One priest’s Wild Goose chase

Thanks to Shane Raynor for pointing to this rather interesting take on the Wild Goose Festival, a progressive Christian gathering in North Carolina.

Catherine Caimano, an Episcopalian priest, expected to get much more from the experience than she did. In the end, she felt something was missing.

I was heartened to be with people who cared about such issues. But the longer I was there and the more people I talked with, the more I realized what was missing. It was the very reason that all these topics are important to Christians: Jesus.

I know that the resurrected Christ was present and that I was in the company of many faithful Christians. Yet despite all the good work that was in this place, I had a hard time finding and feeling the evangelical spirit of those whose work is discipleship. Whether I was listening to presenters or visiting with people or overhearing conversations around me, Jesus did not come up often.

I spoke with lots of people who were happy to talk about justice or sexuality issues in great detail but not so quick to mention their faith. I shared a picnic lunch with a Mennonite couple from Pennsylvania who were thrilled to be at the festival. But when I asked what was important to them, they talked about anti-war policies. Another young man, a self-described emergent-church pastor, told me that, to him, “emergent” meant that all are welcome, whatever their views.

I don’t doubt the faithfulness of these people or the good of their ministries. But I was surprised that an event billed in part as a revival would have an almost pervasive timidity about mentioning Jesus and his central role in everything that was happening there. It was odd. Maybe our common discipleship was a given. Or maybe I was just at the wrong events or talking to the wrong people. Whatever the reason, I saw and heard little that was overtly Christian at this Christian gathering. I could just as easily have been at an Earth Day celebration or a political rally.

I was not there, and I’ve read other folks who said good things about the event. I wonder if her reaction resonates with anyone else.