A Simple Zombie Credo

The following was just posted in response to a comment on ZombieTheology.  I invite you to read the post here, and then to continue reading this one.

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Dear Sonny ~

You said,

“Zombie Theology isn’t about finding cool walking dead references in the Scriptures (we’ll have fun with some of that, who can resist?), it’s about the disease. How it’s contracted,how it’s spread from host to host. How they can be stopped (got to shoot them in the Soul, their head) and the most important question of all, how do we cure ourselves once we are bitten by the overwhelming Zombie Army?”

Here, dear one, is the gospel: we don’t have the cure. God does. The cure came in the form of Jesus Christ and is being distributed by the Holy Spirit breathed into the world as Jesus breathed His last. Jesus came to resurrect our imaginations, to give our brain-dead appetites something other than each other to gnaw on. One day, all of creation and all of humanity will remember the goodness and freedom it was crafted with. We look forward to that day.

You are right when you say that many Christians are acting in ways that resemble zombies. We are part of a world that is infected with the virus, (or the toxin, or the radiation, whatever imagery we find in zombie literature can be applied). We’re born into it, we’re raised by infected beings, and we’re exposed to it every day. The zombie infection is everywhere. It’s what gives all humans (and other animals, for that matter) a tendency towards violence, self-preservation, destruction of others and other behaviors that are not conducive to societal uplifting.

Are we Human?

In the zombie apocalypse the first thing most people think of is the violence of survival.  Simply getting by day to day is exhausting in the days, weeks and even months following a disaster of any degree. Imagine then, one where our family and friends have completely lost their sense of humanity.  It may cause us to loose our own sense of self as well.

Consider your zombie survival plan.  Our survival kits, particularly those geared for adults, almost always hold a wide variety of weapons and martial arts manuals.  We want to become as efficient as the enemy in killing.  Murder is never very far from our brains.  This is particularly true in times of war, upheaval or, for our purposes in this discussion, in the time of the zombie apocalypse.

Touch a New Perspective

I love music!  I have since I was a little girl.  Singing along to my parent's LPs of the Beach Boys or Peter, Paul & Mary, my ears and vocal chords have been trained to pick out harmonies, to match cadence and to blend well with others from a very young age. 

Since I have graduated from college, I have added a few instruments to my musical endeavors.  You may have seen the photo of my hand drumming in an earlier post, or a photo of my sweet twelve-string which I have used to lead worship for two and a half years.  Despite my love for music, walking in to an instrument store used to depress me.

Oh I loved the instruments and the shine and the sounds, but I was always held back by something.  I couldn't see myself playing these great works of craftsmanship.  As far as I was concerned, the precious instruments were always  meant for somebody else, someone who had more time, more talent, more money to spend.  I would never even look at the instruments that were at eye level, only those close to the floor or on the clearance rack.  That's what I allowed myself to touch.

Stimulating our Collective Memory

This post is the seventh in a chain blog begun by Alan Knox.

We have been exploring the arena of divisive issues within the Church.  Here is what we've looked at so far:

1. Alan began the chain, setting the stage and posed several questions for our pondering in “Chain Blog: Dealing with Divisive Issues Introduction”.
2. Arthur laid a foundation of love for our conversation to be built upon in “Chain Blog: Dealing with divisive issues starts with love”.
3. Jeremy showed us the power of asking for forgiveness for our own contributions to the dividedness of our Church in “I am divisive”.
4. Jon posed several excellent questions for our pondering and invited us to explore the unifying aspects of our faith traditions in “Chain Blog: Please agree with me”.
5. In “Division and our shared humanity”Andy took us back to the beginning, to the garden of Eden where our forgetfulness began.
6. Bobby explored our dividing issue through a mathematical lens in “Chain Blog: solving the problem”.
7. In“Divisiveness: Acts 2 & Ugly Carpet” FallenPastor made us all shake our heads at the silly things that we divide over, like the color of the carpet in the sanctuary, while also addressing some more serious issues.

All of the men who have written thus far have been phoenomenal contributors. I encourage you to read their posts before continuing with my post here, which is the eighth in the chain.

Beautiful Bride

In my last couple of posts, I have engaged a few of the materials which I am joyfully devouring over my summer break.  As a seminary student, I often have several books strewn about the coffee table and a few more on my nightstand, and a couple in each of my backpacks.  My mind darts about between the piles of books while each term continues, and I begin to compile a running list of topics that I want to bring into my final paper for each course.  So, during the summer I usually have several books that I am scanning, a little at a time, as my mind settles into a more relaxed groove.  This evening I dive into another book that has fallen open from my shelves.

