Vision

A global movement of spiritually mature, personally transformed individuals embodying the revolutionary way of love, compassion, and truth in the modern world.

Who We Are

Gary Alan Taylor

Cofounder of The Sophia Society & Co-Host of Holy Heretics

Gary Alan graduated from Milligan University and earned a M.A. in European History from East Tennessee State University. An international speaker, content creator, and writer, Gary Alan has over 26 years experience working in nonprofit ministry and higher education. He is in recovery from fundamentalist Christianity and his passion is to see others free themselves from toxic expressions of faith. He and his wife Jennifer love traveling and have a special affinity for Dorset, England, the home of Gary Alan’s favorite author and poet Thomas Hardy. His dream is to help spiritual seekers move beyond some of the corrosive manifestations of evangelicalism and to embody the radical way of Jesus. He and his family live in Monument, Colorado with their dog, Gorgeous George and their fat cat Moses.

Father Brendan E. Williams, CMR

Monastic Scholar in Residence at The Sophia Society

Brendan Ellis Williams holds an undergraduate degree in literary theory and folklore, terminal degrees in poetry and theology, and is presently a candidate for the PhD in religion. He is a monk and a priest of the Episcopal Church, and serves as Prior of the Episcopal monastic community, The Communion of the Mystic Rose. A long-time student and practitioner of mystical theology, Eastern and Western esoteric traditions, and pre-Christian Celtic religious expressions, he has maintained since childhood a passionate commitment to the experiential pursuit of truth through diverse and intersecting religiosities. He is a certified clinical Western herbalist, and works in private practice as a traditional healer, spiritual director, teacher of religion, mysticism, and ancestral lifeways. He frequently writes and offers instruction on theology, animism, spiritual ecology, comparative religion, contemplative practices, mythology, and indigenous Gaelic beliefs, gives lectures, workshops, seminars, and pilgrimages in the United States and Ireland. He joins The Sophia Society as Monastic Scholar in Residence creating courses and content around the mystical traditions of Christianity as well as the hidden histories of the church. Fr. Brendan currently resides in Sonoma County, California. More of his work may be found here.

What We Like

Love.

Love is our doctrine, our theology, our driving force, and our guiding light.

Humble curiosity.

When we approach life and others with the understanding that there’s a lot we don’t know, we can be moved and changed in ways we didn’t know we needed.

Difficult questions.

They need to be asked. And wrestled with. And we may not find any answers. And that’s ok.

Growth.

If we look back at something we once believed or wrote or said or did and think, “Oh my word, what was I thinking?!” we know we’re doing something right.

Compassion.

It’s been said compassion is the fatal ability to feel what someone else is feeling, to live their reality, and walk a mile in their shoes.

Accountability.

Individuals, groups, organizations, companies, systems, governments—everyone is better when they’re held accountable for their actions.

Transformation.

You were born in the very image of God. But somewhere along the way, you lost that original goodness, or maybe you’ve just forgotten who you really are under all the layers of lies and trauma. Your quest is to set out on a new spiritual pilgrimage to uncover your true self hidden in God.

Theosis.

You came from God and will one day return to God. Why not start the long journey back now?

What We Won’t Tolerate

Comments, questions, doctrines, or behaviors that reinforce or cause any of the following will not be tolerated anywhere on our site:

Shame.

Even hearing that word can cause even the best of us to go to dark places and forget who we are.

Black-and-white thinking.

Despite humankind’s tendency to think dualistically, binaries only serve to create division, anger, hatred, and exclusion.

Dogmatic certitude.

If you know you know, if you believe you don’t need to learn or grow anymore because you’ve found 100% of the truth for all time, this isn’t the place for you.

Othering.

We all do it because it feels good to be “in.” But thinking in terms of us vs. them harms everyone.

Bullying, harassment, or personal attacks.

It’s okay to disagree! But let’s use rational arguments and not resort to attacking another human being or their character to try to discredit them.

Victim blaming and/or re-traumatizing.

We believe victims. We stand with them. We will fight for them. And we will work for holding abusers and abusive systems accountable, including by not allowing comments that attempt to justify or rationalize abuse.

Oppression, marginalization, injustice, hatred, racism, sexism, homophobia, or dehumanization.

These things harm everyone: the victims, the perpetrators, and even the observers. That’s not a world we want to live in.

