A Response to My Christian Friends Who Believe That James Talarico is Blaspheming God

Stacy L. Patty, September 16, 2026 

In recent days, I have seen a number of dismissals of Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico as a person who “cannot be trusted,” “does not know where he stands,” “blasphemes God,” and “is a false prophet.”  These statements on social media, often attached to creative memes or snippets of video and audio files, are amazingly strong and confident and sometimes seem dismissive.  Given that Talarico professes to Christian faith, is following in the footsteps of a grandfather who was a minister, and speaks frequently about Jesus in boldly confessional ways (take his recent interview on the Jimmy Kimmel show, for one), these statements of strong condemnation puzzle me.  Since I too am a Christian, have followed similarly a (great-) grandfather who was a minister, and have tried to express my faith publicly and honestly, I write this response.  Some of the major concerns about Talarico are the following.

 1.      “He says that God is non-binary.”  In the current context, this term causes alarm for many people, bringing to their minds thoughts and images of people who identify as neither male nor female.  In this sense, certainly we might disagree that humans can be non-binary.  But with reference to God, the term is actually quite helpful.  Scripture includes language, metaphors, and images that depict God as father, but also as mother, and from the earliest chapters of Genesis, the Divine is identified with Hebrew language that is male (God) and female (Spirit).  Both Jewish and Christian traditions affirm that God is not human and thus neither male nor female, that God is ultimately beyond all human definitions, that mystery remains.  I know that the majority of Scripture uses male imagery for God, and that Jesus comes as the Incarnate God, but I also know and affirm that Christians and Christian theologians throughout the centuries have struggled with the nature of God.  To say that God is non-binary is one way of reminding us that we do not have full truth here, that our perceptions are cloudy at best, and that we honor the God who is larger than any of our confident assertions.

 2.      “He says that there are six genders when God says we are male and female.”  Talarico is being misquoted here.  The statement comes from a 2021 legislative hearing related to a Texas bill restricting children’s sports participation to their sex assigned at birth.  After distinguishing between sex and gender, he stated that according to science “there are six really common biological sexes” (XX, XY, X, XXY, XYY, and XXXY).  His point was that “biologically speaking, scientifically speaking, sex is a spectrum.”  I realize that Talarico’s stand on gender identity differs from that held by many conservative Christians.  But to distort the “six biological sexes” into “six genders” misrepresents both the complexities of the differences between gender and sex, and the point that Talarico was making.  Perhaps my Christian friends will respond that the precise language does not matter, that in reality Talarico’s affirmations elsewhere of homosexuality, e.g., are blasphemous to God and God’s truth.  It is important to add, then, that the matter of gender identity, and the interpretations of related biblical texts, is itself complex; biblical scholars and Christians take varying views here, all while maintaining a love for God and desire to be Christian.  Is Talarico wrong regarding his study of scripture?  If so, are we prepared to dismiss as faithful Christians and label as false prophets the host of others throughout history who have been similarly less certain regarding the traditional interpretations?

3.      “He says there are many pathways to God.”  From the earliest centuries of Christianity, some church fathers and theologians have affirmed similarly.  Some have argued that while some scriptures point to “one way to the Father,” others point to God’s desire that all people be saved.  In modern times, this study lists exclusivism (there is only one way to God), inclusivism (other religions are somehow saved through the one true way), and pluralism (there are many ways to God).  To take the pluralist approach does not imply a disrespect for God but rather a humility before God and a belief in the God of all creation.  Inclusivists and pluralists are often compelled to think these ways after realizing the breadth of human existence and culture and the myriads of populations who cannot have know or do not now have opportunity to know of Jesus.  I personally know of no persons who lean toward a pluralist or inclusivist position who do not also have deeply held love for God and commitment to Jesus the Christ.  We may disagree with Talarico here, but his saying this does not put him in the place of a traitor to the faith or a false prophet.

4.      “He says Mary’s consent affirms abortion.”  Talarico has made known that he supports a woman’s right to choose to have a baby.  He also argues that Jesus nowhere speaks about abortion, which is true, and that Jesus advocates for the protection of all life, especially those who are poor and abused.  The only text that I know about where abortion is more clearly implied is in Exo. 21 and Num. 5, where there is a lesser valuation made with regard to the unborn child than to the mother.  Again, I maintain that Talarico’s take here does not constitute for him the label of blasphemer.  Christian ethicists take varying positions with regard to what is consistently pro-life, a position which I try to maintain.  I personally think that Talarico here was a bit unwise to share his theological reflections.  The Mary account does imply that she is given a choice to consent, and Talarico’s connection here to creation is, in my view, sound theology, but sometimes thinking out loud is not the best thing to do.  Nonetheless, I applaud him for being conversant with scripture and being willing to try to explain his positions.

