Almost ten years ago, a book was published which perhaps did not get the
attention it deserves. It is titled Tantric Jesus: The Erotic Heart of Early
Christianity and was penned by James Reho, an Episcopal priest living in
Florida. In his preface to the book, Matthew Fox calls it an experiment in
Deep Ecumenism. This is a phrase that he coined to name a movement, the
movement that will unleash the wisdom of all world religions (see DM for
October 10, 2021).
Comparative religious studies, while bringing about a deeper respect for religious traditions other than one’s own, have remained quite dry and academic. Interfaith dialogue, intending to move beyond comparisons, has often remained quite polite and unwilling to break confines and mix identities. Important as both these efforts have been in the course of the 20th century, we now feel the urge for a step beyond.
Matthew praises James Reho because he has rendered himself vulnerable to the deep and nuanced wisdom of the East and because in returning to his own tradition, i.e. Christianity, he is able to see it with different eyes and is now demanding more in grappling with it. In other words, Reho is not stopping at the surface of things.
The most interesting point that Matthew makes in his preface is indeed that we wage battles between our faith traditions based on a superficial understanding of them. Rock on, Matthew! I could not agree more. Those religious people who are afraid of losing their identity might at times have good reasons — for example, when all religions are lumped together and with a vague moral sense — but most of the time are defending dogma simply because they have not penetrated the existential kernel of it.
On the contrary, because Reho cares deeply — I would say, immensely —about Jesus, and because he has immersed himself deeply in Tantrism, he commands our respect for the wisdom he has to share, which he calls Christian Tantra.
As with all Tantra, we are discussing a spiritual practice, or rather a practical science, as he calls it. This particular way, however, is Christian because Jesus becomes the great guru, rather than any contemporary human being.
In Christian Tantra, love becomes so much more than a notion, an ideology, or a superficial feeling. It is even more than an action, which empowers others — surely a good definition of Christian love in itself — because while it does that, it also enters into deep feeling, the kind of stable connection with the divine, which very likely was the substance of early Christian experience. Reho talks about the tantric nature of Christian spirituality, which is a very courageous way to name what he discovered, namely that “the Way” of early Christians was a school of love leading to divinization in this life. Not in the afterlife.
Christ then becomes not primarily an object for belief but a living presence, the uncreated light that fills and animates all creation. Christ is none other than our own deepest identity… When applied to ourselves, true Tantra teaches that it is not our ego or personality that becomes deified (thank God for that!), but rather the deeper who that we are, of whom we might not even have an inkling.
All of this might be familiar to the readers, but the book goes deeper in suggesting the practice of ancient Christian prayers reinterpreted through Tantra, as well as Tantric behaviors and rituals reinterpreted for Christian use. Among which shines, as one may expect, what Reho calls the sacrament of the bridal chamber. He does not shy away from anything, while he also approaches everything with the greatest respect.
Banner image: Detail of “Cósmico Cristo” by Ullrrich Javier Lemus. Used with permission.
Queries for Contemplation
What is your personal experience with Deep Ecumenism?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
