Richard Rohr - Biography

Biography

Scripture as liberation, the integration of action and contemplation, incarnational mysticism, community building, peace and social justice issues, male spirituality, the Enneagram of Personality and eco-spirituality are amongst the many subjects addressed in Rohr's writings and teaching. Rohr founded the international movement known as Men As Learners & Elders (M.A.L.Es), which focuses on ritual and rites of passage to encourage men to greater spiritual consciousness. In 2013, Illuman, Inc. took on the mission of continuing and expanding the M.A.L.Es programs. Rohr is a contributing editor and writer for Sojourners magazine and a contributor to Tikkun magazine and the Huffington Post. He has been a featured essayist on NPR's "This I Believe" and a guest of Dr. Mehmet Oz on the "Oprah and Friends" radio show. Rohr was one of several spiritual leaders featured in the 2006 documentary film ONE: The Movie and was included in Watkins' Spiritual 100 List for 2013. Rohr has partnered with such esteemed spiritual leaders as Cynthia Bourgeault, Joan Chittister, Shane Claiborne, James Finley, Laurence Freeman, Thomas Keating, Ronald Rolheiser, Jim Wallis, and the Dalai Lama.

Rohr is in good standing with his archdiocese in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and also with Rome. Rohr often refers to his position on the "edge of the inside" as a prophetic place from which to challenge and encourage the Church. In a critique of Rohr, Fr. Bryce Sibley writes that Rohr asserts that God is neither male nor female, supports the mission of homosexual advocacy groups, asserts that the Crucifixion of Jesus was not necessary for the redemption of mankind, and criticizes Catholic rituals for lack of efficacy. Rohr's book, Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self, fully develops Rohr's ideas on Jesus' death and resurrection, stating the purpose was not to convince God to be reconciled to humans, but to convince humanity of God's grace and love. Immortal Diamond explores the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as a metaphor and pattern for all humans during their lifetime on Earth.

Rohr has been notable for his support of homosexual causes, attracting criticism from some Catholics. In 1996, Rohr presided over a wedding ceremony for a lesbian couple during one of his retreats.

In 1997, Rohr spoke at a symposium of New Ways Ministry, a ministry to homosexual persons which was condemned by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for not teaching in accord with the Catholic Church's moral teachings regarding homosexuality.

In 2000, Rohr publically endorsed Soulforce, an initiative to use "relentless nonviolent resistance" to encourage Christian groups to accept homosexual people.

In a 2003 letter to his diocese, the Archbishop of Santa Fe, Michael Sheehan, wrote that Rohr had agreed in discussions to conform to official Catholic teachings in his presentations.

Rohr's "wisdom lineage," those thinkers and movements that have influenced his own work, include: Bible of Nature and Creation; Hebrew Scriptures interpreted by the Prophets; Gospels, Incarnation, and Jesus; Paul as first Christian Mystic; Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers; Patristic Period, particularly in the East; orthopraxy in much of Buddhism and Hinduism; non-dual thinkers of all religions; early Franciscan theology of Bonaventure and Duns Scotus; unique witness of mythology, poetry and art; non-violent recovery of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.; much of Carl Jung's teaching; Spiral Dynamics and Integral Theory; 12-Step spirituality/American pragmatism; scientific evidence from the universe.

Rohr emphasizes the “alternative orthodoxy,” a phrase the Franciscan tradition has applied to itself, referring to a focus on “orthopraxy”—a belief that lifestyle and practice are much more important than mere verbal orthodoxy. The Perennial Tradition or Perennial Philosophy forms the basis of much of Rohr’s teaching; the essential message of his work focuses on the union of Divine Reality with all things and the human potential and longing for this union. Rohr and other 21st century spiritual leaders explore the Perennial Tradition in the Rohr Institute’s issue of the publication Oneing, titled by the same name (2013).

The curriculum of Rohr’s Living School for Action and Contemplation is founded on seven themes developed by Rohr.