Since 2006, I have written a lot on an alternative to traditional Christianity and other exclusivist religions, philosophies and spiritualities.  It is the ecologically grounded ideas, beliefs and practices of Creation-Centered Theology/Philosophy/Spirituality, largely similar to the version of it expressed by Matthew Fox in Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality Presented in Four Paths, Twenty-Six Themes, and Two Questions (first published in 1983), although I think here he leans too lopsidedly toward the conceptually liberal/feminine and not enough simultaneously in the direction of the conceptually conservative/masculine to cover the other truly integrated side of God and nature.  (When I use those loaded terms, I mean this:  masculine and feminine traits are found in both females and males.  All people are psychologically androgynous with inherent feminine and masculine energies that greatly anticipate vital flourishing.  The interaction of these elements can be observed in every practical and academic field in life:  history, relationships, philosophy, business, science, religion, politics, sports, etc.)  However, Fox did make a strong effort to bring the masculine (but not the conservative) aspects of reality into his writings in 2008 by authoring The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine.  In 2009, I met Fox and talked with him for an hour about how his and my concepts/observations/critiques intersected…..his came first, of course.  (He’s a lot older than me!  And he has written about and taught these things since the mid-1970s.)  But, I was greatly moving in this direction for all of the 2000s before I discovered his work in the middle of that decade.  That short time period with him, one-on-one, was very exciting and encouraging for me.

I plan to include many more posts and even another blog all together to further explore and explain this alternative solution to orthodox Christiainity and other exclusivist religions, philosophies and spiritualities.

In case you don’t already know all about Fox, the main Wikipedia description of him is copied below.

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Matthew Fox (born 1940) is an American priest and theologian. Formerly a member of the Dominican order within the Roman Catholic Church, Fox is now a member of the Episcopal Church.

Fox was an early and influential exponent of a movement that came to be known as Creation Spirituality. This movement draws inspiration from the mystical philosophies of such medieval Catholic visionaries as Hildegard of Bingen, Thomas Aquinas, Saint Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich, Dante Alighieri, Meister Eckhart and Nicholas of Cusa, as well as the wisdom traditions of Christian scriptures. Some scholars say these traditions are close to those that were first laid out by Jesus.

Creation Spirituality is also strongly aligned with ecological and environmental movements of the late 20th century and with a focus on “deep ecumenism”. This embraces numerous spiritual traditions around the world, including Buddhism, Judaism, Sufism, and Native American teachings.

Fox has written 30 books that have sold millions of copies and by the mid 1990s had attracted a “huge and diverse following”.

Fox was likened by academic theologians in one New York Times article to the controversial and influential 20th century Jesuit priest, philosopher and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, particularly for his interpretations of issues such as the doctrine of original sin and the Cosmic Christ and for the resulting conflicts with church authorities.