Nuggets from Occult Invasion—Paganizing Christianity

Thomas Merton (1915-1968), a Trappist monk and Catholic mystic, was one of the most highly regarded (by both Catholics and Protestants) Catholic leaders of [the 20^th] century. According to Harvey D. Egan, a Jesuit scholar, Merton “blended in his writings the scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, the Desert Fathers, the great Christian mystics, the Russian Orthodox mystics, contemporary Catholic and Protestant theology, modern psychology…existentialism, Taoism and Buddhism…with an incredible sensitivity for…social justice, urban violence, poverty, ecumenism, and the East-West dialogue.” He was a “voice of authority in the American [Catholic] Church, and far beyond.”