Dear Patricia,
My wife Kathy keeps a copy of your Grief Takes a Road Trip in her wallet. It has helped her deal with the grief at the passing of her own mother, not by theological argumentation but by storytelling and metaphor-making. Kathy says "She writes Ann Lamott." I guess I'd call it inspirational process theology. Your kind of process theology is different from a more philosophical kind of process theology; its more artistic and exploratory. It appeals to the heart-mind not the intellect alone. Of course, some philosophical process theology does this, too. But you do it so consistently and so well. I'm wondering: To whom does your writing appeal? Do you find the philosophical kind of writing valuable, too?
Thanks,
Jay
Dear Jay,
"My work appears to primarily reach baby boomers and some Millennials. My primary readers seem to be educated women, in particular, who are thoughtful and spiritually sensitive— mostly Christian, but also Unitarians, Seekers, and cultural creatives.
I know there are some amazing academic writers and researchers in process thought, and we need them—I need them—but my calling is to write on a more inspirational level, especially for women and men whose compassion is wide and whose feeling is deep.
To date, I've mainly focused on the God of process theology and Whitehead's concept of beauty. Steeped in the arts from an early age, I have found that writing and teaching about beauty is my "way in" to writing about God--and might reach a wider audience than those set on studying theology alone. The climate crisis has further galvanized my passion for writing about a process vision of beauty, especially as a way into ecological modes of thinking. feeling, and acting.
In light of the climate crisis and assaults on democracy in our country and around the world, I would envision the public face of the process movement as expanding beyond the "relatively precise, interdisciplinary worldview," and urgently moving toward "a general outlook on life and a way of living in the world" as you put it.
In summary: All hands on deck. We need academics and theologians to make us think, inspirational writers to offer hope, activists, musicians, artists, poets, cultural creatives—resistance on every front. And this includes caring about a healthy and hopeful psyche as we face unprecedented challenges in a world of growing anxiety. ( I try to address these issues in my work.) So, yes, I believe that improving the world and personal wholeness cannot be separated. Process thought needs to expand—it needs a "fatter" soul.
I am glad to be part of this holistic, wide, and thoughtful movement!"
Patricia
"My work appears to primarily reach baby boomers and some Millennials. My primary readers seem to be educated women, in particular, who are thoughtful and spiritually sensitive— mostly Christian, but also Unitarians, Seekers, and cultural creatives.
I know there are some amazing academic writers and researchers in process thought, and we need them—I need them—but my calling is to write on a more inspirational level, especially for women and men whose compassion is wide and whose feeling is deep.
To date, I've mainly focused on the God of process theology and Whitehead's concept of beauty. Steeped in the arts from an early age, I have found that writing and teaching about beauty is my "way in" to writing about God--and might reach a wider audience than those set on studying theology alone. The climate crisis has further galvanized my passion for writing about a process vision of beauty, especially as a way into ecological modes of thinking. feeling, and acting.
In light of the climate crisis and assaults on democracy in our country and around the world, I would envision the public face of the process movement as expanding beyond the "relatively precise, interdisciplinary worldview," and urgently moving toward "a general outlook on life and a way of living in the world" as you put it.
In summary: All hands on deck. We need academics and theologians to make us think, inspirational writers to offer hope, activists, musicians, artists, poets, cultural creatives—resistance on every front. And this includes caring about a healthy and hopeful psyche as we face unprecedented challenges in a world of growing anxiety. ( I try to address these issues in my work.) So, yes, I believe that improving the world and personal wholeness cannot be separated. Process thought needs to expand—it needs a "fatter" soul.
I am glad to be part of this holistic, wide, and thoughtful movement!"
Patricia
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