Earthkeepers: A Circlewood Podcast on Creation Care and Spirituality – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In recent past episodes you might recall hearing the term “edgewalkers”—and by that term, we mean those of us who have moved away from the center of conventional church and faith praxis, and moved toward the creative edges of the institutional church where new imaginings and alternate expressions of faith life are being explored. That includes, of course, new ways of thinking about and experiencing God in and through creation. In our interview with John Phillip Newell earlier this season, he described that mode as dwelling in the space between temple and the wilderness. In this episode, Forrest talks with a good friend and fellow edgewalker Victoria Loorz—cofounder of the Wild Church movement, and current director of the Center for Wild Spirituality, or Seminary of the Wild, as it is also known. In this, part one of their conversation, they explore the idea of what it means to practice prophetic critique of the mainstream church while still loving the church and seeking to be part of its reformation and renewal.


Guest: Victoria Loorz
Center for Wild Spirituality
Wild Church Network

Takeaways

• Victoria shares her personal journey of caregiving and its impact on her work.
• The shift in worldview is essential for creating a new narrative in spirituality.
• Community is vital for those feeling disconnected from traditional church settings.
• Edgewalkers play a crucial role in exploring new spiritual paths.
• Restoring sacred relationships with nature is fundamental to wild spirituality.
• Fear and resistance often hinder creativity in faith practices.
• The concept of othering is prevalent in both culture and spirituality.
• The church has a significant role in addressing the climate crisis.
• Love is the foundation of stewardship and ecological care.
• Practicing wild spirituality involves intentionality and openness to new experiences.

Keywords: wild spirituality, edgewalkers, sacred relationships, community, climate crisis, love, stewardship, othering, church, worldview shift, Newell, wild church, seminary of the wild

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Toward the end of the year Earthkeepers podcast always releases a special holiday episode that breaks from the usual interview mode. In this episode, we’re gifting a passage from our friend Christine Sine’s book called Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path Through Advent. Earthkeepers recommends this book because in it, Christine brings fresh, life-giving perspective on the conventional Western practices of advent. According to those Western practices, the advent season this year begins on Sunday, December 1—so why offer an advent reflection in November? In her book, Christine explains: “for Celtic and Orthodox Christians, advent begins the evening of November 15th – forty days before Christmas Day. Celtic Christians always prayed and fasted for 40 days in preparation for any major life event, whether it be the planting of a new monastic center, the beginning of a new adventure, as well as for preparation for Christmas and Easter.” Given the Celtic theme of the passage, it is read by Brother Seán Aherne, an Irish monk who is very familiar with the St. Kevin story that is featured in this episode.

Christine’s website, Godspacelight
Book: Celtic Advent: Following an Unfamiliar Path

Brother Seán Aherne ( born 1946 ) is a Celtic Christian monk living in a small monastery on outskirts of Dublin. He is Director &  founding member of the John Moriarty institute for Ecology & Spirituality in Dingle, County Kerry. Together with Míchael W.Higgins he edited : Introducing John Moriarty In His Own Words. He is a passionate supporter of John Moriarty’s vision for a Christian Monastic Hedge School for Adults called Slí na Fírinne. Over the years he animated & directed many retreats on Celtic Spirituality & the Native Irish Wisdom Tradition.

Keywords: Advent, Celtic Advent, creation care, Saint Kevin, spirituality, environmentalism, community, nature, God, reflection, Glendalough, John Scotus Eriugena, John Philip Newell, Christ of the Celts, Carmina Gadelica, Alexander Carmichael

Takeaways

 ·      Celtic Advent begins 40 days before Christmas for preparation.
·      Creation is an expression of God, not a void of nothingness.
·      Our view of creation reflects our attitude towards God.
·      Saint Kevin exemplifies a deep connection with nature.
·      The incarnation of Christ emphasizes God's care for creation.
·      Recognizing God's concern for all creation is vital.
·      Engaging with nature can enhance our spiritual lives.
·      Reflection on creation can deepen our understanding of God.
·      Welcoming creation into our lives can be an Advent practice.

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
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Forrest, the Earthkeepers podcast host, also works for the Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship on Whidbey Island, off the coast of Washington State. This episode focuses on one of PRI's partners, an organization called the Au Sable Institute, which serves undergraduate students whose vocational interests lie in some form of earthkeeping work. Have a listen to Au Sable’s Executive Director, Jon Terry, as well as two Au Sable alumni—Sarah and Carson--about the faith-shifting, mind-and-heart-expanding influence of this organization. These students offer honest reflections about why they've chosen an earth-keeping vocational path, and on how they maintain motivation in the face of climate change and ecological degradation.

