So I’ve been trying to figure out what in the world to say about Christianity 21. It wasn’t a straightforward conference so it’s difficult to narrow down what exactly I want to say about it. It was intense, exhausting, uplifting, and encouraging all at once and I am still attempting to process it. (traveling immediately to Dallas the next day to go see U2 didn’t help with the exhaustion thing, although it totally carried on the spiritual high). So I’ll just throw out some of the things drifting through my mind about it.
In the lead-up to the conference I was part of numerous discussions regarding the need to give the stage so deliberately to a group of women. I get the desire to be at a point in the conversation where women’s voices don’t have to be highlighted but are just a normal part of things. Or to be at a place of if there is a Christian conference where the main speakers are women people don’t assume that it’s a women’s conference. I’d love that, but we aren’t there yet. I think C21 moved us forward in that direction, but women’s voices had to be highlighted this time in order for that to happen. 
And I love that men who typically speak at these sorts of conferences came instead to serve at this one – doing all the behind the scenes stuff that we women often end up doing. Jay Bakker, Shane Claiborne, Spencer Burke, Mark Scandrette, and Gareth Higgins came to serve and help out. And as Doug Pagitt joked, to see the end of their careers as the privileged ones given the microphone at these sorts of events. Bono is right – women are the future and after this conference there can be no excuse for not inviting women to lead sessions at conferences because gifted intelligent women are out there. (and as a total aside the money quote from the weekend came from Shane Claiborne. I was talking to him about how he had “killed” my husband in a game of assassin as Wheaton College and he said “I love Assassin, I have to get my violent tendencies out somehow!” Awesome.)
The conference itself was intense. There was little down-time, little interaction or workshop time, just rapid-fire hearing from the presenters on what they see as important things to consider for faith in the 21st century. Granted, this wasn’t back to back lecture after lecture. There were some lectures of course, but there was also the telling of stories, short dramas, spoken-word poetry, musical pieces, times of prayer and reflection, conversations on stage, and a fast-paced group presentation pairing reflections with visual images. And as one of those presenters – let me just say that 21 minutes is a really really short time to try to do anything (especially when it is further broken apart into even shorter segments). Hearing a new idea every 21 (or 7 or 5) minutes is intense. With no time for interaction or question, jumping from one idea to another hardly gives one time to wrap ones mind around any given idea. So I am having a hard time summarizing what any one person talked about. I know Sybil MacBath did her thing about praying in color, Alise Barrymore did an amazing poetic speech about growing down. Seth Donovan pushed us to let people show up at church decompartmentalized from our identities and labels. Phyllis Tickle and Nadia Bolz-Weber chatted about the future of the church. Lauren Winner gave a killer list about what Christianity will be known for by the end of the 21st century. And Debbie Blue talked about roadkill and Jesus having an anus (it was beautiful, seriously). I remember the moments and that it was beautiful. And for all the controversy leading up to the event, this was one of the most Christ-centered, Bible and church affirming gathering I have been a part of in a long time.
As with most emerging conferences, one of the best parts was just being able to connect with people. I loved meeting friends from the Emerging Women blog and sitting down for drinks with someone I used to argue with all the time at The Ooze some seven years ago. I loved hearing people’s stories and what brought them to the conversation. I even got to spend the plane ride home continuing the conversation with new friends. I was blessed to learn from the Queermergent folks (and I totally apologize again for ditching so early, I was so falling asleep on the couch…). I enjoyed making new friends and getting to reconnect with old members of my tribe.
And I’m sure my rambling here makes sense only in my head, but I just need to get my thoughts out (as discombobulated as they are). But I do know that something significant happened this past weekend. And I was blessed to be a part of it.
Other people who are sharing about the experience –
Christina Whitehouse-Suggs on Drunk on the Wine of New Love
Danielle Shoyer gives a recap
Imago’s blog’s reflections
Tony Jones looks back at the event.
Seth Donovan talks about starting in a new place.
Pam Heatley compared C21 to a tropical vacation
Shula at Sensuous Wife blogs her reaction to the event.
Don Heatley has created an amazing highlight video from the event that really helps capture some of the themes that emerged there.
For more fantastic pictures from the event, visit Courtney Perry’s Christianity 21 photostream (the pictures here are hers, excepting the panorama which is Jake Bouma’s )
and if you want to witness for yourself the amazing live sketching Paul Soupiset did at the event, watch them here, here, here and here
Oh, and I’m super excited about the new publishing house, Sparkhouse, which launched recently. They created a video at C21 about sparking new life into faith communities, it’s pretty neat (I’m the space-y one in it).