 There are no doubt many more instances where some Christians may find Talarico challenging or offensive.  I personally am offended by his opponent, who proclaims Christian words but has a history of immoral, fraudulent, and even criminal behavior.  Talarico is no doubt a different kind of Christian candidate than we in Texas are used to seeing.  He quotes Jesus often, insisting again and again that Jesus only gave us two commandments – to love God and to love our neighbor.  He provides theological reflections to questions that can be answered with more simplistic prooftexts or vague generalizations and buzzwords.  And he is unabashedly confessional, not hiding his faith in all of his decisions and speeches.  With Talarico, however, I find a refreshing witness to the heart of Jesus.  During the recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, filmed on YouTube, he responded to the president’s statement that Talarico had insulted Jesus this way:

"The President of the United States just said that I insulted Jesus. You want to know what insults Jesus?  Kicking the sick off their health care while cutting taxes for billionaires. You know what insults Jesus? Deporting the stranger and separating babies from their mothers.  You know what insults Jesus? Bombing innocent school children in Iran and sending our brave men and women off to die in another Forever War. You know what insults Jesus? Covering up the Epstein files and then refusing to prosecute a single person in them.”

"I am not a perfect Christian. I don't claim to be. There's only been one perfect Christian, and he was crucified on a cross 2000 years ago.vJesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Can we imagine war in heaven? Can we imagine bigotry in heaven? Can we imagine poverty in heaven? Then why do we tolerate these things on earth."

 

And in a December 2025 sermon in Chicago, he said this:

“I don’t think Jesus would endorse the Democratic or Republican Party platforms.  I think He would challenge all of us to work toward a radical vision of democracy in this country.  I am trying to love my neighbor through public policy by reducing the cost of prescription drugs, reducing the cost of child care, reducing the cost of housing. I’m trying to make my neighbor’s life a little easier through public policy.”

I was slow to come around to Talarico.  I thought he was perhaps too Christian in his language, too naïve for politics, and certainly too young.  Now I’m convinced he is the real deal – a deeply committed Christian, a thinking theologian, and a brave political candidate.  Whatever readers of this note think, I encourage them not to dismiss him too quickly.

 

 

 

 

A Reason Why Good People Support Unjust Policies

 A segment from that television show “The Apprentice” keeps coming back into memory these days.  I don’t recall being a regular viewer, but somehow I caught one segment when that man was berating a leading contender who had chosen to take a leave of absence to care for a dying parent.  He lectured the apprentice for her bad choice, emphasizing that no one ever succeeds in business unless he or she is willing to put self first.  Even today, everything that occurs in that office seems to reflect an egoism that cannot see beyond itself. The markets crash; look how much money we made!  A governor’s home is firebombed; the perpetrator was not one of my fans.  Deportations without due process occur; take no worry, I’m only pleasing the voters who voted for me.

What troubles me more and more, though, is not this narcissistic, haphazard rule.  Instead, it is the loyalty, featly, and even sycophantic support of his minions of leaders.  It is one thing to encourage and work for reductions in expenses, exposures of fraud, and endings of abuse.  It is quite another shocking matter to ignore at best or equivocate and support at worst terrible abuses of human needs and rights and affronts to human dignity.  How is it that good citizens – women and men with successful careers, thriving families, and histories of servant leadership for the common good – can now be quiet in the face of injustice or rationalizing immoral actions in the light of day?

And I keep remembering a careful read from last year, the essays of Hannah Arendt in Responsibility and Judgement.  Although most people are capable of great moral crimes, she argues, most Germans who collaborated during the Holocaust years were not criminals.  On the contrary, they “precisely the members of respectable society” who “simply exchanged one system of values against another” (44). 

 On its surface, exchanging one system of values for another seems like something, say, an American Christian would never do.  “My values are firm and clear! Truth is truth! Right is right! Freedom and justice for all!”  But this kind of fixed position and uncompromising clarity of values often itself lacks any virtue or integrity of morals.  The language of values, tied to the maintenance of right and order, may indeed eclipse moral virtue itself.  Instead, to truly be and act morally, the character or action before us must be examined and evaluated, which entails an admission that morality is fluid or at least lacking in perfect objectivity.  This situation helps us to understand why in Germany’s case, it is an “undeniable fact that the few who managed not to be sucked into the whirlwind were by no means the ‘moralists,’ people who had always upheld rules of right conduct, but on the contrary very often those who had been convinced, even before the debacle, of the objective non-validity of these standards per se” (13).  In short, they were the people who understood that once values language collapses into certainty, loyalty, and an us/them world, moral discernment is choked out by moral language.

