This sermon is the ninth of nine in a series of sermons given in Marsh Chapel that are titled "The Inward Journey." In this sermon, it appears that Howard Thurman intended to speak of Albert Schweitzer's work in relation to mysticism and religious experience; however, what we find in this sermon is Thurman reflecting upon the call of the religious leader in a time of societal unrest. He notes that there are two major events happening at this time: smallpox infesting Pakistan, and the murder of numerous Muslim men and children. He uses Albert Schweitzer and Olive Schreiner to reveal the significance of the religious practitioner giving their own life on behalf of those whom are suffering in place of a sermon that was expected (by the original audience) to be about identity, mysticism, and religious experience.

Part of the Collection, NA

Tags: Africa, Albert Schweitzer, Anglican Church, avalanche, Bishop Colenso, bushbacks, Christianity, cognitive dissonance, contextuality, creativity, current events, ecology, experience, incarceration, Jesus, kenosis, life, meditation, monkeys, murder, Olive Schreiner, On the Edge of the Primeval Forrest, ox, Pakistan, reverence, smallpox, the great decision, tobacco, vitality, William Blake, Zulu

Described by Dustin Mailman

Recorded in Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, Massachussetts

Citation: Thurman, Howard, “Albert Schweitzer (9), 1962 Jan 14,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/1081.