You can download a PDF of this week’s reflection here.

This week’s reflection comes from Steve Crain. Steve is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at McPherson College, where, until recently, he also served as campus pastor. He and his wife Lori are blessed to be members of the McPherson Church of the Brethren in McPherson, Kansas, and remain deeply connected to their home church, Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

The first four chapters of Johnson’s book invite us to consider “Darwin’s entangled bank,” to “listen” to the voices of nature with our ears “tuned” by The Origin of Species. In Chapter 5, we now listen to the voice of the Holy Mystery that indwells and animates nature, using the Nicene creed to in­form that attentiveness. One way to read Ask the Beasts is as an intellectual dialogue, a back­and­forth between Darwin and the Nicene creed. The book succeeds wonderfully in this way because the philosophical and theological reflections are clear, engaging, and deeply thought­provoking. But I think the book succeeds at a deeper level, namely, as a guide for contemplation. For Johnson encourages us not simply to listen with our mind, but with the very core of our being: in short, to be attentive to The Presence with the ears of our heart. Yes, through theological and philosophical concepts Johnson appeals to our mind. Then, through poetic imagery ­ in the Bible and in the Christian tradition ­ she appeals to our imagination, putting wings, one might say, on these concepts. But in constantly reminding us that God is ineffable Mystery ­ beyond concept and beyond image ­ Johnson entices us into a contemplative encounter that is ultimately mystical, and therefore, transformative in the deepest possible sense. Which is to say that Ask the Beasts invites us to fall in love all over again: with nature, and with the Triune God we encounter there in nature’s innermost recesses.

I say “Triune God” because the heart and soul of this chapter is entitled “Life and Love: A Trinitarian Framework.” Johnson speaks passionately and eloquently out of her Catholic heritage as she invites us into the Trinitarian structure of the Nicene creed in order to find there not only the God who is the Origin of all, Incarnate Redeemer of all, and Holy Spirit giving life and new life to all, but also to find there a richly­layered understand of creation. Of the three notions of creation expressed therein ­ creation as fundamental origin, continuous sustaining in being, and ultimate, final renewal of all things ­ Johnson has us focus on the second notion, on the idea of “continuous creation.” Here, God is understood to give being to everything that exists moment by moment, and to do so, not from a distance “on high,” but through the Presence of the Holy Spirit ­ the “Personal” indwelling of the very Mystery that is God ­ at the innermost being of each created thing. The discussion is filled with wonderful explanations of classical theological concepts from the Christian tradition ­ from Irenaeus, Tertullian, Augustine, and Aquinas, to name a few ­ as well as beautiful meditations on vivid Biblical imagery that sets these concepts in motion for us: blowing wind, flowing water, blazing fire, soaring dove, and Holy Wisdom­Sophia. She thus invites us to push through philosophical and theological “obstacles” that have tended to blind us to the indwelling of God in nature, such as Greek “hierarchical dualism,” Cartesian dualism, and the distinction between “nature” and “Supernature.” But, again, I think Johnson gives us more than an “initial vocabulary with which to explore the hidden depths of the living God in the evolving world” (p. 134). Rather, she entices us into a contemplative encounter with the Divine Presence, and thus into a transformative experience of communion brimming over with joy and love.

Two thousand years of key philosophical and theological developments have seduced us into believing we find God ultimately only by looking past created beings, or perhaps at best by looking through them. But Johnson returns to the Bible and to classical theological concepts in order to convince us that indeed we can find God ­ the Triune God of love revealed through Christ and in the Spirit ­ by looking directly at the natural world: at and into created beings each in their own irreducible uniqueness. Dogs, cats, trees, birds, flowers, mushrooms, dragonflies: each uniquely embodies the goodness of the Creator. By indwelling every animal, every tree, every rock, God continuously gives to each created thing a goodness ­ a value, a worth ­ that is intrinsic to each because it flows from the deep intimacy of the divine relationship that continuously gives being to each. We can directly experience this intrinsic value in nature, this sacred goodness, every time we leave our doors, both through an intense “communion with nature,” and in “the anguish that arises in reaction to the destruction of natural places” (p. 152). Johnson continues: “Both spiritual and moral responses flow from the understanding of the living world in its givenness, resplendence, fragility, and threatened state as the dwelling place of God.” I would argue that the “understanding” she underscores here ­ the intellectual grasp of theological truth ­ can only sustain the “moral response,” and especially the “anguish” over nature’s devastation, by means of the “spiritual response,” in other words, by means of that mystical, contemplative, “communion” with nature which, in my experience, is akin to the communion experienced in the Brethren Love Feast, and which is at the heart of the Catholic experience of sacrament, especially the Mass.

Johnson writes so beautifully, eloquently, and powerfully that she entices me to put her book down, leave my study, and gaze into the divinely­indwelt depths of the tree in my backyard, there to commune with the Holy Mystery that overflows all things, the God Who is Love. That is a successful piece of theological reflection!

Questions and Exercises for Further Reflection

1) In what ways has Johnson’s reflection on God as Triune opened up new vistas for you on the meaning and importance of this classical Christian doctrine?

2) What theological or philosophical concept from this chapter ­ for example, perhaps the concept of “participation” or “panentheism” ­ most entices your heart as well as your mind? Why?

3) Take one of the Biblical images that Johnson explores for God’s indwelling, life­giving Spirit ­ wind or fire, for example ­ and find it outside your door, out in nature’s “entangled bank.” Quietly immerse yourself in it by reaching out to it with your heart, and so becoming present to The Presence. Journal about your experience.

You can download a PDF of this weeks discussion guide here.

