Finding God in the Dark

Darkness is often treated as evil, a vast unknown and the Ultimate spiritual enemy. But as one of America’s leading theologians believes, it may save us all.

Most spiritual seekers spend their lives pursuing enlightenment. But this Eastertide, Barbara Brown Taylor, who ranks among America’s leading theologians is encouraging believers and nonbelievers not only to seek the light but to face the darkness too, something that 21st century Americans tend to resist. For the past four years, the popular 62-year-old preacher and New York Times best-selling author has explored wild caves, lived as if blind, stared into her darkest emotions and, over and over, simply walked out into the night. The reasons, she says, are that contemporary spirituality is too feel-good, that darkness holds more lessons than light and that contrary to what many of us have long believed, it is sometimes in the bleakest void that God is nearest.

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