Thomas Merton: “The path that is my duty now” - Season 1 Episode 4
S1E4: “The path that is my duty now” - Thomas Merton
This week we join Thomas Merton in his hermitage at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey, in Kentucky. (Our Lady of Gethsemani happens to be about an hour’s drive from the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, and two hours from Cane Ridge.)
Merton was a prolific writer, thinker, and theologian in the 20th century and he thought very deeply about how his faith intersected with the public sphere and politics. Merton believed his faith called him to a life of non-violence and he repeatedly advocated for peace and non-violence throughout his life.
We will use Merton’s life as a lens through which we can explore the intersection between faith and the public sphere.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gaustad, Edwin S., and Mark A. Noll, eds. A Documentary History of Religion in America to 1877. Third Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003.
Gaustad, Edwin, and Leigh Schmidt. The Religious History of America The Heart of the American Story from Colonial Times to Today. Revised Edition. New York: HarperOne, 2002.
Griffith, Ruth Marie, ed. American Religions: A Documentary History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Jacobs, Alan. “The Modern Monkhood of Thomas Merton.” The New Yorker, December 28, 2018. https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/thomas-merton-the-monk-who-became-a-prophet.
Merton, Thomas. A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals. Edited by Jonathan Montaldo. New York: Harper Collins, 2009.
Thomas Merton, Spiritual Master: The Essential Writings. Edited by Lawrence S. Cunningham. New York: Paulist Press, 1992.
Nouwen, Henri J. M. Thomas Merton, Contemplative Critic. Chicago: Triumph Books, 1991.
Pramuk, Christopher. “The Public Private Life of Thomas Merton.” Sojourners, January 2015. https://sojo.net/magazine/january-2015/public-private-life-thomas-merton.
The Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University. “Thomas Merton’s Life and Work - Thomas Merton Center.” Accessed June 21, 2020. http://merton.org/chrono.aspx.
Woods, Mark. “Thomas Merton: The Catholic Mystic Who Opened New Horizons for Souls.” Christianity Today, September 25, 2015. https://www.christiantoday.com/article/thomas-merton-the-catholic-mystic-who-opened-new-horizons-for-souls/65775.htm.
ABOUT CHURCH HISTORIA
Christianity is not an “or” religion.
The incarnation itself demands that we hold in tension that Jesus was both fully human and fully God.
Christianity is an “and” religion.
We think the variety within the Christian tradition is beautiful. We like to use the word tapestry to describe that diversity, the richness that helps us see and hold in tension and balance the “and” of Christianity. This tapestry, with its many shapes and colors across denominations, regions, and countries, helps us hold that tension in which we find ourselves.
Church Historia celebrates the tapestry of the Christian tradition through the lens of history. Hosted by church historian Stephanie Fulbright and church history enthusiast Leslie Eiler Thompson, this new podcast identifies people and places in the Christian tradition and uses their stories to discover new threads in the tapestry of Christianity.
For Christians and non-Christians alike, this journey through the past will help us see ourselves, our neighbors, and our present realities more vibrantly. Season 1, “Who Are Your People?” explores Southern Christian traditions and the history that frames them.
Sign up for the email list to get updates on Church Historia, and additional information when episodes release.
ABOUT THE HOSTS
STEPHANIE FULBRIGHT
HOST, IN-PODCAST HISTORIAN,
AND TEA MISTRESS
Stephanie had an interest in history from a young age and fell in love with Church History in college. In 2017, Stephanie completed her Master of Theological Studies, in Public History of Religion, at Vanderbilt University. Her thesis, Contentious Histories: Why They’re Important and How to Tell Them Well, encourages those in reconciliation and community justice work to think about how history connects with the work they do.
A lifelong passion of Stephanie’s is sharing history and tools of historical thought with others, so we can experience the world around us more deeply and become better neighbors. Stephanie frequently teaches church history and Sunday School programs.
Stephanie can often be found with a cup of tea, a good book, and her Great Dane puppy, Mouse.
LESLIE EILER THOMPSON
CO-HOST, PRODUCER,
AND IDITAROD EXPERT
With a math-teaching father and art-teaching mother, it’s no surprise that Leslie Eiler Thompson’s work often strikes a balance between craft and calculation. Highly creative, idiosyncratic, and multi-faceted, Leslie’s work finds itself taking shape in many forms - from storytelling and writing to podcast hosting (Someone Like Me Podcast) & producing (Tokens Podcast), to owning a creative marketing and publicity studio. There’s even some singing sprinkled into the mix.
Spending most of her childhood and adolescent years on a theatrical stage sparked an attitude of curiosity in Leslie, one which has developed into a call to humanize - to work with heart and to share with purpose and meaning.
Inspiration strikes Leslie in the English-Ivy covered hills just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. In 2020, Leslie got to experience the Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska, but that’s another story for another time.