I had a fantastic time attending the second-ever Wild Goose Festival in rural North Carolina this weekend. It was hotter than Hades as we camped, listened to speakers and sat around talking theology, but it was worth it. Here are ten things I learned from Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle, Over the Rhine and a particularly revelatory S’more.
1. Brian McLaren is as strong a worship leader as he is a writer and speaker. (Brian can sing! He plays the guitar! Did we know this?) He also rocked the house with his moving session on interfaith relations, which is the topic of his book coming out in September from the new Emergent imprint Jericho Books. I picked up a galley & will be blogging about it in a couple months.
2. No deep-fried funnel cakes for Goosey folks. Most of the food vendors had a granola-y flair – curry and samosas at one stand, vegan muffins at another.
3. Some folks from Obama’s campaign came in order to see for themselves that there are religious folks who care about progress and justice. Judging from the numerous Probama bumper stickers in the parking lot, the campaign reps found their peeps.
4. Emergent is still one of the least racially diverse movements I’ve ever seen. One participant jokingly summed this up as “Emergent: Saving the Church for the White People.” That’s gallows humor about something that needs to change.
5. If there is a person alive who does not adore Phyllis Tickle, I have not met him or her. When Phyllis got off the stage, I was waiting to catch up with her, but had to fight my way (in a loving Christian manner of course) through her other fans. She is so lovely, inside and out. And I will cherish the memory of Kathy Helmers shouting, “PREACH IT TICKLE!!” from the back of the tent after Phyllis had given a masterful talk that ranged from the emperor Diocletian to the birth control pill. (You had to be there.)
6. I had the best S’more of my life at Wild Goose. Our group had forgotten to put the Hershey bars into the cooler, so they melted. Some of us might have abandoned the dream of S’mores because of this. But no! One person (a youth group leader, natch) snipped off the corner of each Hershey bar and piped melted chocolate on top of our graham crackers and toasted marshmallows. It was a Eucharistic revelation.
7. Over the Rhine is going to record their song “Johnny and June” on their next album. In their word-and-music concert with Lauren Winner (photo at right), Lauren said that she always begs them to sing this gorgeous song about marriage whenever she sees them in concert, but that they’ve resisted recording it until now. They also hinted that the album after that will be hymns. Yes, please.
8. In the OTR Q&A, someone asked what everyone is reading right now. So here goes: Linford is reading a book called American Canopy, a history of the United States told through our trees. Karin is halfway through Crazy for God by Frank Schaeffer (whom I paid $10 to dunk in the dunking booth on Saturday). Lauren is reading a “middlebrow mystery novel” with a detective who used to be Amish, and also James Cone's new book The Cross and the Lynching Tree.
9. InterVarsity Press is offering a Wild Goose book special right now, severely discounting the Kindle editions of books from Mark Scandrette, Margot Starbuck, Julie Clawson and others for $2.99. Also, my own publisher, Paraclete Press, is offering “wild prices for Wild Goose” until June 28 for books by Pete Rollins, Lauren Winner, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Carl McColman (whose session on contemplative prayer was wonderful), Troy Bronsink, and me. So if you want copies of Flunking Sainthood or other books at 50% off—plus free shipping if you order three or more books—go to www.paracletepress.com/wildgoose and use promo code WILD2012.
10. Tripp Fuller’s Homebrewed Christianity podcast is a hoot. I already knew this in theory from just having met Tripp, who, in a case of full-blown nominative determinism, is a trip. But now I know it firsthand, having attended one of his live podcast recordings and watched him mix it up. He’s a great singer and the consummate theological entertainer. Who else blends the blues with Derrida? Who? I ask you. (Tripp is pictured at left [red shirt] with Steve Knight of Knightopia [blue shirt].)
And the best part of the Festival was the deep impromptu conversations with total strangers who are now friends. Chuck and Donna, if you ever read this, thank you for great conversation and laughter even after I ruthlessly stole your table in the shade at the Coffee Barn.
Setting my calendar for Wild Goose 2013.
Steve Knight | Jun 26, 2012 | 11:41am
Great recap, Jana! And thanks for posting the pic of me and Tripp.
