Product Description

Inner Christianity is the first introduction to mystical and esoteric Christianity for the general reader. It speaks from a nonsectarian point of view, unearthing insights from the whole of the Christian tradition, orthodox and heretical, famous and obscure. The esoteric tradition has traditionally searched for meanings that would yield a deeper inner knowledge of the divine. While traditional Christianity draws a timeline from Adam's Fall to the Day of Judgment, the esoteric often sees time as folding in on itself, bringing every point to the here and now. While the Church fought bitterly over dogma, the esoteric borrowed freely from other traditions—Kabbalah, astrology, and alchemy—in their search for metaphors of inner truth.

Rather than basing his book around exponents of esoteric doctrine, scholar Richard Smoley concentrates on the questions that are of interest to every searching Christian. How can one attain direct spiritual experience? What does "the Fall" really tell us about coming to terms with the world we live in? Can we find salvation in everyday life? How can we ascend, spiritually, through the various levels of existence? What was Christ's true message to humankind? From the Gospel of Thomas to A Course in Miracles, from the Jesus Prayer to alchemy and Tarot, from Origen to Dante to Jung, Richard Smoley sheds the light of an alternative Christianity on these issues and more.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #251820 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-08
• Released on: 2002-10-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Library Journal
While the institutional church has frequently set boundaries limiting what ideas, beliefs, and practices could be considered Christian, Smoley, a former editor of Gnosis magazine, reminds readers that adventurous seekers have always borrowed freely from many sources to enhance their inner spiritual knowledge. Smoley collectively labels these disparate voices "inner" (or "esoteric") Christianity. The writings used to construct this tradition are diverse, ranging from Gnostic gospels and kabbalistic cosmologies, through late medieval alchemical theory, right up to Swedenborgian and New Age teachings. An initial chapter spells out the historical breadth of these traditions, but the bulk of the book offers a contemporary synthesis, providing insight into the deeper, mystical meaning of traditional Christian doctrines. Quotations from the sources are usually more engaging than the synthesis itself, but the author makes the case for listening more closely to an eclectic Christianity's own esoteric voices. Many readers will filter much of the material through a selective sieve of skepticism, but the book overviews a wide range of material and provides a solid introduction to esoteric Christianity for the general reader. Recommended for all libraries.
Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A wide range of material . . . provides a solid introduction to esoteric Christianity."— Library Journal

"Smoley traverses a vast continent of belief and practice in this lively guide to Christian esotericism, and he does so with great intelligence and style."—Philip Zaleski, editor of the Best Spiritual Writing series

"We overlook the very heart and soul of Christianity when we reduce it to rules, dogmas, and rigid moral directives. Inner Christianity helps correct that mistake by spelling out, clearly and thoughtfully, the subtle interior mysteries of this religion. This book could help many, Christians and others, find a new level of intelligence in Christian thought and practice. It could change the direction of your spiritual life."—Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and The Soul's Religion

"In this deeply wise and important work, Richard Smoley restores the realm of inner space to the Christian tradition. Drawing upon a wide range of mystical and esoteric literature and practice, he shows how multidimensional is the Christian message, and how profound its understanding of the nature and purpose of the psyche. In a time of so much change and confusion, this potent book serves as a source of profound guidance and gnosis."—Jean Houston, Ph.D., author of A Mythic Life and Jump Time

"Richard Smoley has rolled away the rock of symbol, myth, metaphor, and obscuration and resurrected the radiant light of an inner Christianity. In clear and vibrant language, he makes the deepest wisdom of the Christian tradition available and accessible to everyone. This book is an empowerment of faith and spirit and will, I predict, become a classic for all who walk the path of Christ in the midst of their everyday lives."—David Spangler, author of Everyday Miracles, Blessing: The Art and the Practice, and Apprenticed to Spirit

About the Author
Richard Smoley is a graduate of Harvard College and Oxford University. He is the coauthor, with Jay Kinney, of Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions and the former editor of Gnosis magazine.

