Process in Praxis

Scout Reina Wiley was always destined to be the Freak Priest. As above, so below. she does not ask whether or not all things are related—she only asks how. And if all things are related, of which she is arrogantly convinced, it matters not that God is dead. It matters not that lives appear to unfold in linear fashion towards a seemingly endless void. It matters not that death is, because there are no endings in this world—only changes.

In this piece we observe a conversation between a Pagan and a Christian about the meaning of their respective December holidays and the theological significance for them. They are both influenced by process and relational thinking, and that approach has allowed their friendship to flourish in wonder and exploration. They are two very different people, but their friendship is warm and full of discovery. There are many lessons to be learned here but, most importantly, that a process-relational approach to friendship has many layers.

Tennessee to Alaska seems like a long way. Parts of Alaska are still wild and untamed. This retired Presbyterian minister moved to be near his Grandchildren. He became a photographer and poet in order to spotlight God, the poet of the world. Process theology gave him a language from which to communicate with in those moments of pure awe and wonder. Join us as the Rev. Dr Dwayne Cole takes us on an adventure to beautiful and wild Alaska.

Drawing is seeing. Seeing is understanding. Understanding is the beginning of wisdom. This is Steve Thomason’s approach to life. In each interaction between art and viewer something new happens that is unique to that moment. Hans Georg Gadamer calls it the fusion of horizons where the interaction creates something new that expands the viewer into a new way of being in the world. We invite you to enjoy Thamason’s own fusion of horizons.

Comedian turned poet John Roedel takes on his journey of “becoming” with a surprising number of vocations. Roedel has been changed along the way. He is going with the flow because as Heraclitus said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

Uvalde. Buffalo. Tulsa. Sacramento. Indianapolis. Boulder. Charleston. Orlando. Aurora. Columbine. These are just a select few of an ever-increasing list of places we have come to associate with mass shootings in the United States. Each time, we ask ourselves, “Why?” In this post, Sheri Kling considers the question through a process-relational lens to understand how the illusion of separateness and mistake of a mechanical world contribute to the problem.

To understand the truth about reality is a common human impulse. And one of the many ways to satisfy that desire is the creation of and reflection on religious symbols. The most powerful sacred symbols have the capacity to illuminate not only the meaning of our lives but also the nature of our world. This piece considers one such symbol, and the beautifully tragic truth that it evokes.

In this wonder-provoking piece filled with fascinating photos, Dave Huth invites us to see with fresh eyes, learn from, and feel into the lived experience of creatures. His view is that developing deep empathy, care, and love for the non-human world is “one of the very important things that might save us.”

We all have memories and places that inspired wonder and adventure in our childhood. As time passes we grow and change and so do the places of our younger years. As the world around us becomes more developed, some of the wild places from our formative years get paved over. This is a story about one of those places, and why we should grieve such losses.