The Congregation in a Secular Age
Andy Root TLDR
This is the next post in my now probably too long Andy Root inspired blog series.
“I need a vacation from my vacation”
Who, at some point, in the midst of long days of pacifying children, handling travel logistics, and traipsing through amusement parks hasn’t uttered such a phrase?
I’ve written previously about one of my favorite shows of all time, The Good Place, an NBC sit-com starring Ted Danson and Kristen Stewart. In season 2 (I think), the four humans plus Michael and Janet are on a sort of secret mission in the real Bad Place and Michael introduces the four humans to the Bad Place “hall of fame” or shame or whatever it was called. In this museum of infamy is seen the first person to have uttered, “I need a vacation from my vacation.”
It’s a silly, funny, throwaway line—but it works because we've all been there at some point. Having convinced ourselves that fun and fulfillment requires packing as much activity as we can into every waking moment, we find ourselves exhausted, burnt out, and seeking the proverbial “vacation from the vacation.”
In his book The Congregation and a Secular Age, Andy Root writes specifically about the continual pressure in modern society to speed up, move faster, and do more, thinking that innovation is the ultimate (Move fast, make mistakes, etc.). Root notes that this constant pressure to do more with less time (think busyness) is what has led to us all feeling burnt out and exhausted.1 And, as Root notes, with the exploding rates of mental illness, we should start to ask questions as to whether this is all worthwhile.
“Mental ailments are the canary in the mineshaft of modernity”2
The problem with all this busyness is that it leads to a sort of apathy. We’re so busy doing this and that, we don’t have the time or energy to care about anything, really. And churches, tempted to run along with this speed by adding new initiatives, “run the risk that this fullness of busyness will birth lifelessness.”3
The simple idea to counter this is to simply slow down, but Root says it’s not that simple. Rather, “the answer to acceleration is resonance.”4 Resonance is hard to define, but it’s about moments of wonder, deep gratitude, and getting lost in time/time standing still. Basically, if you’re having such a good time that you’ve lost track of time, it’s likely you’ve experienced what Root calls resonance.
A few weeks ago, I was on a trip with my wife. While we did very little (technically I was at a work conference from 9-5), I found the trip very fulfilling. Walking together around the city, enjoying a leisurely meal, and even simply sitting and watching TV together was peaceful, meaningful, dare I say resonant. With us both working full-time and having young children, we can often feel disconnected from one another.
And this is exactly the point Root seeks to make. The busyness of modern life alienates us from one another and God. Putting the genie back in the bottle is impossible at this point and churches shouldn’t simply ignore innovative trends. But, churches must understand that innovation and speed have their own set of morals,5 which often contradict those of the church. Therefore, the only real way to help people regain connection to themselves, one another, and God is through resonance.
“If a congregation wants change, it will start not by being concerned with relevance and resources, but with the good life of resonance, seeking for the living Christ where Christ may be found, in the disclosure of personhood, where time is not made to accelerate but becomes full and sacred.”6
Especially clergy.
Root, The Congregation in a Secular Age, 6.
Root, The Congregation in a Secular Age, 43.
Root, The Congregation in a Secular Age, 100.
Root, The Congregation in a Secular Age, 90.
Root, The Congregation in a Secular Age, 261.