Perhaps those silent, obedient ones dutifully following his call are sliding into this trap.  Perhaps not.  I find the argument plausible, if not comforting.  It does give some explanation for the reality we face.

 Books Read, 2024, Stacy L. Patty

It's questionable as to whether publishing such lists is valuable. I admit a sense of pride here, but I do hope than my reading list will encourage others in some way. My own goal is to read widely and to read various kinds of books. I have grateful for eyes, for time, and for friends who recommend books.

Abhishiktananda (Henri le Saux).  Prayer.  ISPCK, 2001 (French original, 1971).  120 pp.  (8 July 2024) 

                 Written by a Benedictine monk who incorporates Hindu spirituality into an understanding of prayer and God, this classic presents prayer as more than a kind of talking to God.  Instead, prayer is living in the presence of God, especially when in the presence of another person.

 Appiah, Kwame Anthony.  Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers.  W. W. Norton, 2006.  174 pp.   (6 Sept. 2024)

                 Should we be citizens of the world or of our closer contexts?  Does globalism or cosmopolitanism necessarily imply either a common international value system or a lack of national or local pride?  The book explores the duties we should/should not have with regard to our local and global neighbors and argues for a universal objective ethic, albeit difficult to define.

 Arendt, Hannah.  Responsibility and Judgement.  Schocken Books, 2003.  310 pp.  (27 Oct. 2024)

                 Philosophical essays in the aftermath of Auschwitz.  Arendt reflects on the natures of moral and political responsibility, particularly as they are judged in war crimes trials.  A long chapter on “Some Questions of Moral Philosophy” engages Plato and Kant in quite complex narrative.  The chapters on Little Rock and Vietnam bring forth Arendt’s theses to more contemporary times.

 Beal, Timothy.  When Time is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene.  Beacon, 2022.  148 pp.  (7 Jan. 2024)

                 A case for a “palliative hope” approach to living faithfully even if ecological changes are already cataclysmic.  Dissolves the bifurcations of mind/body, nature/spirit, etc.  in favor of a “mindful subsistence” approach to life.  Deals with the domination passages in biblical literature and offers a new/old approach.

 The Bhagavad Gita.  Intro. and trans. Eknath Easwaran.  Nilgiri Press, 2007.  275 pp. (incl. 67 pp. Introduction).  (22 Jan. 2024)

                 Classic Hindu “The Song of the Lord.”  Set in the context of a warrior (Arjuna) struggling with the duty to fight, a chariot driver (Krishna) provides the wisdom of the Upanishads.  Excellent summary of key Hindu philosophy and ethics, with the repetitive refrain to act with purity of love for God, acceptance of one’s role, and renunciation of any agenda, goals, or fruits of one’s action.

 Bourgeault, Cynthia.  Mystical Hope: Trusting in the Mercy of God.  Cowley, 2001.  104 pp.  (11 Jan. 2024)

                 Meditative work on the nature of hope as a kind of living “sonar” that drives us forward, rather than some imaginary or illusive longing.  Mystical hope is metaphysical hope, embedded in “the Mercy,” which acts in the continuing unfolding love of God.  Process theological subtones, it seems.

 Buber, Martin.  I and Thou.  Trans. Walter Kaufman.  1958.  Free Press, 2003.  127 pp.  (31 Jan. 2024).

                 Major philosophy and theology on the nature of Relation with the You.  Extremely important and extremely dense; quite a challenging read.  The last two sections (59 and 60 in this edition) are excellent reflections on the nature of the divine encounter and the failings of religion in trying to objectivize the encounter.  Buber’s concept of the “return” is important, since no one can live in the I-Thou moment for long, even while such moments of true relation (with humans, particularly, who bear the divine) cannot be sustained since life must function.  But the “return” is necessary – the return to the I-Thou moments of true relation and theophany.

 Camus, Albert.  The Fall.  Knopf, 1956.  147 pp. (26 Dec. 2024)

                 Classic portrait of a man dealing with human failure, guilt, and conscience.

