Belden Lane on the Unbroken Desert of God

“[Belden] Lane invites us to see the world around us as nothing less than God around us.”

— James Martin, S.J.

Belden Lane is Professor Emeritus of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University, author of numerous books including The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality and Backpacking with the Saints: Wilderness Hiking as Spiritual Practice. Belden Lane is a true elder, and in our conversation he exhibits that when we  talk about wild places, the rough play and laughter of God, grief after losing a son, what we can learn from trees, and much more.

Visit Belden Lane at his St. Louis University website.

Episode Show Notes Books by Belden Lane

• The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality
• Backpacking with the Saints: Wilderness Hiking as Spiritual Practice
• The Great Conversation: Nature and the Care of the Soul
• Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality
• Landscapes of the Sacred: Geography and Narrative in American Spirituality
• Desert Spirituality and Cultural Resistance: From Ancient Monks to Mountain Refugees (The 2010 J. J. Thiessen Lectures)

Resources & People Mentioned

• Rainer Maria Rilke
• Sayings of the Desert Fathers
• Commentary on the Epistle to The Galatians by Martin Luther
• Showings by Julian of Norwich
• Wendell Berry
• Ed Abbey
• Therese of Liseux
• Mike Bennett
• Douglas E. Christie
• Carl Jung
• Illuman
• Richard Rohr
• The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
• Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī
• Hafez
• Mary Oliver
• David Whyte
• Karl Barth
• Saint Paul the Apostle
• The Insurmountable Darkness of Love: Mysticism, Loss, and the Common Life by Douglas E. Christie
• David the Dendrite

Drink Recommendation

• Wee dram of Jameson Irish Whiskey

Photo from St. Louis University website