ALTERNATIVES | PART 2 — free as the sky

Then there is Rohr’s contribution through his book, Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. As a starting point, Rohr emphasizes embracing our own unique personal spiritual experiences seriously but humbly. This idea of self-knowledge then becomes a cornerstone of laying the groundwork of “living on the edge of the inside.” Inside is where the mainstream resides, where the power lies, and where the “giant hairball”[1] looms. It is also the land of comfort, familiarity, and conformity. Rohr proposes that the genius of Francis was his ability and capacity to not simply be on the edge, but on the edge of the inside. Prophets and apostles, more than others, are well aware of this tension. As such, they would not be content to remain inside. They would go stir crazy. They are the ones who do not merely ask the whys but focus more on the why nots. The pulling power from the inside is more tremendous than anybody realizes. Being on the edge is not for the faint-hearted. But being on the edge of the inside requires, I would say, both being courageous and humble, or if you like, being prophetic and incarnational. Francis had learned to maneuver how to be on the edge without severing ties with the inside. Thus he positioned himself and the Franciscan order to absorb many from the inside to join in radical alternative communities of his day.

When you begin to integrate and synthesize the contributions from Palmer, Brueggemann, and Rohr, there are multiple common threads we can pull out into bite-sized nuggets. (These are the nuggets I found. You may or may not agree.) A few nuggets I would like to highlight are below in no significant order:

· The importance of self-knowledge. What drives and reforms anything on the outside has to come from our interiority. Otherwise, it is disingenuous or even fake, which leads to damaging illusion for many. This also puts heavier emphasis, and I would add rightfully so, on being honest with oneself no matter how uncomfortable or even painful it may be.

· Dominant systems in place are not inherently bad or evil in its inception. Due to a breeding environment of justifying calcification of egos over time combined with clever evil at work, rather than serving humanity and creation for good and love, they create and preserve class systems and hierarchy. They flat out create a bondage system. If any system does not promote equality and justice for all, then it has become a dominant system for only a chosen few.

· Dismantling dominant systems initially often requires a singular voice followed by a small group of supporters and reformers. When we take notice of all the fairy tales and myths (which really are not fairy tales or myths but a reflection of true reality), we almost always see a lonely but courageous hero or a heroine’s journey often from an obscure origin to take on impossible “systems.”

· Momentum begins to build when a small group or community of followers gather, support, dream, and act. This is the most exciting phase of creating any alternative movements. No one can do it alone. Just think of any epic movie where a small band of people is trying to topple near-insurmountable dominant systems.

· Fruitful alternative consciousness movements in the past often embrace creative ways to criticize and dismantle dominant consciousness. These movements have found ways to woo some from the dominant crowd by articulating or even reminding them through alternative orthodoxy which can be dubbed as perennial orthodoxy from the past. Also, the dismantling of dominant systems cannot be done by the spirit of condemnation by alternative movements. Otherwise, an endless cycle of condemnation persists and will not help any. How to criticize and dismantle without condemnation and do so slantly and creatively is at the heart of any reformer.

· Lifestyle wins the day, not another set of belief system. Jesus reminds us that it is always orthopraxy over orthodoxy. In order for alternative communities to flourish, one discernible pattern has been the translation of how we ought to live in whatever contexts we may find ourselves in. It is not about what we think or believe, but how we live. Love by all and for all must govern how we live. The work of both dismantling the dominant and creating the alternative work has to be done out of love.

If Brueggemann provides a biblical blueprint for standing up against the dominant consciousness and birthing alternative communities, Rohr paints a compelling historical case study of an alternative way to live out our faith from the lives of Francis and Clare and their followers. Palmer provides a laser focus on the discipline of education in modern times, utilizing similar principles. Their contributions grant us permission and extend stern challenges to seek alternative ways of seeing, thinking, and living in whatever our contexts may be.

The Kingdom of God isn’t anywhere near to what and where it should be, yet. What this means is that there more than ample opportunities to criticize and dismantle the dominant systems and consciousness of our time and create alternative consciousness that would spin out new creative ways of welcoming God’s Kingdom on this earth now.

[1] Here, I am referring to the book, Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon McKenzie.