Interview with Paul Smith, Author of Integral Christianity: The Spirit’s Call to Evolve
I am really excited to bring this particular podcast episode to you guys this week! It’s a timely release, this being traditionally Holy Week, when Christians around the world reflect on Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. It is possible to understand this powerful story as representing the death of deeper, higher orders of Truth at the hands of lower, more shallow truths. Indeed, we see Jesus as a shining example of life lived in the heat of the friction between what we see as the default position of biological evolution and the alternative expression of Creative Evolution. My own personal relationship with Jesus is revealed as I seek daily guidance in understanding my mechanical nature and in allowing my inner creativity to rise to the surface.
So in honor of Holy Week, I am bringing you guys my conversation with Reverend Paul Smith. He has been a pastor at Broadway Church in Kansas City, MO for almost 50 years, and he is the author of a new book called Integral Christianity: The Spirit’s Call to Evolve. Paul and I have a special connection: his church is the first church I ever attended. Born in Kansas City, I went to Broadway Church with my parents until we all moved to Arkansas when I turned 6. Since that time Paul and I both have walked the path of creative evolution, and we both have ended up embracing Christianity in a way few today dare speak about. Have a listen to our dialogue, and by all means pick up a copy of Paul’s book today! E-mail me or comment on the post below if you have any thoughts about our discussion.
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Download To Your Computer (runs about forty-five minutes)
- Introduction — 00:00 – 02:12
- The Three Faces of God — 02:12 – 11:45
- Reading the Bible as a Stage-Development Chronicle — 11:45 – 15:25
- Jesus, Lazarus and Creative Evolution — 15:25 – 26:03
- Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going — 26:03 – 33:45
- Paul’s Background — 33:45 – 42:07
- Closing — 42:07 – 44:12
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Wonderful interview. Thanks for posting this. I'm so excited to see this type of book published (going to order a copy in my next monthly amazon book order). 🙂 I've been on a quest recently to dive deeper into my own personal relationship with God (mostly using the meditation/prayer techniques I've read from Merton and Keating). Of course, it's a constant struggle…especially in releasing my attachment to results and trying to discover the value of the process. But then, no one said evolution is an easy, painless process, right?
Glad you enjoyed it, Kathryn! The book is a great read. As I said, I could hardly put it down. Evolution painless? Hell no! The pain is often the crux of it. In my book, it's perfectly okay to desire a result. The question is, what happens when the result isn't what you want it to be? Deep transformation comes out of a willingness to act in a world where nothing is guaranteed to be what you think it ought to be. Jesus is a perfect example of this sort of life. He was never under the illusion that things were going to go well for him, and still he acted in a way that reflected the Good and the True in him.
Your website looks really nice, btw. Thanks for reading and listening!
Yes, I think you're onto something with desiring particular results. The tendency to desire particular outcomes is natural…but I guess what's important is to have an open mind and open heart to other unexpected or even undesirable outcomes. Very true. Of course, nonattachment is a big struggle for me…and I'm sure always will be.
Philip and Paul, I cannot tell you how touched I am in listening to this interview. When I was in medical school forty years ago it was my privilege to meet weekly with Paul and a group of other men, which began my conscious evolution, though I had no idea where it would lead. Then about ten years ago it was my privilege to begin exploring the philosophy taught by Ken Wilber with my son, Philip. How wonderful, then, to listen to this evolution come full circle in this interview. Thank you.
Dad
Philip
Cool stuff. Thanks for all the good info. and good thoughts.
Hope you had a chance to see "the sea that thinks" before they pulled it off youtube.
I was wondering if you've read "How to Lose Your Mind in Under an Hour" by David Noble.
It might be up your alley so to speak. He's made it available as a free download at lulu. http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/how-to-lose…
Be well
Peter
Thanks for the post for writing “Interview with Paul Smith, Author of Integral Christianity: The Spirit
Philip,
Wonderful interview. My experience with the book is bit different than yours, in that I'll read 4 sentences and then be off in glorious contemplation — so I keep "putting it down", but for very satisfying reasons! I plan to teach the book as a course at my Unity church in Austin, and had a sweet email exchange with Paul about that. A big blessing in this interview is y'alls discussion about "detachment" and "dis-identifying" — the latter being a much better descriptor of what the true task is, and a big help to me.
Finally, what a beautiful anointing Paul gave to you at the end. It's as good as anything a young Catholic priest could get from the Pope.
Peace be with you,
John
– I don’t think I’ll be covering those iusess. I think the main thrust will be to describe the hierarchy of knowing top is Christianity, above theology, above metaphysics, above natural philosophy (science), above biology – of which natural selection is a type. But more interestingly, I am trying to say in what way natural selection is potentially true – true without being the truth. This applies to all of science, and even mathematics, but with NS it is much more obvious and hits harder. In the end, I think it boils down to common sense of those built-in experiental evaluations – so the validity of NS, science, maths – is ultimately a mater of common sense and not of professional or abstract consideration.But let’s hope I can get it clearer than that!
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