The Way of the Mystics

Howard Thurman

Howard Thurman (1899-1981) was one of the leading religious thinkers of 20^th-century America, a mentor to the leaders of the civil rights movement, and a minister who devised a way of preaching to a congregation that sought “support, strength, and guidance.” He found that the most creative method was a “sermon series,” a group of sermons organized around a common theme.

This volume highlights his series on the mystics. Thurman tended not to speak of his own mystical inclinations, conscious that the word mysticism was likely to be misunderstood. And yet he is commonly recognized as a mystic in the sense that he used the word to describe someone who had an acute experience of the Divine Life.

Furthermore, the kind of mysticism to which he was attracted was not something airy or otherworldly, but one that promoted the world and its transformation. In this sermon series, Thurman reflects on his personal canon of mystics, ranging from William Blake and Buddha, to Gandhi, St. Francis, and his teacher Rufus Jones.