The following is an excerpt from Psychedelics and Christian Faith by Ron Cole-Turner. It’s a featured Speakeasy selection, and there are still limited review copies available for qualified reviewers.
Is it possible for theology to learn something new from today’s psychedelic science? Getting at that question involves detailed attention to psychedelic research. But it also forces us to take another look at Christianity’s traditional ideas about mysticism and spiritual experiences. What we find is that all too often, traditional theology has pushed spiritual experience to the side as unimportant. It is portrayed as mere subjectivity and therefore as something wholly unreliable as a basis for theological insight. It
Marginalization of the mystical has been a hallmark of modern theology. Perhaps today’s psychedelic research will change that……Can psychedelic spirituality and Christian spirituality go hand in hand, not as identical to each other but somehow complementing each other? Will Christianity offer support and validation for psychedelic mystical experiences?
Our vision is that as psychedelic mystical experiences become more common, anyone who seeks spiritual support will find it widely available within the context of Christianity. Some may be just starting to think seriously about whether to take a psychedelic journey. Others may be actively preparing for one. Some may already be reflecting on what happened to them spiritually in their experience. At every stage, spiritual help should be offered to all who seek it. No one should be told that psychedelic spirituality is anti-Christian or that they must choose between their experiences and their faith.
Part of what makes this research especially intriguing and controversial is the fact that psychedelics change metaphysical beliefs, not just randomly or equally in all directions, but away from physicalist views and toward dualism or panpsychism.
Not only is there directionality in the alteration of metaphysical beliefs, but the direction of the change correlates with the mental health benefit. The more one is changed in the direction of dualism or idealism, the more one is helped in terms of mental health treatment.
Commonplace or rare, mystical encounters in the Christian tradition are not always calm or gentle experiences. From biblical times, stories of mystical disruptions include lightning flashes, earthquakes, dark clouds, or in the case of St. Paul, getting knocked off one’s horse. Mystical encounters can be costly or painful.
If we want to draw upon experience as a source of theological understanding, how do we understand experience? How do we avoid the equivalent of theological selfies? How do we keep our experience of the presence of God from defining the meaning of God? Part of the answer lies in a willingness to understand and interpret the meaning of our experiences in the light of the best guidance we can find. For someone who identifies with Christianity, this means entering into the mutually critical feedback loop between experience, emerging insight, critique, and more experience that defines the Christian community at its best.
What Christianity offers is an invitation, not a guarantee. To those who have an intense or surprising spiritual experience, it invites them to walk with the process of experience to its end, with all its twists and turns, always wondering, and always open to the next surprise. Hold the moment of intensity with affection, and do not be afraid to ask where it is going.
The closer we are, the greater the mystery. A spiritual awakening is not a gift of knowledge about God. Much more than that, it is a growing confidence in God’s presence, in being loved, and in becoming more loving. It is to experience what scripture might be describing when it tells us of the “Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom 8:16). The text is clear that the witness of the encountering Spirit is to assure us that we are in a relationship with the holy. The relationship, the presence, and the sense of the numinous far outstrip the conceptual or doctrinal.
What is this experience that bursts out of the very heart of our lives? Is it not an encounter with grace in abundance? Old ideas are dislodged as new possibilities take their place. A sense of spiritual awe spreads itself until it fills every moment. Over it all is a feeling of discovery of newness everywhere. A new creation, a newly revised life story, a new hopefulness, all from an encounter with a love that makes all things new.
Imagine for a moment that one or more of the major denominations decided to create a new public statement on psychedelics. What would it say? It would begin by pointing out the theological foundations in scripture and tradition that highlight the importance of human experiences of encounters with the divine, noting the variety of forms these experiences can take. Critically and carefully, it would review current research, note the solid evidence of real health benefits, and commend the work of scientists. It would offer support and approval to any serious effort to offer psychedelic-assisted therapy, noting of course its concerns for availability, affordability, social justice, and the safety of vulnerable patients.
A church statement would say a lot about so-called challenging or difficult psychedelic experiences, noting their psychiatric and spiritual dimensions. It would avoid hype, call attention to the numbers of people involved, and lament the failures of the war on drugs. It would pledge to support indigenous peoples and their traditions that use psychedelics, such as the Native American Church and Sante Daimo, and offer to cooperate wherever possible with new “plant-sacrament” churches, defending equal protections under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act for all sincere spiritual seekers. Above all, it would encourage and bless all those who, through their use of psychedelic drugs in any context, have come to a new spiritual awareness, regardless of their religious beliefs. It would encourage local congregations and leaders to extend a welcome to all who are seeking the presence of the Spirit, asking each church to pledge to be a safe place.
Praise for Psychedelics and Christian Faith
“In this prudent exploration of psychedelics and spiritual experiences, Ronald Cole-Turner considers not only the risks of psychedelic medicines but also the risks to the church of discounting spiritual experiences associated with psychedelics. An exceptional theological ethicist, Cole-Turner also writes as a pastor–someone dedicated to the care of souls—asking: Is there room in the church (or in science) for people who have psychedelic experiences that defy clear rational explanation?”
—Tracy J. Trothen, co-author of Religion and the Technological Future: An Introduction to Biohacking, AI, and Transhumanism
“In this tour de force, Ron Cole-Turner takes us on a journey exploring the intersection between psychedelics and Christianity. In the next decade as the impact of psychedelics on the mental health sector continues, the all-important question of mystical and spiritual experiences needs urgent attention. There is no better book available than the one on offer here to help with this. It is groundbreaking in its historical, theological, cultural, and scientific perspectives. With both thoroughness and clarity, it will become a marker for all further conversations to come.”
—Brian Macallan, University of Divinity, Pilgrim Theological College
“If we have the opportunity to show up in an informed and engaged manner, it is thanks to Cole-Turner preparing and equipping us to do so. This will be required reading for any Christian interested in a serious, accessible, balanced treatment of this most pressing cultural, medical, and spiritual development. It will be used in training psychedelic chaplains and in seminary courses devoted to the church in its social context as well as pastoral care and spiritual formation programs. Unequivocally, we are in Cole-Turner’s debt for this volume.”
—Jaime Clark-Soles, professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
“The ‘psychedelic renaissance’ has commenced, with linkages between psychedelics, mental health, and spiritual experience evident. Theologian and ethicist Ron Cole-Turner ably guides through challenges such as nature of the linkages, societal and ecclesial acceptance, integration of the experience, and safety. Decades–or perhaps just years—from now, psychedelics hopefully will be normalized in mental health and spirituality. This book will register as key in that transition, with faith leaders and religion scholars benefitting.”
—Calvin Mercer, professor of religion, East Carolina University
About the Author
Ron Cole-Turner taught theology and ethics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for 25 years. Since retirement, he has focused on the spiritual significance of psychedelics, encouraging Christians in particular to interpret intense psychedelic mystical experiences within the context of Christian faith. Ron is a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion. Over the past decades, he has been known mostly for his work on Christian responses to transhumanism.
Psychedelics and Christian Faith on Bookshop
Ligare – A Christian Psychedelic Society
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