This week’s reflection comes to us from Marie Benner-Rhoades.
Marie is the Youth and Young Adult Peace Formation Director with On Earth Peace and together with her husband they are
adventuring with agriculture at One Plow Farm. Marie is also the amazing mama to her six-month old daughter.

Thoughts on reading chapter 3 during this week in my life, as a new farmer and new parent:

Monday:
I started reading this chapter after a good, long day of farming – really more like triaging a garden that has seen more wet, cold weather this spring than any other I can remember.  All of our “hot crops” are slow in growing, mostly due, we hope, to the low evening temperatures.  When picking tomatoes to plant this year, we chose our favorites to eat: Yellow Brandywine – for the sweet taste that goes perfect on a summer pizza, Striped Cavern – for stuffing, Jet Star – for canning, Green Zebra – for its low acid, Sungold Cherry tomatoes – for a pop in your mouth snack, and one that we’re calling “Mom’s Paste” because the seeds have been saved by my husband’s mother from one season to the next long enough that we don’t remember the originating variety. – for making sauce, just to name a few.  We could have selected them for their resistance to diseases and their ability to withstand extremes in temperatures. New varieties of tomatoes in the seed catalogs included a blight resistant variety and large Sungolds that don’t split (a common problem if you don’t harvest each day).  So I had to smile when I read that Darwin knew that trait selection was possible by watching farmers choose their seed.  I guess we’ll see how we did with our choices later this summer!

Wednesday:
Natural selection is something I think of every time I pull weeds, how did these things become so resilient!  As the crops struggle to take root and grow, the weeds are taking full advantage of the soil additions (nitrogen) and water that we’re giving the young plants.  My arch nemesis of the summer – bindweed!  This hardy vine entangles everything making it difficult to pull without harming the crops.  Its roots spread throughout the soil.  And to make things worse, it’s somehow become a favorite flower of my mother!  Bindweed is a variety of morning glory – how did this sneaky weed make its way into seed packaging!  A quick Internet search tells me there are about 250 species in the genus Convolvulus which is in the bindweed/morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, which includes over 60 genera and 1650 species!  And I’m sure each new generation is getting more resilient and, if my experience is true, harder to pull.

Friday:
In addition to reading Ask the Beasts, this week we’ve been reading Horton Hatches An Egg to our 6 month old daughter.  There is nothing like a new baby to make you wonder in awe at the traits passed on from one generation to another, we see my mother and my husband’s brother in her expressions. Last year at this time, we were looking at ultrasound pictures of a little creature growing inside of me. We were pretty sure we’d have a human baby, but looking at those early pictures one could have questioned that, perhaps we were having an elephant-bird!

Sunday:
So what does all this have to do with theology and faith? With all the explanations before me from Darwin and since, I can’t help but work in a field or look at my daughter without pausing to give thanks to God for the beauty and complexity around me (even that darned bindweed with its dark green leaves and trumpeting flowers).  That we are invited to be a part of caring for this creation, in both tending growth and producing adaptations that sustain life, is a gift from the Divine Creator.

Questions for Discussion:
What “endless forms most beautiful” cause you to turn your attention from ordinary tasks of the week to the creative power of God?  If we all have a common history and are related, what does stewardship of the Earth and care for creation look like?  Darwin is quoted, “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one…” (99/490), according to your understanding, does this limit or expand the ability God has to influence creation?

Will you be at Annual Conference in Columbus Ohio this week? Meet us at the Open Table booth for an in-person book chat about chapter 3, Friday afternoon at 1:30 in the exhibit hall. Hope to see you there! You can also enter for a chance to win a copy of the book!

You can download a PDF of this weeks discussion guide here.

I am excited to introduce the writer of this week’s reflection, my mom, Dianna Ullery. She has a background in environmental education and as I started reading Ask the Beasts I knew it spoke her language and I was eager to have her share her voice and perspective.

The term “naturalist” describes Charles Darwin in the most complete sense. Certainly he was a scientist as well, but first and foremost he was a naturalist. The term doesn’t mean much today, though. A naturalist might be someone who really likes nature, possibly someone who actually has a job liking nature. In Darwin’s day a person could be a naturalist and people understood it meant someone who observed, noted and tried to make connections between those observations and the divine presence in the world. A naturalist was someone who could experience the divine through an overwhelming curiosity about and intimacy with nature.

I don’t know what term we use today to describe the observer, note-taker, connection-maker type of person. I worked for many years as a “naturalist” in Ohio, but when I moved to Washington State I quickly learned that the term was not descriptive of my previous work. I was informed that here, “everyone is a naturalist.” I believe that was intended to mean that people out here are outdoorsy and interested in nature. That part is true, but I haven’t met that many observer, note-taker, connection-maker types.

The role of Darwin as naturalist that most people seem to miss is how hard he worked to make the connections between his observations and the divine creative process. His observations did not cause him to doubt God’s existence.  He may have developed doubts about the theology of the day, but he recognized the experience of knowing God’s presence in the natural world. The either/or, neither/nor simplistic interpretation of Darwin’s life work only reveals the lack of understanding, imagination, and faith in those who eagerly oversimplify and villainize his ideas.

Darwin experienced the sense of wonder that Rachel Carson so beautifully described as she related the exquisite pleasures of sound, sight, and smell in opening the world to our curiosity. She wrote,”

A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last thoughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the alienation from the source of our strength.” – The Sense of Wonder

If we, as people of God, were able to maintain our own “sense of wonder”, our own ability to think and feel like a naturalist, how would it change our faith? Might we be able to embrace an understanding of creation as a process rather than an event? Could we use our inner naturalist to connect and reconnect with the source of our strength?

If you’d like to know more about Darwin check out the Smithsonian’s excellent articles commemorating his 200^th birthday. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-darwin-didnt-know-45637001/