Thomas Merton Peacemaker

In the centenary year of Merton's birth, longtime peace activist and author John Dear reflects on Merton's profound contributions to the practice and spirituality of peacemaking. Beginning in the early 1960s the famous Trappist monk broke new ground through his prophetic writings on nuclear weapons, war, and racism. For Merton, these issues were not only moral challenges: they reflected a deeper spiritual crisis afflicting the world. Here, John Dear invites us to take up Merton's journey and become mature spiritual seekers, breaking beyond the norms of religious obligation into a universal compassion so that we, too, might become peacemakers, the beloved children of the God of peace. (Publisher).

Providing an intimate and timely view of Merton, this book traces the theme of peace and nonviolence in Merton's life and writings, drawing in particular on extensive correspondence with Jim Forest, a Merton biographer.

This new edition traces the evolution of Thomas Merton's social thought, particularly as it evolved toward a way of nonviolence and peacemaking grounded in contemplation and Christian love. It identifies the social context that shaped Merton, including civil rights and racism, the Vietnam War, and a growing nuclear threat. And it explores the religious influences and experiences that shaped Merton, including Catholic social teaching--particularly Pope John XXIII's encyclical letter Pacem in Terris ( Peace on Earth )--the words and actions of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., the practice of contemplation and Zen, and Merton's own life as a Trappist monk.

A Thomas Merton Reader provides a complete view of Merton, in all his aspects: contemplative, spiritual writer, poet, peacemaker, and social critic. In this closely knit volume are significant selections not only from his major works but from some lesser-known, yet equally valuable, writings as well. Presented here is a living Thomas Merton, expounding through prose and poetry on an abundance of important themes -- war, love, peace, Eastern thought and spirituality, monastic life, art, contemplation, and solitude. M. Scott Peck puts the writings included here into the context of Merton's life.

In the fall of 1964, Trappist monk Thomas Merton prepared to host an unprecedented gathering of peace activists. "About all we have is a great need for roots," he observed, "but to know this is already something." His remark anticipated their agenda--a search for spiritual roots to nurture sound motives for "protest." This event's originality lay in the varied religious commitments present. Convened in an era of well-kept faith boundaries, members of Catholic (lay and clergy), mainline Protestant, historic peace church, and Unitarian traditions participated. Ages also varied, ranging from twenty-three to seventy-nine. Several among the fourteen who gathered are well known today among faith-based peace advocates: the Berrigan brothers, Jim Forest, Tom Cornell, John Howard Yoder, A. J. Muste, and Merton himself. During their three days together, insights and wisdom from these traditions would intersect and nourish each other. By the time they parted, their effort had set down solid roots and modeled interreligious collaboration for peace work that would blossom in coming decades. Here for the first time, the details of those vital discussions have been reconstructed and made accessible to again inspire and challenge followers of Christ to confront the powers and injustices of today.

Essential writings on an urgent theme.

"Explores the thinking of the famous Trappist monk on topics of social concern-peace, race, ecology-through his correspondence with particular activists, scholars, and thinkers"--