Giving Thanks

Took a bit of an accidental hiatus last week, but it was nice to have a break. I did all my school work for the week on Monday and Tuesday, and so I had Wednesday-Sunday to enjoy family and have an actual vacation!

I'll be getting back to regular programming this week.

And I'm looking forward to writing some about Advent, which starts on Sunday!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Curtis, Ebenezer, and I sure did!


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Christian Anarchism and Denominational Identity

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My friend and classmate, Kaitlyn, asked a great question on my last Christian anarchism post. She said, "I am curious if being a Christian Anarchist has led you to belong to a specific congregation or denomination?" 

 This is a great question, and there definitely are some Christian denominations that are more anarchist-friendly, and even make anarchist principles part of their doctrine.

 I grew up going to evangelical, nondenominational churches, and only in the last few years have I been involved with and attending Nazarene churches. Neither of these traditions are very sympathetic toward anarchism. You  might think a nondenominational, non-hierarchical church could be, but the conservative and sometimes fundamentalist theology in such churches is not generally conducive to an anarchist agenda. And as far as the Church of the Nazarene, theology and political sentiments can vary widely from congregation to congregation--so much so that I bet that two Nazarenes from different areas and churches could switch places on a Sunday morning and not realize that they were still in a Nazarene church (but this is probably a topic for another time).

 Now, as I mentioned, there are certain denominations in which an anarchist would feel quite at home--the Mennonite and Anabaptist churches come immediately to mind, as well as Society of Friends (or Quakers). I think the biggest draw is that these are peace churches--denominations committed to pacifism and related Christlike ethics. You could also find Catholic Worker communities, which aren't exactly a denomination, but  more a radical movement within Catholicism. I admire people from each of these traditions, and much of their beliefs resonate with me deeply.

 However, I'm of the opinion that your church is kind of like your family--you don't get to choose your family; you become part of it through the accident of your birth. And while there are certainly times when you  might consciously search out and "choose" a church, that has not been my experience.

 I don't feel that I chose the Church of the Nazarene. I was, in some ways, accidentally born here. Accidentally embraced by and wrapped up in these people whom I just happened to have class with, be taught by, and live down the street from. And although there are many parts of the Church of the Nazarene that I don't necessarily agree with (and sometimes downright refuse to live by), these people are my family, and I just don't feel like I am able to choose a different one. Even one that might better fit my theological and political beliefs.

So to answer your question, Kaitlyn, no. Not really. Perhaps if my anarchist beliefs had developed in a vacuum, free from pre-existing denominational affiliations, my answer would be different. But as it stands, I remain in the Nazarene denomination more in spite of my anarchism than because of it.

Theologian Thursday: Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)


Hildegard of Bingen is awesome, because not only was she a learned theologian and abbess, but she was also a musician and a scientist--a true polymath.

 She was her parents' tenth child, and experienced visions from a very young age. She entered the Benedictine monastery at eight years old and was enclosed in the convent with the anchoress Jutta, who taught her to read and write. She continued work at the convent, becoming a nun and then eventually the head of the community. Hildegard was well-respected by emperors, bishops and popes, and had extensive correspondence with all of them regarding matters of religion.

 She wrote 72 pieces of music, 70 poems, and 9 books, including ones on medicine and botany.

 Here's an example of one of her compositions, O Pastor Animarum
Even though Hildegard has been venerated for centuries, she just was beatified as a saint in May of this year, and Pope Benedict XVI declared her a Doctor of the Church (the 4th female one) just last month.

 What you should read:

Ratings:(To read more about my rating system, click HERE.)
Gender Equality: 
Hildegard was unfazed by the fact that she was a woman in the man's world of religion. She was unafraid of correcting and criticizing bishops and popes when they were screwing up. And she was unapologetic for doing what she thought was right, even if her male superiors warned against it (like when she granted Christian burial to a man who had been excommunicated). She also didn't let her femininity keep her from becoming educated and successful in many areas.
Environmental Sensibility: 
Hildegard had a huge respect for nature. Much of her writing is natural history and botanical guides, and she understood how important creation was in the spiritual life of people. She felt very strongly about caring for the earth, and even said, "The earth which sustains humanity must not be injured, it must not be destroyed."
Heretical Tendencies: 
As far as I can tell, nothing heretical ever came from Hildegard's pen or mouth. She was strongly orthodox and respected highly because of that.
General Badassery: 
I have a soft spot for polymaths--especially female ones! I can barely lay claim to expertise in one area, so the fact that someone can be so knowledgeable about so many things seems super badass to me.

And a quote:
"There is the Music of Heaven in all things and we have forgotten how to hear it until we sing."




Good News!


I found out yesterday that I'm going to be presenting a paper at the Wesleyan Theological Society meeting in March!

I'm excited and nervous, but mostly happy to be able to share my thoughts with a group of like-minded scholars. Library school has been a little soul-crushing this quarter; I just don't feel into it as much, and I'm honestly just trying to make it through (I can't believe I'm only halfway done). So this has been a little encouragement and reminder that there's other stuff out there that I'm free and capable to pursue. The stuff that really gets me excited, the stuff that I feel more intellectually called to.

Anyway, my paper is titled "Between Uzzah and the Hemorrhaging Woman: The Effect of the Incarnation on the Meaning of Holiness," and I actually wrote it nearly four years ago for a class in undergrad. The professor I wrote it for loved it, and encouraged me to work on getting it published, but it's taken this long to really get anything done with it. Kind of funny, but sometimes I need a lot of encouragement and prodding. Especially when it means putting myself out there for a professional conference!

Luckily the paper is already written, so I have four months to do whatever tweaking I need to in order to get it ready to present. Not too much pressure.

AND, another cool thing, Curtis is presenting too! It will be fun to have this experience together.

I'm excited!

P.S. UW Peeps--This means I'll be in Seattle! The conference is taking place at Seattle Pacific University, so we will have to get together!

More Christian Anarchism!

It's been a little quiet over here this week. Sorry about that. I've just been feeling lazy and unmotivated, while at the same time being rather busy--a pretty terrible combo when you have papers and projects due, and, you know, work and stuff.

BUT!

I've loved all the feedback from my Christian Anarchism post. There seems to be a lot of interest in it and what it's about, so I'd really like to talk some more about it.

And I really want to know what you're interested in hearing about.

What questions do you have about christian anarchism? What challenges would you like to see addressed? There are certainly a lot. Would you like to see some book reviews? Recommendations?  Do you want more personal stories about what it means for me to be a Christian anarchist? Or do you want to share your story?

Let me know in the comments!