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Cecil
Williams, Mystic & Prophet & Authentic Christian Leader, Part II 04/27/2024 |
We are meditating on the life and gifts of Cecil Williams, pastor since 1963 at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, who died this week. |
Cecil and his wife Janice Mirikitani founded countless healing groups, not just for AA but for all manner of wounds and addictions, and moved people from victims to agents. Many of the working leaders at the church had undergone healing in such groups. Programs for HIV/AIDS |
Reverend Cecil Williams (center) receives a Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award in San Francisco in January 1977. Photo by Nancy Wong in Wikimedia Commons. |
screenings, and for intravenous drug users and for women dealing with homelessness, domestic violence, and mental health issues. The church served 500,000 meals during the year 2020-2021 alone. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, 2500 meals of ham, turkey, and more were offered by numerous
volunteers in a spirit of festivity and community. In the 1960’s, San Francisco was like the rest of America vis-à-vis the gay community—arresting LGBTQ citizens just for gathering. But Cecil, operating on his principles of welcoming the poor
and disenfranchised, opened his church to LGBTQ groups and even hosted drag balls there. This was before Stonewall. |
Celebrating Martin Luther King Day at Glide Memorial Church in 2023. Wikimedia Commons | His church has been called “the soul of the city”
and it is said he approached everything he did with “unconditional love." Cecil, the grandson of a slave raised in the segregated South, sought “to love everyone, the same as |
Jesus did,” remarked a man who had known him for 48 years. Said Williams in a 2013 interview: If you really understand, it seems to me, the liberated gospel, the liberated acts of Jesus, it would mean that we would take any hatred out of our hearts....Take judgment out of your heart and
pour love there. That’s what needs to be there. He mentored younger generations of ministers both directly and by his example. It has been my privilege over the years to interact with a number of these leaders in the Bay Area. It was our honor to bestow an honorary doctoral degree on Cecil from our University of Creation Spirituality, and he graced us by his presence and prophetic words on that memorable occasion. |
To me, Williams as a leader was everything a follower of Jesus should be: A lover, a listener, a challenger, a prophet who interfered with social, gender, economic, racial and homophobic injustice where he saw it. A |
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man
with a soft heart and a gentle way, plus the warrior and lion spirit of a prophet. May this man of peace rest in peace and be remembered by those who imitate his ways. |
See Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Post-denominational Priest, pp. 304-333, 340, 352, 442. And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society. Banner image: “Cecil Williams in San Francisco City Hall’s Board of Supervisors chambers speaking on behalf of the International Hotel
tenants.” Photo by Nancy Wong. Wikimedia Commons. |
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Responses are welcomed. To add
your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialog, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Queries for Contemplation |
Do you agree with Cecil’s formula to “take judgment out of your heart and pour love in its place”? How might that alter political life in America and beyond? |
Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest (Revised/Updated Edition)
Matthew Fox’s stirring
autobiography, Confessions, reveals his personal, intellectual, and spiritual journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. Five new chapters in this revised and updated edition bring added perspective in light of the author’s continued journey, and his reflections on the current changes taking place in church, society and the environment.
“The unfolding story of
this irrepressible spiritual revolutionary enlivens the mind and emboldens the heart — must reading for anyone interested in courage, creativity, and the future of religion.”
—Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as Self |
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Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation
Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
“A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice. |
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Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil
that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly
masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics |
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In the Beginning There Was Joy: A Cosmic Celebration for Kids of All Ages
The first book in the Father Fox’s Fantastical Fables series tells the story of the big bang and how humans fit into the awesome, fantastical,
cosmic picture! With artwork curated from illustrators around the world, this book expresses the joy and wonder of all peoples and cultures, planting seeds of respect, cooperation and hope to work together for the healing of our planet. "Matthew Fox has created a narrative, for every parent and grandparent, both spiritual and
scientific, that is a gift for all elders who recognize their responsibility in initiating the young ones into the grandeur of existence." Cosmologist Brian Swimme, Author of Cosmogenesis and The Universe Story "Matthew Fox has given all of us, children included, a wondrous and enchanting view of creation
and all that humanity should aspire to." - Caroline Myss, Author of Anatomy of the Spirit and A Time for Grace Receive a 20% discount when you buy this and one other book from Matthew Fox’s store! Use Promo Code 20% at checkout. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS See Matthew Fox's full calendar
HERE |
Join Matthew Fox as he offers the Morning Worship Inspirational Message, “How Christian Mystics & the Challenges of Our Time Build Bridges to Buddhist Wisdom and Deep Ecumenism” hosted by Brentwood Inspired Living Center. Sunday, April 28, 10:00am Learn more HERE. Join Matthew Fox, Mariko Middleton, and Skylar Wilson of the Order of the Sacred Earth in a
free virtual meeting for connection and networking with other mystic warriors, Tuesday, April 30, 4:00-5:00pm PT.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478 Meeting ID: 886 6530 2478 Learn more at www.orderofthesacredearth.org |
Join Matthew Fox in a new, live, 7-week video course hosted by the Shift Network, : What Meister Eckhart & Other World Mystics Can Teach Us About Navigating Collective Turmoil. Tuesdays, May 7 – June 25, 5:00pm - 6:30pm PT. Register HERE. |
Join Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake as they discuss their book, Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness and the Soul in Spirituality and Science in an Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, Thursday, May 16, 4:00-5:30 pm PT.
Register HERE. Join keynote speakers Matthew Fox and Brian Swimme at the 2024 Creation Spirituality Communities Gathering on “Reimagining Our Story, Hope for Humanity,” live at Cape Cod, MA and by livestream. Friday, May 31 – Sunday, June 2. Learn more and register HERE. |
Creation Spirituality Conversations |
Ilia Delio and theologian Matthew Fox pick up on their conversation about the viability of contemporary religious institutions in an evolutionary world. They discuss death and resurrection—the enduring challenge of modern approaches to the subject and what we can learn from mystics, past generations and ancient peoples alike. To listen, click HERE. |
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Inspired by this post? Share your insights on Universeodon, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RevDrMatthewFox and tag Matt with @RevDrMatthewFox FOLLOW MATTHEW FOX: |
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