Seeking God in Wild Places | Paul Kingsnorth & Martin Shaw
Published 2024-01-22
Paul Kingsnorth is the author of nine books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, including the Booker-longlisted novel The Wake. He is co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project, an international network of writers and artists in search of new stories for an age of upheaval. After years of searching through different spiritual traditions in pursuit of truth, including Wicca and Chan Buddhism, he was baptised into the Orthodox church in 2021. He lives on a smallholding in Ireland.
Dr Martin Shaw is an award-winning writer, oral storyteller and mythologist. A wilderness rites of passage guide, Shaw spent four years living in a tent. He founded the Oral Tradition and Living Myth courses at Stanford University and is described by the Irish Times as an “interloper from the medieval”. An Eastern Orthodox Christian, Shaw has introduced thousands of people to myth and how it speaks to our age.
This talk is a part of our Faith and Moral Courage series, where we are exploring how we can reconnect people with their faith or deepest values, so they can meet the many crises we face with courage.
To find out more about our Faith and Moral Courage project, visit: stethelburgas.org/projects/moral-courage/
All Comments (21)
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Christianity has become much less lonely with these two in it!
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Like if you are in the Paul Vanderklay realm
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So many people are experiencing this sort of awakening right now. A sort of return to our roots, or back to the drawing board, myself inculded. Everyone seems to have been living life wandering aimlessly through the desert trying to find meaning... How many other people feel this way and have had similar experiences with finding Christ?
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We don’t go back to the Christian stories to ‘use them’ culturally. Kingsnorth. Brilliant.
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It is surreal to hear your own life story of a long journey through multiple spiritual paths and to finally land in Orthodox Christianity. It is the home for the homeless. May God use these stories to bring others home.
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Amazing the prodigals crawling homeward & finding a rushing love swooping faster than we can crawl 🙏🏼☦️
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I’m 52 grew up in the Church spent some time wandering and have experience The Pursuit and thanks much both of you for shining a light into so many things that have seemed not quite right and troubled me for years. The wildness of Christ! The heroic Jesus! And lastly screens mediating when naked before God in His house! Look forward to reading your books! Thanks to whoever had a hand in letting this out. Must rewatch
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A banquet of a conversation. Much to take away and mull. Thanks.
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Every high place has to fall - man's way is crumbling Hallelujah!
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“We are living in a pre-Christian era, not post-Christian.” I would say it’s pre, post, and current all at the same time. What I have discovered about the Orthodox monks is beautifully unsettling because it is another level of uncharted understanding. Mostly beautiful though. I have to almost purposely focus on other things, because it’s so heavy. Why I said we live in a pre, post, and current Christian culture is because the monks are further along in theosis than anyone else. They are eschatological persons that every layman can interact with. They are eschatological persons that live in the “today”. To put it crudely they are time-travelers that are reaching their hands back to us, who are “further back” or “lower” in theosis. And bringing us with them. Creation and person are being restored in front of our eyes. Most people see our world right now as chaos but I honestly have never felt more alive and free in my entire life. Symbolically and truly. Maybe I’m crazy. 🤷♂️ Just a theory.
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Listening to Paul I wanted to point out, the laws of the universe have recently been found to actually evolve and are not fixed (I'm a theoretical physicists daughter). I feel maybe the resurrection was a time this happened - Jesus' love transforming the fundamental the reality of the universe in the most profound way.
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This was marvellous and stirring, the guests' generosity of themselves is deeply human.... hope it will get much more viewing in the coming weeks!
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ჰელო! to my orthodox brothers from Georgia! excellent talk!
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Living on the Wild Atlantic Coast ... the wild rugged beauty of north Mayo ... stand on the Cliffs at Portacloy .. look out at the Stags of Broadhaven ... I'm blessed to be on the Wild adventure called life with the God who made it all ...
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Thank you so much for recording and posting this. Really admire these two and loved their conversation. Yes - the host/mc/interviewer was a tad labored with her statement/questions esp early on, but Paul & Martin are so gracious & articulate that they were easily able to get through to the salient points. Much to chew on here but I particularly found the point that the person of Jesus the Christ is much wilder than humanity’s attempts to co-opt Him for our pet political project or agenda. Yes - there are Christian ‘principles’ to be considered and applied in our socio-political spheres - but - more important - is Jesus’ question to His apostles (and us) - ‘Who do YOU say I am?’ And are we going to allow Him to be our Lord - where we are?
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Use the story as a shield. Interesting idea. Myths are a reflection.
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Saint Tom of Waits. Brilliant.
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Did he say Saint Tom of Waits? Haha. This talk was a feast!
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It's the Great Awakening. So many people are being called to Christ. Jesus is not going to lose anyone given to Him by the Father.
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"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God... Behold, I went... in the forests... And my soul hungered... And there came a voice unto me..." "O God... if there is a God, and if Thou art God, wilt Thou make Thyself known unto me..."
