Ecumenism, Spiritual Warriorhood, and Common Survival

Beginning with my DM entitled “Dorothy Stang & the Lion Power of a Spiritual Warrior” which occurred on January 14, 2025, we have been playing with the archetype of the “spiritual warrior.” 

Day by day it seems important to remind ourselves of this theme that is common to all spiritual traditions because we need to be strong and grounded deeply in this time of transformation.

As news pours out continually about the collapse of Mother Earth and her systems, and the collapse of human systems of governance such as democracy, we need inner strength to put conscience and the common good and the health of Mother Earth and future generations first.

As billionaires take more and more control of the media (consider how well that went with Rupert Murdoch), we who are not billionaires have to become stronger and more rooted in our commitment to the common good, community, truth and justice. 

To respond to all that is happening takes an inner strength that every prophet and every spiritual warrior cultivates.

We began the first day of taking up the theme of the spiritual warrior with advice from the Jewish mystical book, the Zohar that we learn to be “as strong as a lion.”

We also emphasized the importance of deep ecumenism or interfaith in this journey and we have been citing from Jewish, Muslim, Sufi, indigenous, Christian and now Buddhist teachings.  There is a consensus among all traditions that spiritual warriorhood is a valued dimension to being a full and spiritual human being.

In yesterday’s DM we praised the current Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C. who spoke truth to power in a gentle but direct way to the new president and vice-president of the United States. 

I should add that the new Roman Catholic bishop of Washington, DC, Cardinal McElroy also spoke out on the new administration’s intentions for mass deportations.  He said clearly and decisively, such a move is “contrary to Catholic doctrine.”  He, Bishop Budde, and many other religious leaders share common ground.

As Rachel Maddow commented this week, religion may prove to be a kind of sleeping giant as justice gets trampled on regularly and deliberately by those committed to implementing Project 2025.  And let us not forget that Project 2025 is a “Christian nationalist” agenda concocted by radical right wing Christian sects such as Opus Dei, Napa Institute, and fundamentalist sects with their very wealthy and well-endowed supporters.  The kind of people who are eager to deport Bishop Budde and her ilk.  

Meanwhile, Daniel Pinchbeck has written the following article around my book on Trump & MAGA as antichrist: Is Trump Literally the Antichrist?

To be continued.

See Matthew Fox, “18 Signs of the Times: The Antichrist in American Politics, 2024,” in Fox, Trump and The MAGA Movement as Anti—Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, pp. 57-80.

See Matthew Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul & Society.

See also, Matthew Fox, “Spiritual Warriorhood,” in Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Faith Traditions, pp. 413f and pp. 377-422.

And Fox, “Spiritual Warriors” in Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 77-104.

Banner image: Montage of three spiritual warriors: Bishop Budde, Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, and Rachel Maddow. Montage by the DM team. All images from Wikipedia.

Queries for Contemplation

Are you emboldened to hear the common ground between Bishops Budde and McElroy in Washington DC?  How do their joint witness encourage your own conscience and spiritual warriorhood for fighting the good fight?

Recommended Reading

Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election

Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
For immediate access to Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, order the e-book with 10 full-color prints from Amazon HERE. 
To get a print-on-demand paperback copy with black & white images, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE. 
To receive a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE.
Order the audiobook HERE for immediate download.

Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society

Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them. 
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science.  A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics

One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths

Matthew Fox calls on all the world traditions for their wisdom and their inspiration in a work that is far more than a list of theological position papers but a new way to pray—to meditate in a global spiritual context on the wisdom all our traditions share. Fox chooses 18 themes that are foundational to any spirituality and demonstrates how all the world spiritual traditions offer wisdom about each.“Reading One River, Many Wells is like entering the rich silence of a masterfully directed retreat. As you read this text, you reflect, you pray, you embrace Divinity. Truly no words can fully express my respect and awe for this magnificent contribution to contemporary spirituality.” –Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit

The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine

To awaken what Fox calls “the sacred masculine,” he unearths ten metaphors, or archetypes, ranging from the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of our fundamental relationship with nature,  to the Spiritual Warrior….These timeless archetypes can inspire men to pursue their higher calling to connect to their deepest selves and to reinvent the world.
“Every man on this planet should read this book — not to mention every woman who wants to understand the struggles, often unconscious, that shape the men they know.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God