<\/p>\n

“What do you mean by mystical traditions?”<\/em>
\n “What is the divide that needs healing in Christianity?”<\/em>
\n “What is happening in the Church today causing its widespread decline<\/a>?”<\/em>
\n “You speak of ‘dualistic’ thinking. What is that and how might it be overcome?”<\/em>
\n “Why are churches closing<\/a> and what can be done to turn things around?”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View the interview below but get a copy of Amos Smith’s thoughtful book by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n