Not the Way It's Supposed to Be - the Journey of Resistance

This is the fifth piece in my series, “The Journey of Ecological Discipleship." You can find the first four pieces HERE. As I wrote in my last piece, the journey has eight stages, and this piece looks deeper into the Resistance stage.

Thanks for reading! - James

The Seeds of My Resistance

Growing up in the little town of Lancaster, nestled in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire, I spent my childhood immersed in Church and Nature. Both filled me with awe and wonder, and invited me into a world full of beauty, meaning, and mystery. Many of my most vivid memories involve multi-sensory experiences in religion or the landscapes of my youth. Walking through the bright red doors of St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Christmas Eve, exchanging the cold winter darkness for the warm sanctuary softly lit by a hundred candles. The smell of the earth after summer thunderstorms soaked the river valley. The extravagant strangeness of the Pentecostal youth services I attended. The blankets of windless snow softly covering the town. For me, the world was, and is, full of wonders.

My early experiences in religion and the wonders of northern New England also fueled my natural inquisitiveness. Why can't we see God? Where does the river go once it flows under the Main Street bridge and curves out of sight? Why are there so many churches in one little town? Where do moose sleep at night?

As I grew older, my curiosity led me to learn that the world is also full of ugliness, waste, and abuse. My eyes were opened to the damage being done by human hands to this beautiful planet, and the terrible impact this was having on vulnerable ecosystems, creatures, and fellow humans.

New questions emerged. Why didn't I hear much about the natural world in the churches that nurtured me? Why did the schools I attended channel me towards "academic/intellectual" topics that prioritized the mind and away from "practical/physical" ones that also trained one's hands and feet? Why didn't I discover the world of ecotheology and creation spirituality until after seminary? In light of the growing knowledge we have about our impact on the Earth, why do we seem hellbent on a path of destruction and desecration? What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus in a time such as this? How does the world need to change? How does the Church need to change? How do I need to change?

As these questions piled up, I found that I could no longer accept the status quo. I found myself resisting the dominant theologies, cultural values, politics, and everyday practices that have brought us to this point. I started wondering if there was another way. All of this unfolded over the course of several years; it was unsettling, invigorating, and absolutely essential for the journey that lay ahead of me. Since then, I have met and helped many people going through similar journeys of resistance. Here are a few things I have learned.

It Takes Time

Going through a time of resistance can also be called by other names: deconstruction, disentanglement, maturation, waking up. It is a period when people realize that some of the foundational pillars of their lives, the ones that have helped them make sense of the world and allowed them to establish their identity and secure their place, may not be as strong as they believed them to be.

For people formed by Western culture, a key foundational pillar is a dualistic worldview that separates reality into distinct categories that are valued differently. For example, dualism privileges spiritual realities over material ones, and the mind over the body. Someone who has grown up in a dualistic culture may not even notice how much this philosophical framework is woven into every aspect of life. If you ask most Protestant or Catholic Christians, for instance, to describe where faithful believers ultimately end up, they will most likely describe a distant, bodiless heaven quite separate and distinct from earthly existence. But as one biblical scholar points, out, "It is absurd to think that Jesus died and rose again to save our souls – not our bodies and the whole creation. Why should Jesus rise physically to save us only spiritually? Do we really believe in resurrection – resurrection in space, time, and history? If so, how can we not believe in creation healed in space, time, and history?" (for more on this, see my piece, "A Different Destination").

When people begin to see the world through a more ecological lens - everything in creation is interconnected and interdependent - the dualistic framework begins to crack. They begin to see that, in the words of farmer, writer, and cultural critic Wendell Berry, dualistic culture has created “a cleavage, a radical discontinuity, between Creator and creature, spirit and matter, religion and nature, religion and economy, worship and work, and so on.” Once someone begins to see examples of dualistic thinking and living, it can be hard not to see it everywhere.

This process of noticing, questioning, resisting, and deconstructing a dualistic worldview takes time. When people find themselves in this stage, I encourage them not to race ahead to answers or alternatives. It is good to sit with the questions and live in the tension for a while. This can feel uncomfortable, so I also encourage people to periodically set the questions aside, make time for rest, and celebrate what is happening (even the hard stuff). I also remind people that they are not alone, and that there are many guides ready to help others navigate their way through.

Resistance Guides

There are many types of guides who are helping Christians see the world, and their faith, with fresh eyes. There are scientists like Dr. Katherine Hayhoe who, like the biblical prophets, have been warning us for years that unless we change our ways, we will cause irreparable harm to God's world. There are theologians like Dr. Norman Wirzba who are showing us that the vision of Scripture is of a unified, flourishing creation fully redeemed by God. There are cultural critics, like Wendell Berry, who expose the roots of our current crisis in ways that help us understand why things are the way they are.

There are also many people who may not have a public voice but have gone through their own journey of resistance and change. Most of these travelers are eager for conversation and open to giving a little guidance. They may be pastors leading local congregations, laypeople who think and act a little bit differently, or "misfits" who live on the edges of institutional life and practice. When people start waking up to reality, asking critical questions, and finding themselves resisting aspects of the status quo, chances are they will be able to find others near them who know a little about the path before them.

 
With you on The Way,
James

SPECIAL INVITATION: If you are on the "Journey" and trying to figure out how to bring others along with you in your church, ministry, or community, consider an upcoming learning retreat Circlewood is hosting on Camano Island. We will explore the stages in more depth, with special focus on your personal discipleship and leadership context. If you want to learn more, click on the image below.