Merton & the Protestant Tradition ed. by William Oliver Paulsell (review)

Thomas Merton’s pioneering engagement with a wide spectrum of global religious thought has been the focus of a series of volumes published by Fons Vitae Press, the sixth and seventh of which have been recently issued. Merton & the Protestant Tradition, edited by William O. Paulsell, consists of two sections: the first “Protestantism in Merton’s Writings,” is an extensive overview of Merton’s acquaintance with Protestant thought and relationships with Protestant thinkers and practitioners written by Paulsell himself. That is followed by personal reflections by nine contemporary Protestant scholars on Merton’s ongoing significance for their own lives, beliefs, and actions.

Paulsell provides the most thorough summary currently available of Merton’s reflections on Protestant Christianity as found in various books, journal entries, and correspondence, revealing his evolution from a rather narrow Catholic exclusivism in the years following his conversion in 1938 and entrance into the monastery in 1941, to a growing appreciation of various aspects of classical and contemporary Protestantism and rich, mutually nourishing relationships with Protestant friends in his later years. The arrangement is somewhat awkward, as separate sections are devoted to books, journals, and letters, followed by sections on “Merton and the Theologians” and “Ecumenical Visits.” But since material from these last two sections is drawn mainly from works considered earlier, the result is that the initial treatment of these sources can seem rather thin. Also, there is, at times, a certain repetitiveness: for example, Merton’s Anglican friend Donald Allchin is mentioned, often with similar details, in considering two journals and the first volume of letters as part of the “Theologians” section and in connection with ecumenical visits. Likewise, the Shakers are included in discussing two books, three journal volumes, and four letter collections. This approach may also have led to overlooking certain sources and figures: for example, one of Merton’s closest Protestant friends, the maverick preacher Will Campbell, is never mentioned. Nor are there references to Merton’s reflections on Barth and Bonhoeffer in the post-humously published Opening the Bible. A straightforward chronological arrangement, drawing on all relevant sources from each successive period of Merton’s life, might have been more effective in highlighting the significance of the ecumenical dimension for Merton’s mature Christian commitment. Nevertheless, Paulsell is an informative and perceptive guide and he has compiled a wide-ranging survey that will serve as an essential starting point for future studies of this topic.

The second part of the volume includes personal reflections on Merton and his influence by nine representatives of Protestant Christianity: three Baptists, an Anglican (formerly a Baptist), a Disciple of Christ, a Quaker, a Mennonite, a Methodist, and one unspecified contributor. The reflections are uniformly inspiring, in a variety of ways. The editor’s daughter, Harvard Divinity School professor Stephanie Paulsell, provides a charming memoir of growing up in a Disciples household marked by the pervasive influence of Merton in particular and the Cistercians in general. Stephen Sprinkle of Brite Divinity School writes of Merton’s commitment to “mutuality and accountability” as the “core of true spirituality,” transcending distinctions between Catholic and Protestant. Libby Falk Jones, Berea College English professor, weaves together present and past journal (or journal-like) passages on Merton’s influence, dating from 1993 through 2016, concluding with his advice to aspiring writers to articulate “what is deepest in your own heart and what you know . . . is also deep in theirs.” Episcopal priest Brian Cole focuses on Merton’s integration of silence and conversation, solitude and community, that has “made me a better Protestant, a better pilgrim in seeking wholeness.” Bill Leonard of Wake Forest Divinity School structures his reflections around Merton’s phrase “the stamp of grace,” which he discerns in Merton’s “haunting ability to unite the spiritual and the worldly, the inner and outer life.” British Methodist Gary Hall draws on Merton...