Author Bio & Contact
My name is Karl Luther, and I currently have no reputable name or credentials as a religious expert. This would be a serious problem if the book was a rehash of current knowledge, but it is not.
As the history of science has demonstrated, paradigm shifts have almost invariably been sparked by people who were not previously considered to be experts in the field (for they were not ingrained in the orthodoxies of the old paradigm). Illuminating the Narrow Gate is about a paradigm shift of biblical proportions, and it will be standing on its own as self-evident for all but the most closed-minded of readers.
I have been forging through a crucible of spiritual growth for over 25 years after moving beyond my Christian upbringing in my mid-20s. I am textbook case (and oftentimes basket case) of a quote of God from the Conversations with God material: “God does not call the qualified. God qualifies the called.”1
The book emerged from my insatiable process of truth-seeking and commitment to my calling. I was first struck with the inspiration to start writing it in January of 2001. This occurred just a couple of weeks after my wife and I decided to divorce and I was laid off from a corporate job the very next day. The project was my soul’s mission and passion as a steady flow of insights kept arising and guiding its unfolding.
Why did it take so long? I substantiated those incredible insights with exhaustive research and meticulous writing and editing, a derivative sequel was branched off along the way, and my highest priority was producing a book of exceptional clarity and quality.
As for my educational background, I have a Master’s Degree in Counseling specializing in Transpersonal Psychology (John F. Kennedy University, 2005), which was a major career change after a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering (University of Arizona, 1988) and a Master’s in Business Administration (University of Texas at Austin, 1993).
While I prefer the holistic depth, creativity and emotional richness of so-called “right brain” thinking, I am still grounded in the logical flow of “left brain” thinking and its skeptical thirst for empirical facts and rational arguments. The book was written with an integration of both modes.
While working on the book and its sequel, I completed my counseling degree and have been serving the greater Phoenix area as a mobile crisis counselor. I live in Scottsdale, Arizona.