Abstract:
In a secular society, obsessed with materialism and consumerism, the 13th-century mystical
teacher and poet, Jalaluddin Rumi (1207–1273), has found a surprisingly widespread
following. While his work is often misunderstood and diluted, this research proposed the
opposite: that Rumi may broaden his modern admirers’ worldview and bring about an
encounter with God. This study thus applied the insights of an 800-year-old mystic to the
questions of today. The research comprised of a qualitative literature research method that
first explored the life and writings of Rumi, and then investigated the issues and yearnings of
a secular society as proposed by philosopher Charles Taylor. The study showed that Rumi
may indeed open up the enclosed secular worldview by adding significance to our living,
God to our loving and hope to our dying.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article was a study in religion –
applying the work of a medieval Sufi mystic to the philosophical questions of today. It also
considered Anatolian history and Persian literature and offered philosophical options. It
further related to missiology, as well as systematic and practical theology
