As I conclude the semester in PT610 | Spiritual Formation and Social Change, I have chosen to complete a close reading on Howard Thurman. Howard (1899-1981) was a leading figure in the change for social justice movements. As noted by the Boston University’s School of Theology’s website, “He was one of the principal architects of the modern, nonviolent civil rights movement and a key mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Some would note, that to learn from a spiritual hero like Thurman, we must be open to learn from what others have known, noticed, and loved about Thurman. As we open ourselves up to the idea of learning, in community, from one another, let us be like the Franciscan Friar, Richard Rohr, who compels us to take the order of our knowledge, disorder it, and then reorder it with the new found knowledge and understanding that we now have.

I depart this portion with quotes from Howard Thurman:

The goal of life is God! The source of life is God! —Howard Thurman (Sunday)

God reveals God’s Presence out of the mystery of Being. —Howard Thurman (Monday)

Faith teaches us that God is. —Howard Thurman (Tuesday)

It has long been a matter of serious moment that for decades [Christians] have studied the various peoples of the world and those who live as our neighbors as objects of missionary endeavor and enterprise without being at all willing to treat them either as brothers or as human beings. —Howard Thurman (Wednesday)

What does our religion say to the poor, the disinherited, the dispossessed? —Howard Thurman (Thursday)

If being Christian does not demand that all Christians love each other and thereby become deeply engaged in experiencing themselves as human beings, it would seem futile to expect that Christians as Christians would be concerned about the secular community in its gross practices of prejudice and discrimination. —Howard Thurman (Friday)