We often think that mysticism is a thing of the past, that the great mystics like Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich or Teresa of Avila are resigned to times long gone, and that mysticism died in the Reformations, the Enlightenment, or the Quietist Controversy.

However, there are important mystical elements of all major world religions today including Christianity, and many 20th-, and 21st-century figures exemplify mysticism.

In our fourth series of webinars on Modern Mystics, we are excited to look at three major figures of the 20th century (stretching slightly into the two adjacent centuries). Each webinar will be led by an expert on the mystic in question, and will consist of a 50-minute introductory lecture on that figure and their mystical writings. After a quick break we will have 30 minutes for Q&A with our expert. Each webinar runs from 7:30-9 PM (UK time) on Zoom on a Monday evening.

The first webinar, on 22nd September, will be led by Professor Peter Tyler on the German philosopher and theologian, Edith Stein who was murdered in the Holocaust. Born in a German Jewish family, Stein converted to Catholicism and took particular influence from reading the Christian mystics, especially the life of Teresa of Avila.

The second session, on 29th September, will be run by Dr Roger Lipsey on Dag Hammarskjöld, the secretary general of the United Nations from 1953 until his death in 1961. In interviews and in his posthumously published writings, Hammarskjöld shows a major interest in the medieval mystics, especially Meister Eckhart and John of Ruusbroec. His writings have often been described themselves as mystical.

The third session, on 6th October, will be led by Dr Sue Yore on the political and liberation theologian, Dorothee Sölle. Sölle wrote widely, including her 2001 The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance. She is often considered a postmodern mystical writer and someone who both continued and adapted the traditional mystical theological claims.

Although in different ways, our three mystics show that mysticism should not be divorced between politics, action and social justice. Join us to see how this played out in their lives and writings.

Browse the course calendar