I just want to respond to #4 specifically: My initial reaction to reading this was: 1) of course this is true, but ... 2) I feel like it minimizes and dismisses the non-white/non-male people in the Emergent conversation who have made (and continue to make) amazing contributions! People like Melvin Bray, Randy Woodley, Julie Clawson, and Anthony Smith - just to name a few who play significant roles in Emergent as well as Wild Goose Festival.
Let’s all stay committed to anti-racism, reconciliation, and diversity, but let’s not (in the process) forget about all the amazing people who are here making their mark on the Emergent conversation already who don’t fit the white male stereotype!
Jana | Jun 26, 2012 | 1:10pm
Thanks, Steve. I definitely agree that we’re making progress, but we’ve got a long way to go.
Deborah Arca | Jun 26, 2012 | 1:56pm
Great list Jana! One more thing I learned: Jana Riess is a lovely & gracious host. Thanks for the invite to join your campsite for a delicious grilled salmon dinner on Friday night!
Frank Schaeffer | Jun 26, 2012 | 2:19pm
Thanks for the lovely article and thanks to Karin for reading my book! Best, Frank
Eric Elnes | Jun 26, 2012 | 4:16pm
Nice post, Jana! Loved the fest myself and, like you, am already putting next year on the calendar. If they do two next year, I’m in for both.
Like you, I was in to list-making when I posted my reflection last night: http://www.onfaithonline.tv/darkwoodbrew/when-i-was-dead-reflections-on-the-wild-goose-festival-east/
Jeff Gentry | Jun 26, 2012 | 7:44pm
Not sure that Emergent and Wild Goose are synonymous, but both agree with your critique about diversity and are inviting a multiplicity of voices to the conversation. I was encouraged that our neighbors in family camp consisted of a Peruvian husband, a Chinese wife, and two delightful children who eagerly joined us for meals, beers, and prayer.
Eric Elnes | Jun 26, 2012 | 9:38pm
I echo Jeff’s skepticism about the festival being labeled Emergent, even as I appreceiate the point you were making. We have taken a few generous steps beyond emergence (my friend Phyllis Tickle would add her “amen” to this) and are now in a state of convergence, where the post-evangelical and post-liberal streams that emerged from either side of the theological swimming pool have converged in frothy engagement with one another. This is not a blending of conservatism with liberalism, but the product of both groups moving beyond their native traditions and starting to build a tabernacle together in the wilderness. Each stream has distinctive gifts to contribute that the other stream has been teaming for. Each steam retains something of its own distinctive identity, too, even as it shares and receives gifts from the other.
Would love to have you as a guest on Darkwood Brew sometime in the very near future!
Chuck Cammarata | Jul 2, 2012 | 1:02am
Jana - we have finally found some time to buy your book - “Flunking” and to find your blog. Good stuff - you can definitely write girl. I now have your blog in my favorites stack. I know it is a lot of pressure, but I am pretty sure you’re up to it.
For what it is worth, I agree with your take on the emergent movement. It is without a doubt a movement that is concerned about racism and diversity, it clearly seeks to be inclusive of all kinds of people, and there certainly are people of color in the movement (whether we call it emergent or convergent) but the plain truth is that it is hugely white and middle class. That does not discredit the movement it just means we need to continue to be intentional about building bridges. An example - I went to the interfaith dinner at Wild Goose and my table was five white protestants, one white catholic, and a Buddhist woman from Sri Lanka. This, by the way, is also true in our churches. American churches are still incredibly segregated, and not just along black and white lines, but also along liberal/conservative lines. The great emergence that Phyllis Tickle talks about and that Wild Goose celebrates still has a long way to go if it is going to begin changing the church in America. As a local church pastor who is trying to mid wife the birth of the convergence that Eric Elnes talks about I can tell you that iit is slow going.
Anyway - our little chat at the disputed table was one of the highlights for Donna and me. I hope we get to renew the conversation some where along the way - in person. Hopefully sooner than next years Wild Goose.
God Bless - Chuck Cammarata
Bryan Berghoef | Jul 11, 2012 | 2:31pm
Hi Jana-
Thanks for this writeup — I’m sorry we didn’t get to connect at the festival! My family and I enjoyed it immensely as well.
Also love the title of your book - will have to check it out!
Feel free to drop by my own recap of the Festival:
http://pubtheologian.com/2012/06/29/wild-goose-recap/
Bryan