Guest: Jon Terry 

• Au Sable Institute Executive Director 
• Staff Profile 
• Humans of Au Sable 
• LinkedIn 

Mentions: 

• Pacific Rim Institute 
• Au Sable Institute 

 Keywords: youth, nature, outdoors, education, field work, field experience, outdoor education, students, teachers, environment, animals, diversity, wildlife, sustainability, water, creation, science, creation care, God, sacred, kin, relationships, perspective, purpose, passion, jobs, vocation, despair, inspiration, church, community, utilitarian, intrinsic value, resources, hope, public information, ignorance, future, plan 

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In this episode we connect to three friends at East Africa Energy Solutions—friends who are creating ways to provide energy to rural Ugandans that is both cheap and sustainable. By helping people to create their own methane gas with low-tech waste processors called biodigesters, they are giving people a clean alternative to cooking with wood and charcoal—thus helping Ugandans to save money, live healthier, more productive lives, and in the process, slow the destruction of the country’s remaining forests. As part of a generation of young idealists, they are relentlessly hopeful and fiercely committed to the belief that they have the power to change lives and save ecologies.

Want to leave a question or comment for podcast? Use the voice message link at:
https://www.circlewood.online/earthkeepers
(Use this site to respond to the end of the year giving campaign as well.)

 Notes:
Guests: JeJe Nzirimu, Founder & President - East Africa Energy Solutions
Josh Burke – EAES Executive Director
Nikki Humphries – EAES Media & Operations Manager
East Africa Energy Solutions Facebook page
Multnomah Global Development & Justice program
Biodigesters explained
Environmental injustice 
The Sahel
W. Africa/Chad's civil war
Tillamook, Oregon’s biodigesters

 Actions:
Support East Africa Energy Solutions building campaign
Shop EAES' Christmas store

 Key Words: Uganda, Chad, Cameroon, Sahel, East Africa, West Africa, Multnomah Global Development and Justice, environmental injustice, El Salvador, biodigester, clean energy, holistic development, development and ecology, charcoal smoke and respiratory illness in Africa, sustainable energy in Africa, methane gas production, Path from Poverty, Northwest University International Community Development

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple

In this episode we’ll be talking to Dr. Debisi Araba, Managing Director of the African Green Revolution Forum. The AGRF is an organization that fosters community and collaboration among countries across all of Africa. Focusing on agriculture in particular, the African Green Revolution Forum works to accelerate the continent’s drive toward economic growth, human flourishing, and environmental health. Africa is rising, and it is the passion of people like Debisi that is driving the vision. He joins our conversation in this episode from Kenya.

Want to leave a question or comment for Forrest? Use the voice message link at:
https://www.circlewood.online/earthkeepers
(Use this site to respond to the end of the year giving campaign as well.)

Notes:

Guest: Dr. Debisi Araba, Managing Director for the African Green Revolution Forum 

AGRF's 2020 Virtual Summit
African proverb: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If  you want to go far, go with others."  article on origins of the proverb
2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit
Food Systems Summit Objectives - Action Tracks
Quaker quote: "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again. " most commonly attributed to Stephen Grellet
The 5 Love Languages - book by Gary Chapman
Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria - map
CGIAR (International Consortium on Agriculture Research)
CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture)
CCAFS (Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture & Food Security)
United Nations Sustainability Goals
AGRF's Agribusiness Deal Room
US pulls out of the Paris Agreement
The Great Green Wall Initiative - the UN's page
The spirit of Ubuntu 

Actions: Mindfulness—in what you eat, where it comes from, who produces it, what you purchase.  Be more curious about the agrifood sector. 

Key Words: Indigenous wisdom, ubuntu, social entrepreneurship, African economy, economic development, Desmond Tutu, Africa rising, global economy, environmental sustainability, African ecology, panAfrica unity

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
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In this episode we’ll be talking to Dr. Chris Elisara--visionary educator, social entrepreneur, and filmmaker. Having grown up in New Zealand, Chris’ international perspective makes him especially suited to his role as chair of the World Evangelical Alliance's Creation Care Task Force. He is also the founder of Creation Care Study Programs—an organization that provides opportunities for university students to devote an entire semester to learning about creation care in a community setting. He has devoted much of his life to equipping and empowering students because he is convinced that the future of the planet depends on the creative, problem-solving capacities of younger generations.

Want to leave a question or comment for Forrest? Use the voice message link at:
https://www.circlewood.online/earthkeepers

Notes:

Guest: Dr. Chris Elisara
Director of Creation CareTask Force for the World Evangelical Alliance
Founder Creation Care Study Program 

Tony Campolo
Biola University
Capetown Commitment
Book: Creation Care and the Gospel
Maori Environmental Values
Mission statement of Creation Care study program

 Key Words: New Zealand, World Evangelical Alliance Creation Care Task Force, environmental studies, environmental justice, semester abroad, green jobs, Belize

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
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In this episode we’ll be talking to Professor Eric Long, a biology professor who has learned to live in the space between science and theology. In our conversation about wildlife ecology and ecotheology, we consider the important truth that everyone can and should choose to be an ecologist—or a theologian for that matter. Eric reminds us that anyone can find ways to work for the good of the earth, no matter what their vocation is. You don’t need a degree in environmental science to understand ecology, or a theology degree to see the ways that God is revealed in nature. In this episode we want to encourage and equip people to think way out of the box when it comes to figuring out how their jobs, their hobbies, and even their community and family lives, can all be directed toward promoting the health of the planet. Earthkeepers believe in greening everything!