Zombie Women Unite!

"Zombie Women Drum!"
Photo by Matt Wynne

The Fremont Solstice Festival is an expression of joy and freedom birthed out of a love for the arts.  My husband and I very much enjoy the culture and atmosphere in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.  (Perhaps one day we'll live there; for now we simply visit when we can.)  Today Matt and I participated in the Solstice Parade, which inaugurates the beautiful days of summer.  It is our third year of drumming for Delilah's bellydancers, and we love it!  My body, mind and spirit are consistently rejuvinated through my interactions with the women who dance as well as the men and women who drum for them.

Likewise, when I attend a local women's drum circle each month, I almost always come away feeling unburdened.  I stand taller, breathe more easily, think more clearly and love more fully as a result.  These gatherings allow a fullness of self-expression, creative energy and a whole-bodied seeking after a Source beyond ourselves.  To be honest, it has been a while since I've experienced a similar feeling in a corporate worship gathering.  I look for it, and the search will go on, but I suspect that the kind of gathering I am looking for is more like a large family than a corporate gathering in a distant building.

A New Way of Life

There is a difference between simple survival and transitioning into a new way of life.  One of the sad features of most zombie films is that the characters are often so focused on survival of the current time that they neglect to prepare for the future.  In The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead, Max Brooks reminds us to prepare not only for the immediate needs during the initial outbreak, but also the sanity and hope infusion that is necessary for health in the long haul.  Remember books, games photographs, instruments and crafts, he says, for many a survivor has gone mad and lost hope from listening to the incessant moaning of the undead.

Attacking our own Reflections

It's crazy, isn't it?  This bird is endlessly attacking its own reflection in the window.  No matter how many times it slams its beak against the glass, it will not remove the perceived threat.  It is only weakening itself, and potentially depriving its young of their parent.  The next generation may not have life because this generation is exhausting itself in futile attempts to protect itself.

My Icon

Greetings, fellow zombie theologians!

I'm delighted to share an icon design with you for this site.  If you have read the first couple of posts here, you know that I am an artist as well as a student of theology and a zombie lover.  My second post, Working on the Art, linked to a beautiful tattoo design that I located on the web.  A bit of my theological observations regarding the bio hazard sign can be found in that post.  Building on that, I was inspired to craft my own icon.  You can find it below:

Theological Zomnbie Student Icon - Acrylic on Paper - Art by Trista L. Wynne - 5 June 2011

Living in a Zombie World

As part of my seminary instruction and preparation for ministry, one of our required classes at Fuller Northwest is Homiletics.  In this preaching course, we are given the opportunity to preach for one another and to hear future pastors in action.  For my second sermon, I chose a passage from Paul's letter to the Ephesians in which he is reminding that fledgling congregation that because they know the hope that is found in Christ Jesus, they are called to act in ways that are different from the dark, tumultuous world around them. 

Hearts & Brains (Faith & Reason)

In an excerpt entitled Physician, Heal Thyself from an upcoming book, Dan Allen (zombietheology.com) shows the dangers that come from the faith healing sect of Christ-followers. I am torn as to how I respond to this. On the one hand, he's absolutely right. Many of our brothers and sisters have left the Church or faith altogether on account of the branches of our brethren who rely solely on heart/faith. On the other hand, I, like our brothers and sisters who are drawn to such teachings, wish that it was that easy.

You are What you Eat

Fake brains! Who wants them? Give me the real stuff!

In John's gospel, Jesus says that He is the True Food and True drink. Nothing else will eternally satisfy our hunger. To the woman at the well in Samaria, He says that all who drink from that well will be thirsty again, but those who drink from the water I will give them will never be thirsty again. 

Working on the Art

This tattoo design that I found on deviant art is similar to a symbol I'm developing for this site and my book.  It incorporates both the biohazard sign and a symbol that can reference the Holy Trinity. 

Check out this awesome art!

Opening our Minds (Yum!)

Grace and peace to you!

It has been a dream of mine to merge my love of zombie culture and Christianity into one place for several years.  I hope to compose a scholastic, culturally-rich book exploring Scripture through a zombie-tinted lens with the new generation of church in mind. Until my publishing dream becomes a reality, I will endeavor to post notes, homilies, thoughts and visions here. I invite you to join me as we ponder the resurrection of the body, the apocalyptic discussions infusing our local media, the fractured society in which we find ourselves, and the general malaise which threatens much of our culture today.  Church and zombies are not so far apart as it seems at first glance.  Let's explore this overlap together.