 Caputo, John D.  On Religion.  Routledge, 2001.  141 pp.  (5 Jan. 2024)

                 Religion in light of the “death of God.”  An early Augustinian, Kierkegaardian, Nietschean take on faith and the                         religious sense of life.  Strong critique of any absolutizing of ideas or systems.  A final summary lists these lines:

·         “I do not know who I am or whether I believe in God.”

·         “I do not know whether what I believe in is God or not.”

·         “What do I love when I love my God?”

·         “How do I love when I love my God?”  “God is a how and not a what.”

 Caputo, John D.  Specters of God: An Anatomy of the Apophatic Imagination.  Indiana University Press, 2022.  382 pp.  (17 Feb. 2024)

 Provocative philosophical, theological, cosmological, and poetical (theopoetics) exploration around the specters of the mysterium tremendum et fascinans that inspire and haunt human and cosmic life.  Certainly a-theistic, similar to some panentheistic approaches, but more so a kind of Teilhardian process leaning.  The key, however, is that Caputo here deconstructs any attempt at naming God or Being in that neither theism nor any philosophically secular history-driven Geist or any other option controls or drives the cosmological story, which seems headed for oblivion in the long end.  How might we humans live responsibly, then, and how/why do we construct myths that order our lives in view of the truly unconditional that inspires/haunts all of life?  Sections on Aquinas, Luther, Schelling, Hegel, and Derrida slowly – and densely set the context for Caputo’s theopoetics.

 Chomsky, Noam.  It is the Responsibility of Intellectuals to Speak the Truth and to Expose Lies.   New Press, 2017.  142 pp.  (25 Feb. 2024) 

 Important period piece by Chomsky, written in response to U.S. foreign policy during the Vietnam War.  This edition takes the full first essay (expanded from a New York Review of Books 1967 essay) and adds a second “Redux” reflection by Chomsky, written on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  Extremely biting exposure of the duplicity with which public intellectuals and those defending, justifying, or explaining American policy decisions (“conformist intellectuals”), in contrast to the rare and prophetic value-oriented intellectuals.

 Coomaraswamy, Ananda K.  The Dance of Shiva: Essays on Indian Art and Culture.  1924.  Dover, 1985.  145 pp. (24 Jan. 2024)

 Essays on a wide variety of topics and issues in Indian culture and Hinduism.  Some highly specialized (and dated) art theory and philosophy, but also some excellent insights related especially to the Shiva Nataraj and to the many-armed gods and goddesses in Hinduism.  Very interesting and prophetic comments about the ways that British colonialism would one day come back to haunt the West (e.g., the rise of Indian nationalism, which we see today in full bloom with the B.J.P. party and others).

Cooper-White, Pamela.  The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide.  Fortress, 2022.  190 pp.  (28 Jan. 2022)

 General overview of the factors and mentality that produce and support Christian Nationalism.  Brings to common language a wealth of important studies in theology, religion, sociology, political science, and psychology.  Not as well organized as I would have liked: Only three chapter sections, and repetitious in places. 

Dazai, Osamu.  No Longer Human.  New Directions, 1958. 177 pp.  Also known as A Shameful Life. 1948 (Japanese).   (4 Nov. 2024) 

Striking semi-autobiographical novel about a boy who grows up with deep anxiety about his own self and the disguises and ploys he uses to survive.  As a budding artist, he enrolls in university in Tokyo but eventually succumbs to a series of relationships, addictions, and abuses.  The book was published one month after Dazai’s suicide. 

The Dhammapada.  Intro. and trans. Elnath Easwaran.  Nilgiri Press, 2007.  253 pp.  (26 Feb. 2024) 

Classic and best known of the Buddhist Pali Tripitaka scriptures, 423 verses attributed to the Buddha.  The “words of truth” bring together, in thematic sections, the major teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.  Something like biblical Proverbs, something like Upanishadic verse, the texts emphasize the way to peace and nirvana.  Easwaran’s 91-page introduction provides an excellent contextual placement of the Buddha and these teachings. 

Grant, George.  Technology and Justice.  Anansi Press, 1986.  133 pp. (7 Apr. 2024) 

The arrival in this world of technological civilization occurred about the same time as modernity began to redefine the classical understanding of the good.  Understood traditionally as an overriding claim to justice, which is tied to love, goodness now is viewed as that which humans create according to their own understandings of freedom and quality of life; good becomes whatever we value.  This “liberation of human desiring from any supposed excluding claim, so that it is believed we freely create values, is a face of the same liberation in which men overcame change by technology” (31).  The result is a situation where technology is open and subject to human whims.  Some nuances of Hans Jonas (The Imperative of Responsibility);  chapters on “Faith and the Multiversity” and “Research in the Humanities” are helpful, especially in exploring Nietzsche and with regard to the place of the Humanities in the academy today.  The last two chapters (on euthanasia and abortion) are co-written and take on a much different writing style. 

