Integral Profiles: Rollie Stanich

Rollie Stanich has been a vital part of the emerging Integral movement for years, having previously worked as the Chief Facilitator of Integral Spiritual Center, as a former managing editor of Integral Naked from 2004-2005, and as an ongoing contributor to Integral Life.

Rollie's spiritual path is one of contemplative Christianity—he is a practitioner of Centering Prayer and a longtime student of Fr. Thomas Keating and co-wrote and co-produced the 2008 Integral Life DVD The Future of Christianity.

Rollie is an extraordinary friend, teacher, and role model; an extraordinary example of clarity, compassion, and grace; and is dearly beloved by all who have been fortunate enough to feel the tender warmth of his heart.  Not to mention that he is clearly bringing sexy back to Christianity—and God knows that is a good thing!
 

Part 1: Who Do You Say That I Am?

In this remarkable and long-overdue interview, Rollie discusses the book he is currently writing, titled Who Do You Say That I Am?—a question Jesus asks Simon in biblical scripture.  When Simon responds "You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God," Jesus blesses him and changes his name to Peter—a symbol of the transformation of identity and spirit that can occur when we are able to meet Jesus exactly where we are.  Rollie talks about how this story has been taken for granted by the mythic church, accepting Simon/Peter's response as the single correct answer to the question—even if we don't really know what the words "Christ", ""Messiah," or "Son of God" actually mean. 

But when Rollie is asked "Who do you say that I am?" he doesn't hear it as a question with a single fixed answer, but as an invitation to reflect upon our own station in life, to see Christ wherever we happen to be, and to acknowledge the fact that our relationship with Christ can appear quite different at different points in our life's journey.  Rollie's practice of contemplation, prayer, and self-inquiry has helped him to see Christ everywhere he looks—a Christ in all four quadrants, a Christ for all states of consciousness, a Christ for all stages of development.  Christ is everywhere at once, loving us exactly where we are, while inviting us to step beyond ourselves.
 

Part 2: From Communion to Integral Christianity

Many are fortunate enough to be born into a religious tradition that provides a tremendous amount of meaning for us at an early age.  But at some point in our lives, we often begin to outgrow the religious teachings of our youth.  Where do we go when these once-sacred stories suddenly appear to be little more than a collection of superstitions and hollow myths?  How do we reconcile these myths with the developmental capacity for reason and critical thinking?  Is there a way to actually deepen our relationship with our inherited religion, rather than being forced to step outside our tradition to explore more exotic paths—or worse, to abandon spirituality altogether?

These questions have been at the core of Rollie's spiritual journey for decades now, guiding him toward more loving and more inclusive expressions of Christian scripture with each and every step.  For anyone who knows him, it is clear that Rollie is going well beyond semantic interpretations of ancient words on a page.  He is not just reinterpreting the Gospel for a new generation (an admirable and much-needed undertaking in itself)—he is actually enacting and embodying the Gospel in his day-to-day life, revealing the "uncreated light" of God's love for all to see.

Part 3: Tomorrow's Christianity

In the final piece of this Profile series, Rollie and David make the case for a historic revival of the Christian faith in the 21st century.  They talk about how our modern knowledge can actually enhance and expand this ancient religion, growing it from a "Church of the Chosen" to a genuine "Church of All Beings".  By recovering the contemplative practices buried in the esoteric core of the tradition, and connecting these practices with the altruism and philanthropy Christianity is so well known for, we can discover a new wellspring of healing and compassion within us.  And by opening ourselves to the hidden revelation of Christ's teachings, we bring our humanity into further alignment with our divinity—stepping ever-closer to what Fr. Thomas Keating describes as the ultimate point of the Christian path: to have the very same experience of ultimate reality as Jesus Christ himself.