THURMAN’S CORNER
Howard Washington Thurman (1899-1981) was a towering spiritual giant on the social and religious scene of the twentieth century. Theologian, Mystic, Philosopher and Spiritual Director, he led the movement for engendering social change from a deeply spiritual and affirming place. He was nurtured in an empowering, protective, inspiring social and family milieu. Through his inherited parental values and Christian faith, he received a sense of personal somebodiness that prepared him for the work of social transformation. This solid foundation empowered him to rise above the limiting racial divide to speak truth to a generation and to work for community formation across the decades of extraordinary social upheavals in America. Many of the Civil Rights movement’s leaders were advised, encouraged and inspired by this generous human spirit. His voice speaks loudly to issues of the twenty first century and the challenges of our day.
THURMAN’S CORNER – 9/21/20
In a world of tremendous upheaval such as ours, where almost all of the old moorings are uprooted and it is simply maddening to try to secure and maintain one’s bearing and sense of direction, the Church must be primarily a place of instruction, must include at least two important areas. In the first place, men must be taught the content of the Christian faith. Such questions as: Who was Jesus? What precisely did he teach? What are the historic Jewish-Christian insights with reference to God and the meaning of life and the interpretation of human experience? What is man and what is the nature of his responsibility? How must one interpret the new significance of the various political economic and social arrangements under which men live? These and similar questions must be dealt with, carefully, honestly and intelligently.
The second area has to do with the inner life. What is the significance of spiritual exercises? Precisely what is prayer and how does one pray? What techniques and methods are available for deepening one’s sense of the presence of God and how may one work in the world courageously and intelligently on behalf of a decent world, without despair and complete fatigue? What are the resources for personal rehabilitation and renewal? That men may be able to look out on life, with all of its cruel vicissitudes and transcendent joys, with quiet eyes and tranquil spirit, is one of the end results of the attention that the Church gives to this important responsibility to the individual.
From his book “Deep Is The Hunger”
Archived Quotes
THURMAN’S CORNER – 9/14/20
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ reminds us once again of the penalty which any highly organized society exacts of those who violate its laws … Whenever a Jesus Christ is crucified, there will also be crucified beside him the thief – two symbols of resistance to the established pattern. When Christianity makes central in its doctrine the redemptive significance of the cross, it defines itself ever in terms of the growing edge, the advance guard of the human race, who take the lead in man’s long march to the City of God.
From his book “Deep Is The Hunger”
THURMAN’S CORNER – 9/07/20
It is of immeasurable comfort to remember that much of the chaos and disorder of our own lives is rooted in causes that are understandable; much of the evil in life is reasonable, in the sense that its roots can be traced and it is not necessary to place the blame upon the devil or some blind senseless process. The naked responsibility for human misery, you and I and ordinary human beings like us must accept. In this doomful fact there is the ground of hope, because it means that, in the creation of man, God provided for limitless resourcefulness, and because any situation, however chaotic, can be understood and reconstructed if we have no fear to do, if need be, the radical, the revolutionary deed.
From his book “Deep Is The Hunger”
THURMAN’S CORNER – 8/30/20
Many people think that they understand others when they merely maintain a kindly attitude toward them. While it is true that a generous mood toward other people again and again elicits a response of friendliness, this is no substitute for facts, for information and the kind of understanding which comes only from sustained natural exposure to others. This constant exposure is apt to be a sure check and corrective to one’s understanding. Intergroup relations are handicapped by awkward and clumsy means of communication. Often this is a matter of language, of our use of words, of our use of anecdote and accent. There is no more exacting enterprise that the conscious quest for precise communication between people.
From his book “Deep Is The Hunger”
THURMAN’S CORNER – 8/24/20
“We are all artists in the sense that we are all engaged in some kind of activity by which we are realizing our ideals. What kind of ideals are you realizing? There is no neutrality here. Everybody is engaged in this activity. Is what you are realizing worthy of you, or are you engaged in the realization of ideals of which you are ashamed, and before which you stand condemned in your own sight? Long, long ago, it was said by a very wise and understanding friend, “By their fruits ye shall know them”, not by their roots.”
From his book “Deep Is The Hunger”
THURMAN’S CORNER – 8/17/20
“We are rapidly becoming a nation of panic-ridden people. The present tendency is to make of everyone a scapegoat for our collective fears. This means that we are losing our sense of destiny as a people and are relaxing our faith in the ideals which gave birth to our nation and for whose high fulfillment we have in the past marshaled the resources of our common life. We cannot fight an idea with threats, investigations and scares. We can fight an idea only with a greater idea, to which, in all phases of our life, we are dedicated with high purpose and deep resolve. This is the answer to our present loss of nerve.”
From his book “Deep Is The Hunger”
THURMAN’S CORNER – 8/10/20
“There is much discussion concerning what seems to be an increasing restlessness among people. This restlessness takes many forms … easy irritation …sudden rupturing of old ties of family, job and friends … general
instability … a series of tremendous social upheavals, upsetting the equilibrium of the daily lives of millions of people everywhere.
But there is a deeper restlessness that belongs to the very structure of personality. “Always roaming with a hungry heart”, this is man in his essential nature. This characteristic has been and continues to be a primary concern of religion. Sometimes it is referred to as the “divine discontent” in the heart. Certain mystics call it the “homing instinct” in the human spirit. One characterizes it as the “flight of the alone to the Alone.”
The classic expression of it in Christianity is the oft- quoted overtone from Augustine, “Thou hast made us for thyself and our souls are restless till they find their rest in Thee.”
From his book “Deep Is The Hunger”
“There is a universal urgency for both personal and social stability. This urgency can find fulfillment along several lines. A fresh sense of history must be developed. All the events of our world must be placed in a context of incident that reveals their profound interrelatedness. History on this planet must be regarded not as individual happenings unrelated to social processes, but, instead, as overlapping patterns of group behavior brought into play by a wide variety of creative personal and impersonal forces at work in the world. History is not irrational; it has a deep logic and consistency. God is the God of history. He does not stand apart as some mighty spectator but is in the process and the facts, ever shaping them (in ways that we can understand and in ways beyond our powers to grasp) to ends that fulfill a great and good destiny for men [people]. This is no idle or pious wish. Examine the past and behold the unfolding of living process.”
From his book, “Deep is the Hunger”