Gushee, David P.  Defending Democracy From Its Christian Enemies.  William B. Eerdmans, 2023.  198 pp.  (27 July 2024)  

Analysis of “authoritarian reactionary Christian politics” from the perspective of the history and nature of democracy.  Gushee provides clear reviews of these reactionary movements in modern France, Germany, Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Brazil before moving to consider United States groups in contemporary times.  He finishes with strong support for Christian democratic politics. 

Haight, Roger.  Jesus: Symbol of God.  Orbis Books, 1999.  491 pp.  (23 Sept. 2024) 

Major theological argument for rethinking Christology in light of historicity, contemporary human reasoning, and religious pluralism.  Haight reviews biblical, early Christian and patristic, conciliar, and modern thought related to Jesus of Nazareth, the Logos, and the Christ, showing a breadth of views regarding Jesus the Savior and Son of God.  He challenges a Logos Christology, which has dominated Christian theology, by placing Logos, Word, Son, and other identifiers in the context of symbol rather than hypostasis (an ontological substantial reality), and by thinking more in terms of a Spirit Christology.  Includes an important chapter on religious pluralism, where Jesus is “the central normative witness to the reality of God” (358), but – because knowledge of God is “mediated through history,” “God’s creative and salvific action extends beyond the limits of this story . . . ” (353). 

Hays, Christopher B. and Hays, Richard B.  The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story.  Yale, 2024.  247 pp.  (24 Dec. 2024) 

A new biblical theology of the God of expanding grace and mercy.  The authors review key stories and trends/themes in the Hebrew Bible (Christopher Hays) and the New Testament (Richard Hays), producing a compelling case that the God of Scripture does indeed “change” and unfold through biblical history a more redemptive and inclusive world for humanity.  A major subtext lingers:  this Richard Hayes is the same one whose earlier chapter on homosexuality in his Moral Vision of the New Testament became fodder for Christian judgements condemning same-sex identity.  The Widening of God’s Mercy is a major new text with a major new thesis. 

Heschel, Abraham Joshua.  The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man.  1951.  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.  118 pp. (18 Mar. 2024) 

Classic reflections on the theological and spiritual importance of the Sabbath, which is a “temple in time,” a touch of the eternal. 

Kalanithi, Paul.  When Breath Becomes Air.  Random House, 2016.  228 pp.  (9 Feb. 2024) 

Superb, moving testament of neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, whose liberal arts education and keen insights into medicine, philosophy, and literature provide sustenance in dealing with cancer and death.  Honors junior seminar reading this spring. 

McCabe, John.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Last Eight Days.  Baylor University Press, 2024.  437 pp. (18 Dec. 2024) 

Intriguing detailed chronicle of the final days leading up to the execution of Bonhoeffer.  McCabe draws from eyewitness accounts, journals, diaries, and casual passers-by to draw a picture of the world around Bonhoeffer and also around the larger German front as it collapses.  Glimpses of Bonhoeffer’s final readings and prison settings, portraits of his “traveling” companions, and occasional moments of sheer grace and surprise provide a continuing thread through a story interspersed with horrific summaries of Nazi atrocities. 

Norris, Kathleen.  Dakota: A Spiritual Geography.  Houghton Mifflin Press, 1993.  224 pp.  (6 July 2024) 

Combined spiritual reflection and social analysis regarding life on the northern high plains of the United States.  Norris provides short chapters that serve well as devotional reading and nature contemplation.   

Norris, Kathleen.  The Cloister Walk.  Riverhead Books, 1996.   392 pp. (1 Oct. 2024) 

Reflections and narratives about life in Benedictine monasteries, given from the perspective of Norris’ life as a poet and citizen on the northern high plains.  Norris includes spiritual insights and reflections on life, nature, humanity, aging, music, celibacy, marriage, and many other key aspects of daily communal life, whether in a monastery, a rural village, or a major city. 

