I do not know Professor Wickman personally though we probably work in the same building. What I do know is that he is a most beloved and respected religious person, and the exact opposite of me. I don't say that negatively, but only to point out that people of faith can be as different as green tea is from orchata. That, of course, has to do with life experiences, and how we've had to navigate different challenges and obstacles. He cannot be me and I cannot be him, but we both can be scholars of faith, both of us believing in the Restoration and the Resurrection. How we negotiate those and how we speak of them is also quite different. While he may see light in poetry and myth, and probably sees his place in the temple (this is all conjecture, of course), I see light in the on-the-ground struggle of marginalized people of faith, and in the humble homes of those I worship with. I'm assuming he sees the beauty of BYU in its traditions, its past, and its prophetic direction, while I see it in the crevices inhabited by those who do not yet feel they belong. I love BYU but do so because in spite of its sometimes administrative blindness to the real issues in society, it too can be sacred ground to people who yearn for a belonging place and a church that sees their pain and their alienation. Place is often what we make of it, but that making comes in many forms, and created by very different individuals. I find it an honor to call Professor Wichman a colleague.
Such a great interview - full of so many wonderful insights.
I do not know Professor Wickman personally though we probably work in the same building. What I do know is that he is a most beloved and respected religious person, and the exact opposite of me. I don't say that negatively, but only to point out that people of faith can be as different as green tea is from orchata. That, of course, has to do with life experiences, and how we've had to navigate different challenges and obstacles. He cannot be me and I cannot be him, but we both can be scholars of faith, both of us believing in the Restoration and the Resurrection. How we negotiate those and how we speak of them is also quite different. While he may see light in poetry and myth, and probably sees his place in the temple (this is all conjecture, of course), I see light in the on-the-ground struggle of marginalized people of faith, and in the humble homes of those I worship with. I'm assuming he sees the beauty of BYU in its traditions, its past, and its prophetic direction, while I see it in the crevices inhabited by those who do not yet feel they belong. I love BYU but do so because in spite of its sometimes administrative blindness to the real issues in society, it too can be sacred ground to people who yearn for a belonging place and a church that sees their pain and their alienation. Place is often what we make of it, but that making comes in many forms, and created by very different individuals. I find it an honor to call Professor Wichman a colleague.