You Tube Theology

Prof. Sarah Coakley (University of Cambridge) begins this interview with remarks about what the spiritual senses are and some of the most important figures in the Christian tradition who have discussed them. After these introductory comments, she offers reflections on the meaning of the spiritual senses for the Christian life by making connections with contemplative prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit, and spiritual direction. Coakley next explains why academic Christian theologians should take an interest in the spiritual senses tradition by noting its ability to address subtle issues concerning mind-body integration and feminist theological concerns. Coakley ends the interview by addressing the influence of the spiritual senses tradition on her current work, in particular she emphasizes the importance of seeing aright in order to address racial issues and blindness to "the other" in our culture today. For more on this topic, see Paul Gavrilyuk & Sarah Coakley, eds., The Spiritual Senses: Perceiving God in Western Christianity (Cambridge, 2012), at: https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Senses-Perceiving-Western-Christianity/dp/110768594X/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=