Nussbaum, Martha.  The Cosmopolitan Tradition: A Noble but Flawed Ideal.  Belknap Press, 2019.  279pp. (5 Oct. 2024) 

How should one balance proper respect for nation with concern and action toward the betterment of the world?  To what extent should concern for and activity toward international justice and human rights include efforts for material aid to bring about better social and economic conditions?  Should one be first and foremost a cosmopolitan (“world citizen”)?  Nussbaum engages the classical tradition (especially the Stoics), Hugo Grotius, and Adam Smith to argue that the traditional “bifurcation of duties of justice and duties of material aid” is problematic on several counts (5).  She promotes a variation of the Capabilities Approach, proposing ten capabilities that “must be secured up to a minimum threshold level if a nation is to have any claim of justice” (240).   Excellent introduction and/or review of key aspects of international justice claims based on the classical tradition. 

Nussbaum, Martha C.  The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age.  Belknap Press, 2012.  267 pp.  (24 Sept. 2024) 

Superb text on the dynamics of religion, fear, and the three elements of good judgement (ethical consistency, specific principles of religious liberty, and an approach through the imagination).  Nussbaum provides an excellent overview of the distinction between and evaluation of the two principles of religious liberty (Lockean neutrality and accommodation) and then gives examples with recent historical cases, moving toward a final chapter on the Park51 project.  The early chapter on fear is worth the entire read. 

Rasmussen, Larry.  The Planet You Inherit: Letters to My Grandchildren When Uncertainty’s a Sure Thing.  Broadleaf Books, 2022.  213 pp.  (7 Oct. 2024)  

A remarkable and often poignant collection of science, theology, and ethics related to the dramatic human impact on earth and the cosmos.  Written in the form of letters to grandchildren, these writings provide various approaches to the numerous important aspects and consequences of current ecological change.  Rasmussen takes us from a description of global climate changes throughout the Holocene geological epoch (the last 11,700 years) to the emerging Anthropocene (postulated by some to have begun about seventy years ago).  His literary, philosophical, and theological illustrations make these letters very rich. 

Rieger, Joerg.  Theology in the Capitalocene: Ecology, Identity, Class, and Solidarity.  Fortress Press, 2022.  217 pp.  (4 Apr. 2024) 

The roots of continuing exploitation of people, and even nature, cannot be explained or alleviated as the product of human action alone.  Rather than an age of the Anthropocene, this time is an age of the Capitalocene, where economic capitalism in particular is the fundamental problem.  Movements toward incorporating solidarity among both human and nonhuman labor production is the only way forward.  This is a densely written academic treatise that draws heavily on Marxist philosophy. 

Sontag, Susan.  Regarding the Pain of Others.  Picador, 2003.  131 pp.  (21 Feb. 2024)  

What is it about art -- and especially photography -- about war that both captures pain and suffering in ways that shock, educate, and then often numb us with regard to their subjects?  Sontag explores theory and philosophy of photography, the ways that photojournalists portray pain, and the ethical judgements that inhere in the photo captures and in the viewing.  She includes a number of references to various French and American art/photography theorists, as well as others, and she incorporates a large vocabulary which forced me to note and look up twelve words.  A good summary might be this paragraph: 

“That we are not totally transformed, that we can turn away, turn the page, switch the channel, does not impugn the ethical value of an assault by images.  It is not a defect that we are not seared, that we do not suffer enough, when we see these images.  Neither is the photograph supposed to repair our ignorance about the history and causes of the suffering it picks out and frames.  Such images cannot be more than an invitation to pay attention, to reflect, to learn, to examine the rationalizations for mass suffering offered by established powers.  Who caused what the picture shows?  Who is responsible?  Is it excusable?  Was it inevitable?  Is there some state of affairs which we have accepted up to now that ought to be challenged?  All this, with the understanding that moral indignation, like compassion, cannot dictate a course of action. (116-17) 

Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre.  The Heart of Matter.  William Collins Sons, 1978.  238 pp.  (10 July 2024). 

Teilhard’s magnum opus on the nature of the cosmos, concluding with his “Hymn to Matter.”  This edition includes a number of other important essays, including a couple of wedding sermons and a quite unusual “Nostalgia for the Front” about his time in the trenches during World War I.  From a section of the “Heart of Matter” central essay: 

“For some of your servants, Lord, the World, our New World – the world of nuclei, of atoms and genes – has become a source of constant anxiety. . . . 

“Yet can anything, Lord, in fact do more for my understanding and my soul to make you an object of love, the only object of love, that to see that you – the Centre ever opened into your deepest core – continue to grow in intensity, that there is an added glow to your lustre, at the same pace as you pleromise yourself by gathering together the Universe and subjecting it ever more fully at the heart of your being . . . .” (56-57) 

Thrall, Nathan.  A Day in the Life of Abed Salama:  Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.  Metropolitan Books, 2023.  217 pp.  (25 Feb. 2024) 

Troubling story and backstories related to a 2012 tragic school bus accident in which seven children die.  Abed (father) and Haifa (mother) lose their son Milad.  The book relates historical and socio-political contexts (and roadblocks, physically and systemically) that lead to the troubles and injustices of life for Palestinians in the greater Jerusalem area.  Excellent source for getting a sense of and some of the history of current Palestinian – Israeli conflicts. 

