Any chance you could come to a conference on green anarchism and Christianity in Philly?

Dear Liz, Bill, Bron, Rose, Wes, David F, Dave K, Marie, Barbara, Charlie, Christina, Danny, Mas, Elizabeth, John, Jonathan, Kate F, Kate S, Jeff, Laurel, Ed, and Steve:



I wanted each of you to be aware of an upcoming gathering in Philadelphia that you may find of interest, and for which I could use your help. It is titled “Gathering Around the Unhewn Stone: Biblical Explorations of Nature, Civilization, and Feral Faith,” and will be Oct. 16-18. It is sponsored by Circle of Hope (www.circleofhope.net), Croatan Studio (www.gonetocroatan.org), and an anarcho-primitivist journal called In the Land of the Living (www.inthelandoftheliving.org). In true anarchist style, there’s no charge for the conference (see www.inthelandoftheliving.org/news-1/eventgatheringaroundtheun-hewnstone).



I’ll be giving a fair bit of input, and invited Jim Perkinson and Lily Mendosa to help, so they’ll be there. What is most interesting to me about this gathering is that it will be almost exclusively folks under 40, mostly Catholic Worker and post-evangelical types. There seems to be a lot of interest brewing among younger radical Christians in primitivist critiques of civilization, and some of them have really seized upon the few articles I’ve written on the subject. This will be the second time I’ve met with this crowd, and many of them were with John Zerzan at the Christianity and Anarchism conference last month in Memphis. There is a lot of momentum—could be up to 200 people attending—and I see this conference as an opportunity for vigorous dialogue with a particular, strategic strand of the next generation of activists, many of whom are pretty “feral” and very passionate. You’ll get a sense of the scope by looking at the attached schedule.



My concern is to provide encouragement to those who attend, but also a little perspective and “eldering.” As I’ve thought about this gathering, I’ve become increasingly clear that the kind of wisdom that many of you have embodied at Word and World gatherings is much needed! So here’s my ask: if any of you could possibly find a way to make it to this conference, you could really help with the task of helping these younger colleagues get a context in the wider/deeper movement. Perhaps you know of others who might be interested, but I’m asking the 22 of you because each of you has interest in this topic, and a lot of experience in mentoring younger folk. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hope you’ll think about it. I believe this gathering could really benefit from your presence—and I think you’d enjoy it too.



Let me know if you can come, so I can think how to weave you into the mix. And feel free to make any suggestions. If you can’t make it, do hold us in the Light. Thanks.



Ched



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www.bcm-net.org

www.chedmyers.org



Ched Myers

Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries

PO Box 328 Oak View, CA 93022

323-449-5170