Rev. Robert K.C. Forman, Ph.D., D.Hon., B.C.C.
Dr. Robert K.C. Forman has devoted his life to exploring the silent mystical reality that surrounds and interpenetrates us, and the religious rituals that have blossomed from it. A writer, popular public speaker, and spiritual counselor, he has shared his insights in Sweden, Iran, Finland, Israel, England and across the U.S. He spent two decades as a university professor of comparative religion, authored 12 books and over 40 academic articles, and played a key role in the influential Katz-Forman debates on mysticism—earning an honorary doctorate from Sweden’s Lund University.
​​
Beyond academia, Dr. Forman founded the ecumenical Forge Institute for Spirituality and Social Change, served as a board-certified hospital chaplain, and became an ordained interfaith minister and a certified meditation teacher. His work is deeply informed by 55 years of daily meditation and his experiences in churches where for nine years he was deeply moved by the weekly rituals, even though the language and doctrines of the religion have never spoken to his heart. Now, in Christianity Reimagined, he continues to explore the mystical and emotional effects of Christianity and the voices of other “mystics on the margins.” A husband of 49 years, father of two, and grandfather of six, he writes with wisdom, warmth, and a lifetime of spiritual depth.
A Bit More of the Story
Dr. Robert K.C. Forman is a scholar, writer, and spiritual explorer whose work has shaped the study of mysticism and spirituality for decades. Growing up in Baltimore, he earned his BA from the University of Chicago and a PhD from Columbia University's Department of Religion, and that honorary doctorate from Sweden’s Lund University. He became a tenured professor at the City University of New York and pioneered The Perennial Psychology, a groundbreaking approach to mystical experience and religious writings. His eleven previous books, including The Problem of Pure Consciousness and Mysticism, Mind, Consciousness, remain influential classics, earning him an honorary doctorate from Sweden’s Lund University.
​
After retiring, Dr. Forman founded the interfaith Forge Institute for Spirituality and Social Change, which united leaders across the full range of spiritual and religious traditions for mutual work and support. A lifelong practitioner and certified teacher of Transcendental Meditation, he chronicled his spiritual journey in Enlightenment Ain’t What It’s Cracked Up to Be. Recently, an unexpected shift led him to nine years of weekly church attendance, inspiring his latest book, Christianity Reimagined: A Mystical Approach for Doubters and the Dubious, which explores how liturgy and community can deeply move both believers as well as the confused, the doubting and even the skeptical.
​
Living in the Berkshires with his wife of 49 years, Dr. Forman enjoys playing guitar, birding, riding his "big honkin' motorcycle," and spending time with his children and six grandchildren. His writing is insightful, warm, and grounded in a lifetime of spiritual inquiry.
​