Voltaire.  Candide, or Optimism.  1759.  Barnes and Noble, 2003.  144 pp.  (26 Oct. 2024) 

Voltaire’s satire as extended commentary on the nature of Leipniz’ “best of all possible worlds.”  Candide faces continual turmoil and struggle as he journeys from persecution to war, imprisonment and torture to freedom and excess, and a determined search for his beloved.  But is this the best of all possible worlds? 

Weil, Simone.  Waiting for God.  G.P. Putnam, 1951.  227 pp.  (11 Nov. 2024) 

Posthumous publication of Weil’s thoughts on faith and spirituality, including a “spiritual autobiography.”  Among the essays included is “Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies With A View to the Love of God,” a classic on vocation and study.  Weil’s writing style, or perhaps the translation itself, make the reading difficult in places. 

Williams Rowan.  Tokens of Trust: An Introduction to Christian Belief.  Westminster John Knox, 2007.  166 pp.  (23 Mar. 2024) 

Expanded reflections from pre-Easter Canterbury lectures in 2005.  The former archbishop provides a summary of the creed, with a sensitivity to both the contemporary world and the hindrances toward belief that many people share today. 

Wolfe, Tom.  The Painted Word.  Picador, 1975.  106 pp.  (9 July 2024) 

A commentary on the development of modern art.  Wolfe writes with bitter sarcasm, irony, and humor.  A fun read and a good education on the history of modern art.   

Wulf, Andrea.  The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World.  Alfred A. Knopf, 2015.  341 pp.  (4 Sept. 2024) 

Stunning, exceptional biography and reflection on the life and influence of Alexander Von Humboldt, the German naturalist who is behind ecology and environmentalism.  A friend and influencer of Jefferson, Goethe, Bolivar, Darwin, Thoreau, Emerson, Marsh, and Muir, Von Humboldt was the most significant explorer, geographer, and naturalist of his time.  He is best remembered for his views in the integrated reality of the world (hints of process philosophy) and of the need for science and arts to be connected.  Truly one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.  

 Insights from the Monastery

Stacy Patty, July 2024

Drive seventy miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and turn left on Forest Road 151 for the final thirteen miles, which then should take about forty-five minutes. The single-lane, gravel road snakes up the Chama River Canyon, around treacherous hairpin turns on an incline, and – about a half-mile out, a  simple chapel comes into view. Relief from the drive is immediate, and anticipation of the real experience beings.

Christ in the Desert, a Benedictine monastery, lives its days by ora et labora (“prayer and work”), with seven communal Prayers (chanting the Psalms), work, study, and quiet. This year marked my seventh long stay there – almost two weeks each July – for what has become a most healing and renewing time. Over the years, I am coming to see some consistent and life-changing themes. These are thoughts in process, and I hope readers find them provocative, if not helpful.

Silence is Restorative. Except for prayers and occasional moments of quiet conversation, talking is unacceptable. Initially, the silence is shocking, but soon it becomes calming. One’s mind begins to relax, and busy words vanish. In their place, the Psalms and ancient hymns settle in.  And even at the oddest moments – on a walk, while eating or working – those lines from the Prayers come to memory. Silence seems to have purified the mind from less significant matters and thoughts. This auditory silence is only the beginning.  Visual noise fades as well. The constant bombardment of print and visual media, commercial signage and logos, and sports and patriotic extravaganzas dissolves, and one’s eyes find quiet. Something like a sacred emptiness fills the new void. Silence becomes nothing, as in no thing to bother, no thing to stress, no thing to plan, even no thing to ponder. One is left with, well, the Holy.  And healing begins its process.

Prayer is Awareness. Prayer often works as ritual or petition, when there is a vocalization to God in a pattern of address-content-conclusion. It is common to bow heads and close eyes from beginning to end, after which normal life or worship practices continue. This formalized prayer certainly has validity, for in prayer one comes before God. But prayer as such is in danger of missing a key reality: God’s presence is not limited to that of the object of our rituals. If we “come to God” in prayer, we risk forming a view of a God who is more present during formal practice than at other times. Prayer as awareness, instead, welcomes and engages the presence of God in every moment of our lives. God is not “out there,” beyond this world. God is present in God’s image within each human person, and God’s creative and Spirit work continues to live in all creation. Prayer as awareness anticipates encountering and experiencing the presence and action of God throughout human and cosmic history. This way of seeing prayer brings about a life that “prays without ceasing.”

