Spiritual Leader Resources
Christian mystics have long pointed to this essential distinction: biblical literature may guide and direct us toward truth, but it is not truth itself.
Spiritual Leader Resources toward Christian Mysticism
Important Preface
The reason we have included Christian Mystics in the following is because they are among the few who were able to transcend judgmental belief systems and limiting religious ideologies in order to use biblical literature as guidance toward awakening to truth, God, or enlightenment.
It is this enlightened view of Christian Mysticism that all Christians are invited to sincerely seek, explore, and embrace — the inward dwelling of God, the direct experience of oneness, and a spiritual reality beyond the limitations of belief, doctrine, and religious identity.
Revealing Christian Mystics
As a concession to clarity and simplicity, allow us to offer this premise: Jesus was the first Christian Mystic — although he was not Christian. We say this because, within the Christian record, Jesus represents the clearest example of one who was fully Self-Realized, awakened, and in complete union with God — as God, Infinite Eternal Source. Christianity arose after the physical life of Jesus, and Christian traditions and religions developed as collective, mind-made attempts to understand, preserve, and convey THAT which Jesus had directly discovered beyond belief, beyond doctrine, and beyond the conceptual limitations of mind.
What appeared as God in human form realized its true eternal identity — the inward dwelling of God, Christ Consciousness, Infinite Love, Eternal Grace, Heaven on Earth, here and now. This realization, or discovery of one’s Universal Nature, is not presented here as something exclusive to Jesus. It is the possibility of Self-Realization, Awakening, or Enlightenment available to every human being.
Paul spoke of the “peace that transcends all understanding,” pointing beyond conceptual thought toward a deeper inner reality. St. Francis of Assisi similarly spoke of overcoming the self as one of the greatest graces available through Christ. In this light, Christian Mysticism is not merely about believing in Jesus, but awakening to the same inward truth, union, and God-consciousness to which the life and teachings of Jesus point.
Knowing God Beyond Belief
It is important to discern the limitations of language and communication when speaking about “Knowing God Beyond Belief,” as Jesus and Christian Mystics are understood to have realized. Language and communication arise through mind, concepts, symbols, and belief; they can point toward truth, but they cannot fully contain or reproduce direct experience.
Let us consider a simple question: Is it possible to exist in human form without believing anything whatsoever? That question immediately challenges our usual ways of understanding reality, because most of us have been conditioned to assume that thought, belief, and mental interpretation are necessary for living. It may even trigger resistance because it asks us to look beyond the identity we have built through mind.
To the mystic — another name for one who has awakened beyond egoic identification — the answer would be yes. It is possible to live without relying upon belief as the foundation of one’s existence. Yet when most of us ask ourselves that same question, we may hesitate or quickly conclude that such a thing is impossible.
The Essential Point
The essential point to consider here is that biblical texts can offer guidance and direction toward truth, but the words themselves are not the living truth they point toward. Truth itself exists prior to belief, interpretation, doctrine, and language. One of the great challenges with spiritual texts is that once their guidance becomes fixed into rigid belief systems, the mind can begin clinging to the concepts rather than discovering directly what Jesus and the Christian Mystics were pointing toward beyond belief. In that sense, the very teachings meant to guide us toward truth can become another veil when they are held only as ideas.
This may be one of the central sources of spiritual confusion, religious conflict, and division: we continue defending beliefs rather than discovering truth directly for ourselves. No belief system can ever become completely universal, because beliefs differ by nature. But direct knowing is something altogether different. If you are Christian, you need not reject scripture or faith; rather, continue asking inwardly for deeper clarity until you begin to see the distinction for yourself.
“What is more powerful: Believing or Knowing?”
When we contemplate this question with an open mind and heart, we may begin to see that true knowing exists beyond the divisive limits of belief and identification with belief. The challenge of releasing belief in order to know the one infinite source of Love — God — may help explain why religions continue to branch and divide: what comes into conflict are beliefs, and beliefs are endless. We must ask: if spiritual leaders were speaking from a realization of ONE truth, how could ONE ever become divided? Take a moment to honestly and lovingly contemplate that. ONE eternal truth cannot be split. What splits are beliefs, interpretations, and personal identities that are already rooted in separation.
