Wilderness Spiritually: Spiritual Exploration in an Unsettled World
by Rodney Romney
(Element Publishers, 1999)

"No wilderness is without light, once you are willing to explore the darkness. No wilderness is without its friendly voices, once you are prepared to listen." With these words,Rodney Romney takes the reader through a fascinating journey into the spiritual wilderness experience. The image of the wilderness as a metaphor for life has a long and honored tradition. From as early as Moses and the people of Egypt to the temptation story of Jesus and beyond, we have come to understand the wilderness as a place of struggle, challenge, wandering, and a bit of murmuring. This book reframes that image to begin to understand the wilderness not as a place that has to be overcome or gotten through, but a place in which we live and learn.

Romney writes, "A wilderness is an unexplored place. To the average person that means it is unmapped, unsettled, and unfriendly. But every wilderness has its own distinctive markers and its own set of inhabitants. It is neither hostile nor friendly. It is what it is -- an unexplored place that challenges and lures us away from the human institutions of civilization and tradition."

For Romney, the concept of the spiritual wilderness becomes not a temporary destination or a place we pass through, but a lifestyle. It is in this wilderness that we must first become at ease and at home before we can begin to understand how we express our own journey in community. In the words of the Rev. Romney, "It is my firm belief that we will forever be in a wilderness of terror until we achieve a self-sufficient inner life with a rich and heightened self-awareness. At that point the wilderness ceases to be a place of terror and becomes our home and the way to a good and happy life." The second half of Wilderness Spirituality is separated into twelve "markers." These reflect twelve beatitudes of the author and serve as a map for readers as they explore their own spiritual wilderness. Each marker contains a beatitude, a reading, some exercises, and a prayer. Wilderness Spirituality is designed to be used over and over during our lifelong spiritual journey.

Wilderness Spirituality does not tread lightly on the footpath of traditional thought and theology. Romney deeply challenged this reader's thinking about a great many theological issues, such as redemption, confession, forgiveness, and more. Yet at the same time, there is a sense that the author's role is that of one who continues the journey. Wilderness Spirituality is a tapestry woven with stories and experiences that help us understand that while each individual is responsible for his or her own journey into the wilderness, the individual does not go into the wilderness alone. For Romney, that supportive community that journeys with us is the church. Romney writes, "Through the church we have the means to serve our world, to protect its wilderness resources and to help all broken and disheartened people live better lives and find their way home."

The Rev. Steve Poole, Seattle, Washington, is a FaithQuest consultant.

(originally posted November 23, 1999)