I’m excited to be attending the playfully titled “Midwestuary” gathering in Chicago this week with its great lineup of speakers. As pictured from left above, Paul VanderKlay, Elizabeth Oldfield, John Vervaeke, Kale Zelden, Jonathan Pageau, and Rod Dreher. Early signs are that organizers learned from experience not to let the “stars” outshine the purpose of the gathering—connecting deeply over matters of meaning and Spirit in a discussion format called “Estuary.” Participants have already been given a Discord server for connecting online, and we have been assigned to small groups that will meet first thing. (32 small groups of eight so far).
However, the schedule is jam packed—from 8 am to 8:30 pm Friday and Saturday with brief breaks only for lunch and dinner. I’m already visualizing my nap on a pew somewhere. We’re meeting in the Christian Reformed Church in Elmhurst, a Chicago suburb.
And yes, for readers unfamiliar with Vanderklay and his Youtubing about “This Little Corner” of the Internet (TLC)—he is a Calvinist, one of the most conservative Christian sects. And yet, here he is fomenting connections among Christians of all stripes with non-Christians. He has described himself as running a hostel at the crossroads of pilgrimage routes. Exciting things emerge at crossroads. And thus, he has been dubbed a “Calvinist Shaman”—two words most of my friends swear cannot be uttered in the same sentence. I can’t wait to hear him give the sermon Sunday morning. He usually avoids sharing his own theological perspective. Will we hear from both sides of Paul at the crossroads?
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