Through ego-mind, religion in the form of belief has continued branching for centuries and millennia, often creating subtle divisions rather than revealing the unity of truth. This is why it can be so important to look toward ancient and modern Christian Mystics for guidance. They are the realized beings who, like Jesus, pointed beyond words, concepts, mental reasoning, and belief toward direct realization — what may be called God-Realization or, within the Christian mystical tradition, Christ Consciousness.
One last question: Do you want to believe in truth, or know truth? Spiritual texts, Bibles, and sacred literature can serve as tools and pointers for those ready to look beyond belief. In their purest function, true spiritual teachings do not simply reinforce a lifestyle or personal identity; they challenge and dissolve the psychological masks we place over Reality itself. Beyond those masks remains the one Reality to which the mystics continually point: God alone exists.
Dispelling Myths and Understanding Christ Consciousness
Hell Does Not Exist
Retired Bishop John Shelby Spong was a bold and deeply contemplative Christian thinker whom many regarded as a modern mystic. In these videos, he challenges inherited religious assumptions and invites a more expansive understanding of God, scripture, consciousness, and spiritual awakening. They are among the most intellectually provocative and spiritually illuminating conversations we have encountered.
Who is God? by Fr. Thomas Keating
What is your attitude towards God? This might be the great question for our time. It raises the issue of your relationship with God. Do you believe in God? How do you feel about God? Is there really a God apart from you?
Jesus Did Not Die for Your Sins
In this sermon, Bishop John Shelby Spong directly challenges the traditional Christian teaching that Jesus died for our sins, inviting us to look beyond inherited doctrine, political use of religion, and centuries of theological conditioning. His message points toward a deeper understanding of Jesus — not as a figure demanding belief, but as one whose life invites humanity toward truth, love, awakening, and a more conscious relationship with God.
Toward Understanding Christ Consciousness
Mooji, a contemporary spiritual teacher outside the Christian mystical tradition, speaks to the deeper truth within the teachings of Jesus and what some traditions describe as Christ Consciousness — the direct realization of our true nature beyond ego, separation, and conditioned identity. Similar understandings are expressed in other traditions as Buddha Nature, Self-Realization, or awakening to the deeper reality of being.
A Way to God for Today by Anthony De Mello
Anthony de Mello, a Jesuit priest and Christian mystic, offers practical insights and spiritual pointers toward waking up from conditioned beliefs and discovering a more direct relationship with God. His teachings invite us toward greater awareness, inner freedom, and what may be described as God-Realization or Christ Consciousness.
Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating
This is one of the fastest growing Christian based meditation or prayer methods to truly become one with the divine – as the divine God Consciousness. To learn centering prayer visit: Learn Centering Prayer Now
Where is God? by Richard Rohr
In keeping with his Franciscan tradition, Father Richard teaches that we can find God’s freely given image in all of creation, beginning with ourselves! The purpose of prayer and religious seeking is to see the truth about Reality, to see what is. And at the bottom of what is is always goodness.
Comparative Overview of Christian Mysticism
Bernard Mcginn speaking on "The Nothingness of God in Jewish and Christian Mysticism"
The following has been included as a thorough intellectual perspective to provide solid scope and validity as to the depth and profundity of Jewish and Christian Mystics; and the role they play with reference to awakening to Christ Consciousness, Enlightenment, Self Realization, etc.
Professor Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School, Chicago University, discusses the idea of the nothingness of God in both Jewish and Christian Mysticism. The lecture was a keynote given at the Mystical Theology Network Conference: ‘Mysticism in Comparative Perspectives’ Glasgow December 2016.
Waking up from the Delusions of Belief
Bishop Carlton Pearson Opens Up The Religious Message That Cost Him Everything - "Everyone is Already Saved"
This is one of the most remarkable awakenings in modern day Christian Religious Circles. Carlton Pearson was one of the most outspoken Evangelical Leaders working under the guidance of Oral Roberts and preaching this for decades, “If you do not accept Jesus as your savior, then you are going to hell.” That is, until he had a spiritual awakening that left him incapable of preaching untrustworthy biblical literature and religious dogma. It is a miraculous portrayal of the power to be free of belief systems causing undue conflict, division, stress, hatred, and self torment. You can watch this MSNBC exclusive interview “From Hello and Back.”
* Note: The individuals, organizations, and resources featured on this page are not affiliated with Peace President United. Inclusion is for educational and informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement of PPU.