Rhythm is Sacred. Cultures recognize seasons, celebrations, and hours for a purpose. Like traditional university bell towers, or Muslim calls to prayer five times a day, Benedictines mark each day with bells that announce the Prayers. One comes to expect those sounds, ending a reading or work period and calling all into the next special communion. Within a few days, a rhythm forms, bringing some sense of identity and purpose to each day and each task. Rather than awakening to rush to work, struggling to keep up with assignments and meetings, dragging home exhausted, and ending the days poorly, living within the Prayers provides a holiness to all that is done. Once again, some urgent matters or tasks that seem important fade away as the sacred rhythm of the day serves as a kind of filter or corrective, training us to live with awareness of the holiness of our walk.

Surprise is Serendipity. A first-year monastery guest may battle to preserve the quiet around him and an intense schedule for a perfect contemplative journey. In my first few visits, at each moment of the day, I had planned readings, walks, secluded spots for sitting, and expectations for sitting and chanting the coming prayers, (which of course needed to be always in English rather than Latin). No matter how well I personally performed, something or someone always interrupted. Frustration – even anger – would follow, and then guilt, before final arrogant resignation that not everyone was as focused as me. In recent years, I’ve come to accept these disruptions for what they truly are – serendipitous surprises. A serendipity is an unexpected grace, and if we take the presence of God and the holiness of the day seriously, then these detours promise unexpected gifts. Not always are the fruits pleasant, but without fail they are instructive, and ultimately they enhance our spiritual journey. Life is messy, and God dwells in the confusion as well as the order. As I am coming to accept the realities of surprises, I am discovering a richer understanding of the Divine and finding within me a deeper peace and serenity.

Relationship is Crucial. Spiritual seekers often think in terms of individual journeys and monastic solitude, and perhaps this mindset is stronger for us introverts. But even the most determined monk serves and depends upon community graces of others. This is a beauty of the Benedictine Rule: everyone prays, and everyone works, whether by cooking, cleaning, building, or repairing. Of necessity, work involves cooperation and some conversation. And in Prayer, everyone chants or the worship fails. Occasional, festive “talking meals” also bring that serendipitous surprise, whether it be with a monk who previously seemed troubled and aloof or a fellow guest with an amazing story. Christian theology and scientific teaching highlight the essential interrelatedness of both human and natural life. Without connections, death comes. Realizing the importance of relationship brings gratitude and acceptance for those nurtured and new encounters that come.

Nature is Breathtaking.

Majestic, multicolored canyon walls encompass the monastery. Occasional clouds dot a deep blue sky, turning in dark of night to reveal a stunning Milky Way. Animals prevail – robins, magpie, and geese; squirrel, rabbit, and lizard; mule deer and monastery sheep. Sagebrush, wildflowers, pinon, oak, and flowering cholla provide cover. Who could arrive at the monastery and not stand in awe before this cathedral of nature? Far from city lights, concrete jungles, and tall square buildings, words fail. Nature is thriving and stunning: there is a beetle, marking its path with a dragging leg; the sun’s rays highlighting a canyon corner, then a specific tree, then a tapestry of colors in rock layers; the clean smell of wet air following an afternoon shower; geese honking their arrival at the river; the striped markings on a common mountain rock; poplar leaves flittering as if glitter; the sound of a coyote in the distance. And who could not return to with city without new eyes toward nature everywhere? I leave the monastery with renewed joy in the variety of nature’s beauty, whether a rainbow of colors in a West Texas sunset, the roar of waters on a Pacific beach, or the swaying of giant pines in a Colorado forest. This wonder toward nature is compounded with realization of the God who is present and active in nature. This insight is beyond understanding, but I cannot ignore its reality.

Journey is Goal. Self-help gurus, business consultants, and even religious organizations value strategic plans and target goals; success is measured by reaching a goal. Monastery life helps me to see that the joy is in the journey because the journey is all we have. Plans and goals are necessary, of course, but only as provisionary guides. Since prayer is awareness in the presence of God throughout each day, determined focus on an end later hides grace now. This discovery brings freedom from anxiety and pressure, and it gives new energy to approaching the people and things before me now. The Kingdom of God is not out there, beyond, or in the future. God’s reign and presence is now.