William O. PAULSELL. Longing for God: An Introduction to Christian Mysticism. New York: Paulist, 2021. pp. 224. $21.95. ISBN 97815876891912. Reviewed by David VON SCHLICHTEN, Seton Hill University, Greensburg, PA 15601.

In my liberal arts theology courses, I often introduce students to the concept of mysticism, and they tend to struggle a bit to understand it. However, I persist in teaching about it because it is a fascinating concept that has been of great importance for religion, including Christianity, yet few students are aware of it.

An entertaining and helpful introduction is William O. Paulsell’s Longing for God: An Introduction to Christian Mysticism. In fourteen short, easily digestible chapters, Paulsell simultaneously leads the reader to a greater understanding of mysticism while also providing an overview of some of the most influential Christian theologians. The book is easy to read, light on theological jargon, and full of stories that help to illumine the theologians covered and their relationship to mysticism.
Paulsell begins his exploration of mysticism by asserting, “The very word mysticism conjures up images of fortune tellers, predictors of the future, and seances with the dead. This book is about none of these” (1). He goes on to contend that “a mystic is a person who has experienced the presence of God in a very direct way. The event is so real that there can be no doubt about what happened. However, mystics . . . have found it impossible to communicate the experience to the rest of us” (9). Drawing from Plotinus and Origen (particularly his writings on Song of Songs), as well as Bernard McGinn and William James, Paulsell elaborates on his definition of mysticism, such as by explaining that the mystical experience is not something a person generates but is something that is done to the person as an act of divine grace. He also recalls that mystics have generally thought of the mystical journey to God as occurring in three stages: the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive.

Chapters Two through Thirteen are each devoted to a particular figure or group and his, her, or their mystical experience: Augustine, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Henry Suso, John of Ruusbroec, The Quaker Tradition (Rufus Jones, Thomas Kelly, and Douglas Steere), Howard Thurman, Simone Weil, Dorothy Day, Dag Hammarskjöld, and Thomas Merton. These chapters are illuminating in that they draw from a wide range of people from different time periods, thus offering an introduction to Church history and Christian theology as well as to mysticism. Some of the figures were Catholic, some Protestant, and some drew liberally from multiple religious traditions. Figures such as Hildegard are widely regarded as mystics, while others, such as Dorothy Day, are less obvious choices, yet each person Paulsell covers contributes significantly to our understanding of mysticism.

Throughout the book, but especially in the last chapter, Paulsell draws from these mystics to guide us readers on how each of us can deepen our spirituality. While acknowledging that most of us do not have the option of withdrawing from society to engage in the kind of lifestyle that mystics often embraced, we can “all strive for purity” (186), including by taking time for “prayer, meditation, study, and silence” (188). Paulsell concludes by inviting us to “[l]ook for God in the ordinary, simple aspects of life, for God is at work there. You may well be taken by surprise” (189).

Paulsell’s Looking for God is ideal for undergraduates, church study groups, and personal devotions for those of us who wish to have an introduction to great people who can lead us closer to God.