Of Grizzly Bears and Sanctification

As followers of Christ, that which compels us to wrestle and claw our way towards the Divine Mystery hounds us with the resolve of a Grizzly Bear that, upon emerging from its long winter fast and aching with hunger, catches the scent of a vole’s burrow beneath a rotting stump. It is with this compelling force, imparted by God, that our striving is provoked—a process of refinement in pursuit of the Holy. Frequently, we hear this ‘striving’ described as discipleship or spiritual formation, but what exactly do these words mean and how does this process actually transpire? Moreover, what is it that we are pursuing, given today’s context—a world in which scientists predict we may lose one-third of all species on Earth in the next forty years—and how will success be measured in light of this reality?[1] In conversation with Jurgen Moltmann’s book, The Source of Life, these are some of the questions I hope to address below.

Each stream within the broader Christian tradition has favored words and understandings about the task of pursuing Godly lives. For example, Methodists are renowned for their use of the word sanctification, and Baptists for their concepts of justification, while Orthodox Christians employ the term theosis. All of these are meant to convey the notion of one’s journey towards holiness. But to what are we referring when we say the word holy? Moltmann contends that holiness is that which belongs to the sphere of the Divine and is “Wholly Other” from ourselves.” By this he means, “that which fascinates us, holding us spellbound.” The feeling he describes reminds me of a time when I accidentally approached a bear while hiking. There I found myself standing before this incredible beast utterly, helpless and quite aware of my vulnerability. Much like this humbling encounter, the Holy can inspire both terror and awe. These are attributes of that which we call God—the Divine Mystery who solely possesses both perfect harmony and oneness. 

From this, Moltmann concludes that God’s Spirit, which we call the Holy Spirit, works to continually bring harmony and perfection wherever it ventures—thus, the Holy Spirit continually sanctifies whatever it encounters.[2] As beings created by this life-giving Source, we naturally seek a return to that source, which gives rise to our reconciliatory pursuit of sanctification. As we pursue this relationship, through our communal act of following Jesus, our discipleship engages us in the process of sanctification. Here Moltmann makes the observation that sanctification is both harmony with God and a learned ability to encounter things with reverence. As we will discuss further below, in light of today’s ecological problems, this distinction seems rather significant. As God is perceived to be both fully in harmony with God’s Self and simultaneously working to make all things holy, encountering these forces ought to replicate them in our lives. In a world whose environment has been shattered by industrial exploitation and the extraction of resources at unsustainable levels, where the natural realm has been over taxed for too long and has seemingly little left to give, we, as Christ’s disciples, ought to be busy creatively working to halt these harmful patterns and working to restore the earth as God’s House.

Interestingly, when considering the outcome of spiritual formation in today’s context, Moltmann points out that, during the early part of the Twentieth Century, Methodists, and other Christians, busied themselves stamping out vices perceived to be evil, such as alcohol, tobacco, and overly extravagant living. He brings this up to highlight our current ecological crisis as today’s prevailing evil.[3] According to author Derrick Jensen, “Ninety percent of all large fish in the oceans are gone, there are 6-10 times as much plastic as phytoplankton in parts of the sea, and there is dioxin in every mother’s breast milk,” [4] Given this information, Christians, as well as all other people, need to turn their collective attention towards the sanctification of life on this planet. When discussing the fruits of discipleship, Moltmann introduces the term charismata, to signify the various gifts people undergoing sanctification receive. These include things like leadership, proclamation, service, and even healing.[5] For us to stave off further ecological disaster, all of these gifts will be needed.

The urgency of the tasks before this generation cannot be overstated. As activist Dave Foreman frames things, over the next 40 years, our response to today’s unprecedented extinction rates will directly determine whether or not animals, such as grizzly bears and other large mammals, exist for thousands of years to come.[6] Despite such imperative stakes, many Christians tune out messages like this due to beliefs that God will soon rapture ‘true believers’ or other eschatological theories of abandonment. This anticipation influences large numbers of evangelical Christians, many Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and today’s fastest growing religious sect, Pentecostals. Importantly, Moltmann reminds us that we will not be redeemed, “from this earth…” but, “with it.” He stresses that, “We human beings are earthly creatures, not candidates for angelic status. Nor are we here on a visit to a beautiful star, so as to make our home somewhere else after we die.”[7] Here, his understanding of the Bible’s apocalyptic texts differs from those mentioned above—Moltmann envisions a world fully restored, not one that is ethereal and elsewhere. Thus, our proper response ought to be one of care for creation. Beliefs that we will soon be lifted from this planet can lead to reckless treatment of the environment. Notions that our negligence will not have dire future repercussions can incite dangerous consequences. For these reasons, in recognition of the Spirit’s harmonizing work in all things, our aim should be the restoration of a healthy, wisely-construed balance with the natural order. Ultimately, stemming from the words of Psalm 24:1 that, “The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it…,” reverence for creation should be seen as a natural outgrowth of our participation in God’s work of making all things new. 

Returning to our original question—Asking how we, as Christians, participate in God’s purifying action and what fruits that process brings, our vision of God as Creator and the Source of all life beckons our response of reverence for that which only God can give—life. Our intrinsic quest for unity with that Source then underlies efforts seeking to harmonize our relationship within God’s created order. As Moltmann points out, the gifts and talents imparted to us by God’s Spirit aid us in accomplishing these tasks and evidence our immersion in the process of sanctification. Our present need to for a concerted effort to restore the balance between nature and humanity does not erase our ever-present duty as Christians to spread the Gospel, but, in light of today’s predicament, it does give us a focus. The planet’s wounded state is not only symptomatic of humanity’s failed embodiment of God’s will, it is today’s primary area in need of God’s redemptive healing. Thus, our participation in God’s ever-sanctifying work must include a healing of humanity’s ecological failures.                    

Bibliography

Dave Foreman and Derrick Jensen, Listening to the Land: Conversations about Nature, Culture, and Eros, (White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2004).

Jurgen Moltmann, Source of Life: The Holy Spirit and the Theology of Life, (Great Britain: Fortress Press,1997).

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[1] Dave Foreman and Derrick Jensen, Listening to the Land, 7.

[2] Jurgen Moltmann, The Source of Life: The Holy Spirit and the Theology of Life, 43-45.

[3] Jurgen Moltmann, The Source of Life: The Holy Spirit and the Theology of Life, 50.

[4] From the Democracy Now interview found at this link: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/15/author_and_activist_derrick_jensen_the

[5] Jurgen Moltmann, The Source of Life: The Holy Spirit and the Theology of Life, 55-66.

[6] Dave Foreman and Derrick Jensen, Listening to the Land, 7.

[7] Jurgen Moltmann, The Source of Life: The Holy Spirit and the Theology of Life, 74.