One year after Thomas Merton's passing, the Black American liberation theologian James Cone published Black Theology and Black Power, a reflection on the Black Power movement of the 1960s and the central role that liberation plays in the Christian gospel. As we know, Merton dedicated significant effort considering U.S. race relations broadly and the Black Power Movement specifically as evidenced by an entire chapter in his book Faith and Violence, entitled “From Non-violence to Black Power” but what we don't know is if the two ever met in person. Nonetheless, Merton and Cone inhabited proximate theological and physical geography at pivotal moments in their thinking and praxis (Corpus Christi, the church where Merton was baptized, and Union Theological Seminary, where James Cone taught and wrote, share an intersection). By putting Merton and Cone into conversation with each other, we grasp a deeper understanding of how contemplative practice lends itself to liberation on the margins. If God is Black, then silence is God’s first language.

As a pastor, theologian, and faith-based community organizer, Jordan Jones is interested in exploring what role contemplation has in the Black Radical Tradition by way of building and cultivating Beloved "fugitive" communities. This was his focus as a seminarian at Union Theological Seminary and continues to be as an associate pastor at Metro Hope Church in East Harlem, New York where he lives and also works as a barista.

Jordan was a recent member of the 205 Sojourners Journalism Cohort and a clergy fellow with FASPE (Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics). Prior to moving to New York City for seminary, Jordan lived in Medellín, Colombia, as a Fulbright scholar and journalist. A native to Atlanta and graduate from Morehouse College, Jordan is an avid jazz listener and amateur salsa dancer. He is currently seeking ordination with the Disciples of Christ and plans to pursue doctoral work in the near future.

See future programs and register to join a future discussion live at: https://merton.org/twm/

JUDITH VALENTE - In Their Own Words: The Monks Who Knew Merton.

There are only a few remaining monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani who knew Thomas Merton personally. One is now 103 years old. ITMS President (2023-2025) Judith Valente spent time interviewing those monks about their encounters with Merton. Their memories are vivid and entertaining. Not surprisingly, Merton remains a complex figure for many of them. They talk frankly about his relationship with M. and his fierce opposition to the abbey's mail order businesses, but also his ability to relate to struggling monks, his humor, and his capacity to admit a mistake. The monks also share memories of those fateful days after Merton's body was returned from Bangkok and his brothers had to bring him to his final rest.

Judith Valente worked as a staff writer for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and as an on-air correspondent for national PBS-TV, Chicago Public Radio and GLT Radio, the National Public Radio affiliate in central Illinois where she lives. She is the author of three collections of poetry and six spirituality books, including How to Live: What The Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us about Happiness, Meaning and Community, and The Art of Pausing: Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed and How to Be: A Monk & A Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Friendship & Forgiveness, the latter two co-authored with Brother Paul Quenon of the Abbey of Gethsemani. She guides retreats around the country on how to live a more contemplative life in the secular world and leads an annual Benedictine Footprints contemplative, cultural, culinary pilgrimage/retreat in Italy, which offers a "slow tourism" experience of Italian life and lesser-known Benedictine sites. Her latest book is The Italian Soul: How To Savor the Full Joys of Life, based on what she has learned from her many stays in Italy about living more joyfully and mindfully.

In the nineteen sixties, finding a cloistered monk in Protestant spaces was unexpected. We will look at Merton's influence in Protestant culture, then extend our exploration into other unexpected and marginal places, including punk and hardcore engagements with Merton, and imagining Merton as an urban character. Viewing Merton through an alternative lens can encourage us to see Merton reaching further than we might expect or even be comfortable with. Harley Dean Mathews is associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Victoria, Texas. Harley is married to Amanda Mathews, an artist. Harley has a background in multi-faith dialogue, mysticism, nonviolence, creative contemplation and the underground music scene. See future programs and register to join the discussion live at: https://merton.org/twm/