The Modern Christian Mystic: Finding the Unitive Presence of God

In this new work, Albert LaChance presents a complete reframing of Christianity as an experiential rather than dogmatic approach to the presence of Christ. It emphasizes the idea of Christ as the source and sustainer of the cosmos, the Earth, the life community, and global culture. As such, it takes a “unitive” approach, with Christianity understood as being in mystical union with global culture, and with the ecological realities of the Earth. In the author’s view, Christianity thus joins hands with Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism in a unitive oneness with all that is.

Consisting of twenty-eight short chapters, The Modern Christian Mystic focuses on the presence of God permeating and organizing the beginning of existence, in the form of consciousness giving birth to energy, and then the material reality of the universe. The author argues that just as St. Augustine introduced the “pagan” Plato to Christianity, and a millennium later St. Thomas Aquinas revitalized his faith with the “pagan” philosophy of Aristotle, so in the modern age the “non-theism” of Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism holds the key to a revivified mystical practice. The Modern Christian Mystic posits a nurturing new world based on commonality rather than conflict in the world of spirit.

Albert J. LaChance, Ph.D., LADC, CAS, has written and spoken widely on the subjects of psychology, addiction, spirituality, and ecology. Since 1990, he has run Greenspirit: The Center for Counseling and Consciousness, in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he has counseled individuals, families, and groups, and has consulted organizations regarding interpersonal dynamics. Prior to this, he spent five years working with Thomas Berry at his Riverdale Center for Religious Research. Dr. LaChance is an American Academy certified Addiction Specialist in the areas of sex addiction and chemical dependency. He is a member of the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors, and a licensed addiction counselor in the state of New Hampshire.

A knowledgeable and skilled instructor, Dr. LaChance speaks nationally for Cross Country University, and has taught world religions from the high school to the university level. He has been widely interviewed on television and radio and in newspapers and magazines. Dr. LaChance has contributed to several books and recently authored The Architecture of the Soul: A Unitive Model of the Human Person and Cultural Addiction: The Greenspirit Guide to Recovery, which includes a foreword by Thomas Berry.

Dr. LaChance holds a bachelor’s degree in art history and literature from the University of New Hampshire, a master’s in psychology and spirituality from Holy Names College, and a doctorate in integral psychology from Union University. He is married and lives with his wife in New Boston, NH. They have two grown daughters.