Weekend at 'WOW to the Deadness'
This was my 3rd year attending the Mockingbird Conference, and, as in every year, I struggled to answer the question posed by my friends, family, and fellow seminarians. Every year they ask the same question, “Now, what’s this thing that you are going to?”
This was my 3rd year attending the Mockingbird Conference, and, as in every year, I struggled to answer the question posed by my friends, family, and fellow seminarians. Every year they ask the same question, “Now, what’s this thing that you are going to?”
The title for this year’s conference was “WOW to the Deadness: Wonder for the Weary,” with the first half drawn from the 2016 EP by Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil and Daniel Smith of Danielson. It's a cool name and album, but I have to admit I'm not sure it will help me explain what the Mockingbird Conference is really like. Is it a pastor’s conference? Not quite. Is it an academic conference on faith and culture? Not really. Is it a reimagined old-school evangelical revival? Maybe?
I don’t know what this conference is. It has something to do with the places God finds us in the world, in our everyday experiences, and in society at large. It’s a place where I find rest for my soul. It often has something to do with beauty. It’s devoted to the mysteries that the Church has been entrusted with, namely, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. It’s a place where I come to be challenged, restored, and spurred on. So, instead of trying to explain it, I’ve collected some of my favorite talks from this year. My invitation for those who want to understand why I keep going to this thing is, “Come and see.”
“An Age of Unknowing: A Generation’s Yearning for Mystery” by Belle Tindall-Riley
Watch this if you’ve convinced yourself that younger people are only interested in scientific truth and no longer interested in faith. You might be surprised. Belle wonders, “What’s going on with all the longing for spirituality we see around us?” and “How might mystical forms of religiosity and Christian mysticism offer us a way to engage with the current wave of interest in pressing beyond ‘knowing’?”
“The Science of Revenge and Forgiveness” – James Kimmel Jr.
This incredible talk by a Yale researcher and almost mass shooter asks, “How do our desires for revenge shape our lives and culture?” He offers evidence that revenge works in the same way addiction does and presents a simple tool to help alleviate the payback we want for all the grief the world causes us. Maybe Jesus was onto something with the whole forgiveness thing after all!
“Modern Love (Or Lack Thereof?)” – Christine Emba
If you are dating, have given up on dating, or want to help others give love and vulnerability a chance again, watch this! Christine Emba is a captivating speaker. How can you help those who are trying to find love in the midst of the current dating crisis?
“Blaise Pascal: Addressing the Cultured Despisers of Religion” – Graham Tomlin
Everything you thought you knew about Pascal’s wager is wrong. Turns out he’s got much more in store for us than just fire insurance against hell. If you found yourself trapped between unbelief and taking a chance on God, come discover a helpful way to think about the world we find ourselves in, which often prompts us to ask, “If God is real, where the hell is he?”
“A Conversation on Mattering” – Jennifer Breheny Wallace talks with David Zahl
Many today aren’t convinced they matter. They aren’t sure whether anything would change if they weren’t here. People need to know they have significance, be appreciated, feel invested in, and know they are depended upon. Turns out that mattering is a meta-value that holds all the other things, like belonging, that we so often hear about. Check out this fascinating conversation!
For now, I don't have a better way to describe this conference, but I'm confident you will be blessed by watching any of the videos above. Check out one that catches your eye, or, better yet, one you think couldn’t possibly be good.
Who knows? You might be surprised.