Revival in the Land – Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

June 8, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

I made my first trip to the Greenbelt Festival in the UK last summer. After years of hearing about how there’s nothing like it in the US, I arrived at the Cheltenham Racecourse where some 20,000 people had set up camp, shop, seminar, pub and church for a four-day weekend. After getting fish and chips from a food vendor (I was in England, after all), I ran into my American friend, Stanley Hauerwas – also there for his first time. “Did you know anything like this existed?” I asked him. “No,”... Read more

Goose Dominoes and the Hope of a Movement – Tony Jones

June 7, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

I so vividly remember the late 1990s. I was working at a church, a theologically-centrist Congregationalist church in Minnesota. We had a good staff, but I wanted something more than what I was getting in staff meetings. I wanted the kind of robust theological discussion that I had gotten in seminary, and that just didn’t happen as we debated the coffee policy and discussed how long the “ministry moment” should take in Sunday morning worship. By fluke or the dint... Read more

Taking Flight at Wild Goose – Cynthia Lagrou

June 6, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

Last year I had the opportunity to produce a collaborative book project – Taking Flight. Contributors include Jimmy Carter, Frank Viola, Vaun Swanson, Linda Mader, and many other wise and thoughtful voices. When German artist, Stephanie Eatherly, submitted stunning cover art with two wild geese, it was completely unexpected. A Google search revealed that wild geese are the ancient Celtic symbol of the Holy Spirit, and that wild geese are just that – wild; and their song – noisy and... Read more

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

June 3, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and... Read more

Announcing Jennifer Knapp!

June 2, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

On another continent, some 9000 miles from the United States, is a corner of the earth where there is no Internet, no electricity, no telephone. From wherever you stand, you see red dirt and sky, well-adapted wildlife, rock piles next to dirt roads that seem to go on and on forever. Desolate but not empty, the Australian outback offers people the chance to revel in the open space and solitary oneness this striking terrain provides. Had you travelled that same path... Read more

The Language of Art, Music, Spirituality and Justice – Linda Alvarez

June 1, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

I love that this gathering is described as festival of Justice, Spirituality, Music & Art. As an attorney, I work in a world where my innate sense of justice daily collides with the system we’ve invented to try and serve Justice. Thus, I am drawn to this gathering by the inclusion of “Justice” in the circle of attention. I am also drawn by the wedding of Justice to Spirituality, Music & Art. David Whyte has said, “A poet’s work is... Read more

Safe Space for Dangerous Conversations: Faith & Justice in an Age of Wikileaks- Vic Thiessen

May 31, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

“It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” So says Morpheus to Neo in describing The Matrix in the 1999 film of the same name. It’s a line that comes to mind when I hear the various governmental responses to Wikileaks. ‘How dare anyone try to reveal pieces of truth in a world of lies and cover-ups?’ they ask. This unmasking of the powers is a dangerous game, as witnessed by... Read more

David Bazan Confirmed for Wild Goose!

May 29, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

We are thrilled to announce that critically-acclaimed, fan-favorite, and controversial musician David Bazan will be playing the Wild Goose Festival! His appearance will be in the wake of his much-anticipated follow-up release to Curse Your Branches, entitled Strange Negotiations. Bazan joins an already-fantastic music lineup, making Wild Goose one of this summer’s musical destinations! Please note that our Limited Advance tickets are going fast, so please register now. Read more

Uncommon Ground

May 26, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

As the culture of the Wild Goose Festival unfolds, it’s becoming clear that one of the things we value is uncommon ground. We’re seeking to bring together a diverse community of creative people and idea leaders whose ethos and work does not fit neatly into the Left/Right, evangelical/mainline boxes that our soundbiting media tends to inflict upon us. There is a hunger to transcend the level at which we’ve created the problems of our contemporary civilization – a starving to look... Read more

Two Wild Goose Contributors Spend the Night in Jail

May 25, 2011 By wildgoosefestival

North Carolina, host state for the inaugural Wild Goose Festival, has many things going for it. We’re beautiful, with our trees, mountains, and beaches. And we’re one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., attracting a host of artists, doctors, technologists, educators and entrepreneurs. But not all is well in our great state. Homelessness remains endemic; re-segregation of our schools is a looming threat, and now budget cuts to our most vulnerable community members threatens to plunge us into the dark ages.... Read more