Thanks, Kirsten! Brad is a very fast writer currently enjoying the benefits of sabbatical, so we mere mortals cannot hope to match his pace. You should write it anyway!
Here’s something still a bit inchoate that may get its own essay soon… My sense increasingly at least for myself as a believer is that the difference between a God-infused world and a God-empty world (theism vs atheism) is less about angels and demons, and more about meaning. Is meaning ENTIRELY “made” by us? Or, as I hope, is there also ultimate meaning in the “mind of God,” who created a world in which loved creatures like us are able to develop to the point of being able to co-create meaning?
Great, Bonnie. I have found the recent enchantment talk (and dis-) helpful, but of course it's fuzzy. I'd rather say we yearn for transcendence. (I'm sure Taylor uses that word too, but the book is too fat for me right now; I confess, weakly, to letting others rummage around in the book and find me good quotes to borrow.)
Yes! Thanks for these thoughts on enchantment. Lots to think about. I think Rod Dreher and others are gesturing at something important, but I'm not yet convinced they're saying anything very new. (Or perhaps, these are new realization for him and others, and that's great, but I'm not sure it points to a broader solution for our culture's malaise).
Part of the problem to me is that there seem to be a few distinct topics caught up in this conversation about enchantment:
-Modernism drove out a lot of enchantment from the West, so now in our postmodern era we need to rediscover a Christian version of enchantment
-We don't just need Christian orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right action), we also need orthopathy (right emotion).
-The spiritual realm is real and has impacts on our lives, through things like the Holy Spirit, demons, miracles, etc.
-As Christianity declines in the West, many are looking at the Global Church and noticing Majority World Christians seem more in tune with the sacramental/mystical/enchanted elements of faith and existence
-Enchantment means that Christians should become more thoughtful and actively engaged with faith at all times of life, including the mundane and routine [c.f. Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary.]
-The disembodied intellectual faith of many Western Christians should be replaced by more embodied, physical practices and beliefs
-etc.
These are all worthwhile topics of course, but they each feel distinct to me. I worry that if they're all subsumed under the umbrella of "Christians need enchantment" it'll be too vague to be helpful for most believers. Anyway, thank you for your thoughts Bonnie.
You are the kind of person I could have a cup of coffee with and talk for an hour. But we all have a particular calling to represent a kingdom in the middle of this maelstrom. Now there is a word! To the point of enchantment. If we lose our childlike wonder and ability to enjoy the temporary joys; a good meal with friends, marriage, children, a walk on the beach, we can miss the kingdom. When we do these in the presence of Jesus, they are full, albeit temporary. A friend here in Frederick manages Cowork, a community based cooperative office space. The atmosphere is about living and working with grace. Her brother got saved during the Jesus movement and wrote a book during his last days fighting cancer. His book was a sort of commentary on Ecclesiastes. It was a mind shift for me. I used to thing of vapor in that everything here is disenchanting. How dead is that! The real message is that with the grace of God operating in our lives we can enjoy what He gives here in the light that it is temporary. When we keep our eyes on the prize we can live in the joy of the Lord and it can shine onto others wherever we go. Will we go through trouble in this life? Yes Can we know joy in this life? Yes. Don't seek enchantment but when it comes, enjoy the moment with a grateful heart. Jesus is the prize. We learn to fix our eyes on the Bridegroom.
You earned my subscribe. This was a very nice write up re enchantment. I’m bummed East beat me to it because I have reams of thoughts on the topic.
Thanks, Kirsten! Brad is a very fast writer currently enjoying the benefits of sabbatical, so we mere mortals cannot hope to match his pace. You should write it anyway!
I am a stay at home mom by choice right now, but back to school feels promising 😇
oh no the autocorrect name misspelling; I have corrected!! (I am forever Bonnie Kristiansen/Christian/Kristen myself)
I’m honored that you knew.
Here’s something still a bit inchoate that may get its own essay soon… My sense increasingly at least for myself as a believer is that the difference between a God-infused world and a God-empty world (theism vs atheism) is less about angels and demons, and more about meaning. Is meaning ENTIRELY “made” by us? Or, as I hope, is there also ultimate meaning in the “mind of God,” who created a world in which loved creatures like us are able to develop to the point of being able to co-create meaning?
Oh yeah, we talked about disenchantment in the lesser sense on your show once, right? Anyway, would read such a piece!
Great, Bonnie. I have found the recent enchantment talk (and dis-) helpful, but of course it's fuzzy. I'd rather say we yearn for transcendence. (I'm sure Taylor uses that word too, but the book is too fat for me right now; I confess, weakly, to letting others rummage around in the book and find me good quotes to borrow.)
James K.A. Smith's "How (Not) to Be Secular" is a good short version!
Yes! Thanks for these thoughts on enchantment. Lots to think about. I think Rod Dreher and others are gesturing at something important, but I'm not yet convinced they're saying anything very new. (Or perhaps, these are new realization for him and others, and that's great, but I'm not sure it points to a broader solution for our culture's malaise).
Part of the problem to me is that there seem to be a few distinct topics caught up in this conversation about enchantment:
-Modernism drove out a lot of enchantment from the West, so now in our postmodern era we need to rediscover a Christian version of enchantment
-We don't just need Christian orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right action), we also need orthopathy (right emotion).
-The spiritual realm is real and has impacts on our lives, through things like the Holy Spirit, demons, miracles, etc.
-As Christianity declines in the West, many are looking at the Global Church and noticing Majority World Christians seem more in tune with the sacramental/mystical/enchanted elements of faith and existence
-Enchantment means that Christians should become more thoughtful and actively engaged with faith at all times of life, including the mundane and routine [c.f. Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary.]
-The disembodied intellectual faith of many Western Christians should be replaced by more embodied, physical practices and beliefs
-etc.
These are all worthwhile topics of course, but they each feel distinct to me. I worry that if they're all subsumed under the umbrella of "Christians need enchantment" it'll be too vague to be helpful for most believers. Anyway, thank you for your thoughts Bonnie.
thank you! yes, part of what I was trying to do here was disambiguate, but there is lots more to do, as your longer list suggests
You are the kind of person I could have a cup of coffee with and talk for an hour. But we all have a particular calling to represent a kingdom in the middle of this maelstrom. Now there is a word! To the point of enchantment. If we lose our childlike wonder and ability to enjoy the temporary joys; a good meal with friends, marriage, children, a walk on the beach, we can miss the kingdom. When we do these in the presence of Jesus, they are full, albeit temporary. A friend here in Frederick manages Cowork, a community based cooperative office space. The atmosphere is about living and working with grace. Her brother got saved during the Jesus movement and wrote a book during his last days fighting cancer. His book was a sort of commentary on Ecclesiastes. It was a mind shift for me. I used to thing of vapor in that everything here is disenchanting. How dead is that! The real message is that with the grace of God operating in our lives we can enjoy what He gives here in the light that it is temporary. When we keep our eyes on the prize we can live in the joy of the Lord and it can shine onto others wherever we go. Will we go through trouble in this life? Yes Can we know joy in this life? Yes. Don't seek enchantment but when it comes, enjoy the moment with a grateful heart. Jesus is the prize. We learn to fix our eyes on the Bridegroom.
Enchantment seems like a more highbrow version of momfluencers who aim to “romanticize” their lives.