Tell us about what you are doing to care for the earth! Leave a voice message at:

https://www.circlewood.online/earthkeepers

Notes:

Guest: Dr. Eric Long, wildlife ecologist and professor at Seattle Pacific University

SPU's field station on Blakely Island (San Juan Islands)

ecotheology minor at SPU

ecology definition- study of the interactions in nature

emergent properties  definition- the whole is the greater than the parts, synergisms. 

citizen scientists - definition

St. Francis quote - Canticle of the Sun

Michael Soule - paper: What is Conservation Biology?  (synopsis)

Actions:

Get involved in citizen science:  Citizen Science Association

US gov. site for Citizen Science

list of citizen science projects on Wikipedia

Scientific American citizen projects

Keywords: Ecotheology, Seattle Pacific University, Dr. Eric Long, greening everything, environmental science, wildlife ecology, environmental studies, Blakely Island, white tail deer, international community development, JJ Johnson Leese, Michael D. Langford

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
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In this episode we’ll be talking to Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley—Keetoowah Cherokee teacher, theologian, activist, farmer, and the author of several books. In our conversation today, we focus on a Native theology of land and environment—a subject of particular interest to Earthkeepers, who have come to understand the Western world’s desperate need for new ways of being in and with creation.
Notes:

Free webinar: Signs of Hope for a Troubled Planet  Oct. 29 7-8 pm PST

Earthkeepers financial support option

Guest: Dr. Randy Woodley

Eloheh Indigenous Center for Justice

Eloheh Seeds

Dr. Woodley's book: Shalom and the Community of Creation

Dr. Woodley’s most recent book: Decolonizing Evangelicalism

Dr. Woodley's article - The Fullness Thereof

Earthkeepers' interview with Tri Robertson

Richard Twiss - author & teacher

Keywords: Indigenous theology, indigenized, indigenization, decolonizing, evangelicalism, empire, dualism, dualistic thinking, Native, Native American, Randy Woodley, Richard Twiss, Terry LeBlanc, Tri Robinson, colonization, Eloheh, George Fox University, creation care, kinship theology, ecotheology, intercultural studies, environmental justice, Native theology

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
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In this episode we talk to Bonnie Cretton—founder and director of Woodsong Forest School in southeast Tennessee. Bonnie is committed to raising up a generation of children who see themselves as integrally connected to all life on earth. She believes that when children are educated in ways that promote a sense of belonging to all nature, they will inevitably grow up to be earthkeepers.

Notes:
Bonnie Cretton, founder and director of Woodsong Forest School, Tennessee
Bonnie's bio
Ted talk by Dr. Peter Gray - The Decline of Play
Crisis in the Kindergarten - paper by The Alliance for Childhood
Frederick Froebel - founder of the Kindergarten model
Redbank Elementary in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Gilbert Elementary in Georgia.
Forest Teacher Institute - Chattanooga, Tennessee
The Nature Fix by Florence Williams
Dr. Richard Davidson - Center for Healthy Minds at University of Wisconsin-Madison
forest bathing
Dr. Jean Lomino - founder of Wauhatchie Forest School
Wauhatchie Forest School - Chattanooga, Tennesee

Keywords: forest school, early education, play-based learning, alternative education, nature-based education, forest kindergarten

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
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            In this episode we talk with Tri Robinson—rancher, environmentalist, retired evangelical pastor, and the author of several books. He is also the subject of a recently released film entitled Cowboy and Pastor: The Life and Times of Tri Robinson. In this strange era when so many religious folks deny climate change, and actively ignore issues of environmental injustice, Tri has dedicated much of his life to persuading conservative Christians that their faith actually requires them to care for the earth. At the same time, Tri stands with those who stand outside of conservative culture, and offers visions of a new kind of Christ-follower . . . and a new kind of church. Listen in as we explore his hopeful vision, and learn how this man moved past religious politics to become and advocate for God’s love toward all of creation.

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Tri’s Website:
http://trirobinson.com

 Purchase the DVD of Cowboy and Preacher:
https://ocean-avenue-entertainment.myshopify.com/collections/cowboy-and-preacher-documentary
(also available on Amazon.com)

 To stream the film Cowboy and Preacher:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/cowboyandpreacher
Please make use of a 20% discount on Vimeo using the code COWBOYANDPREACHER20. 

We highly recommend Tri’s latest book:
Re:Form: The Decline of American Evangelicalism and a Path for the New Generation to Re:Form Their Faith
https://www.amazon.com/Re-Decline-American-Evangelicalism Generation/dp/0999052713

Please help us to expand the reach and frequency of this podcast:
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E341399&id=8

Key Words: Climate change, religious right, Moral Majority, Sierra Club, millennials, evangelical, conservative, Roe v.Wade, Pacific Crest Trail, Jesus Movement, environmentalist, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Reformation, climate denier, sanctity of life

Find us on our website: Earthkeepers
Support the Earthkeepers podcast
Check out the Ecological Disciple