John Philip Newell has a mission. He sees the brokenness of humanity, the
division between nations, and the destruction of Creation and realizes that
something must be done. Newell’s
solution, however, is not something new but something very old. He calls us back to a time of oneness—a reuniting
of the spirit, and the earth and the human soul. In A New Harmony, Newell is actually
presenting the case for an ancient harmony that underlies our world. He argues that there are certain underlying
principles of unity that we have rejected but can learn to embrace in order to
overcome our brokenness.
After presenting the case for this ancient harmony, Newell
discusses how harmony has been broken and then provides a challenge to
rediscover and practice that ancient harmony again. In his concluding paragraph, he writes:
“The Spirit is doing a new thing. It is springing forth now in our
consciousness, among every people, in every discipline, in every walk of
life. Do we see it? And shall we serve it? A new Pentecost is stirring in the human
soul. Will we be open to this moment of
grace and be led into relationship of oneness we could never have imagined?”
Newell is an interesting and articulate writer. He refers to the works of psychoanalyst Carl
Jung, theologians Teilhard de Chardin and Matthew Fox, spiritual mystics Julian
of Norwich and Meister Eckhart and
others to explain and amplify on his ideas.
His personal experiences as Anglican clergyman and campus chaplain,
warden of Iona Abbey, pilgrim in India, and now theologian in residence at Casa
de Sol in New Mexico are woven into the presentation as well.
Some will find his arguments disconcerting and even
heretical, but he fearlessly addresses the need to make right a damaged
world. All of us struggle with brokenness
of one type or another. Newell has faced
his own, is attempting to deal with it, and shares what he is learning.
I read this book while participating in a virtual seminar
offered by The Oates Institute. Facilitated by executive director Chris Hammon,
the online discussion involved 15 participants from across the country who are
involved in various helping ministries. Information
on the Institute, its services, and future offerings can be found at www.oates.org.
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