What does a Hindu spiritual leader have to teach American Christians today? Perhaps the best of their own faith.

My latest essay, “A Wonderful Prosperity with the Ideal of Christ”, from the Fall 2024 issue of Religion & Liberty is now available online at the Acton Institute’s website.

The essay is an exploration of the life and spiritual legacy of Swami Vivekananda, particularly what he brought to and learned from America. Vivekananda’s emphasis on the harmony of religions, the importance of experiencing God, and the necessity of religion to any cultural renewal are examined:

When Vivekananda left India for America, he was an obscure wandering monk. On his return in 1897, he was the world’s most famous and celebrated Hindu teacher. But what sort of teacher would he be, and how would his vision for national and social renewal be accomplished? 

Shortly after his return, a Hindu pandit (wise man) attempted to draw him into sectarian religious controversies, and Vivekananda answered, “This incarnation of mine is to help put an end to useless and mischievous quarrels, which only distract the mind and make men weary of life, and even turn them into sceptics and atheists.” His program for national renewal would reject sectarianism, bigotry, and fanaticism while recognizing that the only path to a flourishing commercial, civic, and social life was through religious renewal. “If you succeed in the attempt to throw off your religion and take up either politics or society,” said Vivekananda in a lecture entitled “My Plan of Campaign,” “the result will be that you will become extinct. Social reform and politics have to be preached through the vitality of your religion.”

The full essay is available here. Enjoy!