James Finley
James Finley PhD has been a student of contemplative prayer for more than 20 years, six of which he spent at the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where Thomas Merton was his spiritual director. He leads retreats and workshops throughout the United States and Canada, attracting men and women from all religious traditions who seek to live a contemplative way of life in the midst of today's busy world. He is also a clinical psychologist in private practice with his wife in Santa Monica, California.
He first spoke to Silence in the City in November 2008 on Falling into Silence: an exploration of Thomas Merton's relevance for our time, to mark the 40th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death.
He spoke to us again in September 2011 on Following the Mystics through the Narrow Gate, and offered us a reading list in Christian Mysticism.
Both his talks were recorded and CDs can be ordered here.
He has written a number of books, including Merton's Palace of Nowhere: a search for God through awareness of the true self;Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God;
and The Contemplative Heart.
Dr Ursula King
Ursula King is Professor Emerita of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Bristol, and a vice president of the World Congress of Faiths. Her specific areas of expertise are in the life and work of the French Jesuit priest and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and in feminist theology. She has published numerous books and articles on different religious topics including Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies throughout the Ages (2001), Spirit of Fire: The Life and Vision of Teilhard de Chardin (1998), Religion and Gender (1995), and her most recent The Search for Spirituality: Our Global Quest for a Spiritual Life (2008). She acted as consultant for the content on gender and religion in the revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Religion (2005). She is a renowned speaker and she lectures at conferences and universities around the world.
Nicholas King
Nicholas King is a Jesuit priest who teaches New Testament at Oxford University. He spent many years in South Africa and still has a weekly column on the weekly scriptures.He has written a highly acclaimed translation of the New Testament about which Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote:" The translation hits you between the eyes." He is currently working on a new translation of the Old Testament.
He enjoys playing squash and cricket. He is much demand to give talks on biblical subjects.
|