Vision

A global movement of spiritually mature, personally transformed individuals embodying the revolutionary way of love, compassion, and truth in the modern world.

Who We Are

Gary Alan Taylor

Cofounder of The Sophia Society & Co-Host of Holy Heretics

Gary Alan graduated from Milligan University and earned a M.A. in European History from East Tennessee State University. An international speaker, content creator, and writer, Gary Alan has over 26 years experience working in nonprofit ministry and higher education. He is in recovery from fundamentalist Christianity and his passion is to see others free themselves from toxic expressions of faith. He and his wife Jennifer love traveling and have a special affinity for Dorset, England, the home of Gary Alan’s favorite author and poet Thomas Hardy. His dream is to help spiritual seekers move beyond some of the corrosive manifestations of evangelicalism and to embody the radical way of Jesus. He and his family live in Monument, Colorado with their dog, Gorgeous George and their fat cat Moses.

Father Brendan E. Williams, CMR

Monastic Scholar in Residence at The Sophia Society

Brendan Ellis Williams holds an undergraduate degree in literary theory and folklore, terminal degrees in poetry and theology, and is presently a candidate for the PhD in religion. He is a monk and a priest of the Episcopal Church, and serves as Prior of the Episcopal monastic community, The Communion of the Mystic Rose. A long-time student and practitioner of mystical theology, Eastern and Western esoteric traditions, and pre-Christian Celtic religious expressions, he has maintained since childhood a passionate commitment to the experiential pursuit of truth through diverse and intersecting religiosities. He is a certified clinical Western herbalist, and works in private practice as a traditional healer, spiritual director, teacher of religion, mysticism, and ancestral lifeways. He frequently writes and offers instruction on theology, animism, spiritual ecology, comparative religion, contemplative practices, mythology, and indigenous Gaelic beliefs, gives lectures, workshops, seminars, and pilgrimages in the United States and Ireland. He joins The Sophia Society as Monastic Scholar in Residence creating courses and content around the mystical traditions of Christianity as well as the hidden histories of the church. Fr. Brendan currently resides in Sonoma County, California. More of his work may be found here.

What We Like

Love.

Love is our doctrine, our theology, our driving force, and our guiding light.

Humble curiosity.

When we approach life and others with the understanding that there’s a lot we don’t know, we can be moved and changed in ways we didn’t know we needed.

Difficult questions.

They need to be asked. And wrestled with. And we may not find any answers. And that’s ok.

Growth.

If we look back at something we once believed or wrote or said or did and think, “Oh my word, what was I thinking?!” we know we’re doing something right.

Compassion.

It’s been said compassion is the fatal ability to feel what someone else is feeling, to live their reality, and walk a mile in their shoes.

Accountability.

Individuals, groups, organizations, companies, systems, governments—everyone is better when they’re held accountable for their actions.

Transformation.

You were born in the very image of God. But somewhere along the way, you lost that original goodness, or maybe you’ve just forgotten who you really are under all the layers of lies and trauma. Your quest is to set out on a new spiritual pilgrimage to uncover your true self hidden in God.

Theosis.

You came from God and will one day return to God. Why not start the long journey back now?

What We Won’t Tolerate

Comments, questions, doctrines, or behaviors that reinforce or cause any of the following will not be tolerated anywhere on our site:

Shame.

Even hearing that word can cause even the best of us to go to dark places and forget who we are.

Black-and-white thinking.

Despite humankind’s tendency to think dualistically, binaries only serve to create division, anger, hatred, and exclusion.

Dogmatic certitude.

If you know you know, if you believe you don’t need to learn or grow anymore because you’ve found 100% of the truth for all time, this isn’t the place for you.

Othering.

We all do it because it feels good to be “in.” But thinking in terms of us vs. them harms everyone.

Bullying, harassment, or personal attacks.

It’s okay to disagree! But let’s use rational arguments and not resort to attacking another human being or their character to try to discredit them.

Victim blaming and/or re-traumatizing.

We believe victims. We stand with them. We will fight for them. And we will work for holding abusers and abusive systems accountable, including by not allowing comments that attempt to justify or rationalize abuse.

Oppression, marginalization, injustice, hatred, racism, sexism, homophobia, or dehumanization.

These things harm everyone: the victims, the perpetrators, and even the observers. That’s not a world we want to live in.