Customer Reviews

Great bridge
To appreciate my comments it is perhaps necessary to tell you a itlle bit of where I am coming from. I was raised in an essentially non-practicing Eastern Orthodox family, where the church was more of a cultural and identity institution. Combine this with the innate belief in the supremacy of rationality, and I was at a point where I believed that Christianity was nothing more than a social institution with rituals to just perpetuate itself.

Theologically, I felt that the doctrine of original sin was something I could not believe. I also became convinced of the reality of re-incarnation, that Karma is not a "punishment" meted out by a "judge", but a universal principle of justice flowing from the fact that we create our destiny because of what we will into our lives. I thought the "faith only" formula was a socially useful convention, but that it did not answer our needs as intellectually curious human beings. So overall, one can see that by this point, it was hard for me to say I was a Christian according to the orthodox definition.

This led me to read a lot of New Age, Buddhist, Hindu, Gnostic and even some channelled literature. If there was a thread combining these, it was that we are spiritual beings, who can realize our true nature through internal contemplation.

I found this book, curiously enough, in the metaphysical section at a Borders shop, and not among the other Christian literature.

To my mind, the esoteric tradition described in this book starts by acknowledging the gnostic path. That is, inner knowledge of God is possible. It extends this by stating the inner journey is a journey back to our oneness with God and with our true nature. Hence, there is no difference between creator and creation, but there is the illusion of separation because of the exercise of free will.

This book has allowed me to appreciate much more the Eastern Orthodox tradition I was brought up under. Even given its warts and all, the Eastern church focuses more on spiritual practice leading to inner knowing, on contemplation of unanswerable mysteries rather than on intellectual understanding.

Perhaps one of the commentators below is right - it is perhaps more "pre-christian" than christian. But, to my mind, that gives it more value, not less, as it points to a universality that both pre-dates and post-dates the emergence of Christ.

Overall, I really liked this book and would highly recommend it.

Clear, Considered, Eye Opening
Inner Christianity give a new, powerful view of the Christian faith, its history and the work of self-transformation found within its teachings. Not pedantic, not preaching, just a clear, calm , non-sectarian guide to the inner meanings of Christianity. I have found over the years that Richard Smoley, who edited Gnosis magazine for many years, is one of the very best writers on (sometimes difficult) esoteric spiritual subjects, making them understandable without sacrificing intelligence or balance. I highly recommend this book.

The Secret Church
Unlocking the wisdom of esoteric Christianity
In this thought provoking work, the author draws upon a wide spectrum of esoteric and mystical sources to demonstrate how multidimensional the Christian tradition really is. In simple language he brings to light the most profound wisdom of Christianity as a remedy for the loss of faith in these times.

The book concentrates more on the esoteric rather than the mystical strain and claim that the Bible was always meant to be read on several different levels. It is certainly true that the universal truths of esoteric knowledge are expressed just as much in Christianity as in any other tradition.

Part One explores the history of the hidden teachings with reference to hermeticism, kabbalah, Rosicrucianism, monasticism, the church fathers Clement and Origin, plus Rudolf Steiner and Carl Jung. He also looks at modern practitioners of inner Christianity like Stephan Hoeller.

Part Two: The Vision, considers issues like The World and The Fall, Salvation and Gnosis, The Second Birth, Cosmology, The Gospels and the Works of Christ, and the Feminine Face of God. Part Three: Expressions, investigates spiritual practices, love, evil, forgiveness, symbols, sacraments and the secret church.

The afterword includes a list of recommended books with comments, such as A Course In Miracles, Meditations On The Tarot by Valentin Tomberg, The Cloud Upon The Sanctuary by Karl von Eckarthausen, A Different Christianity by Robin Amis, The New Man by Maurice Nicoll and The Rose Of The World by Daniel Andreev. The book includes black and white illustrations, copious notes, a selected bibliography and an index.