In Praise of Walking
Science, Theology, and Common Sense Do that bumping-into-each-other Dance
In This Episode:
Tomsées: An ancient journal entry sheds light on automobile dependence
What Happened? We hold a talk on walking in which we walk and talk
What’s next? A concert (mayb-s), a hang out (mos-def), a new journal (fer-shur)
Tomsées
In which I share a short take on Christ and culture.*
Take the High Road
Before chariots were democratized into automobiles only the high and mighty used them. If you had wheels before the 19th Century, you were either walking beside a beast of burden, or you were carted around in a slightly less rugged royal carriage.
The chariots, though! They were always powerful, fast, and invincible, kind of like one of those S.W.A.T. mini-tanks with a lot more style.
Recently a journal entry from around 60 A.D. surfaced offering atmospheric details of these thrones-on-wheels:
-from The Royal Carriages block, Garsemot Kandake Palace
All honor be to my Queen. She gave me a week off for the festivals up at Jerusalem. A solemn and uplifting event, I must say, except for the “wall-to-wall-people” Abba always groused about. I sought some solitude and drove out to the villages. I put the rig in Park. I needed to think, to work something out from the sacred writings, my latest preoccupation. It would’ve made mother happy to know her son of officiousness was taking an interest in religion. How I miss them both.
I was puzzling over this “suffering servant” bit in the prophet. A scum dog who’s slaughtered turns out to be some kind of hero? Not in my world. The Jews had some weird ideas. On the other hand, to be frank, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the palace bozos who put an end to my manhood. For what? To make a servant out of me, a safe bet around all of Candace’s babes? But there you have it.
I had been hearing rumblings from the marketplaces throughout Judea: Some hubbub over a carpenter turned miracle-worker who got himself skewered on a cross. Worst death ever, poor guy. Those Romans are crueler than any characters I encountered down in Ethiopia. Worse luck than mine.
So, I’m thinking in the cockpit. Then this over-enthusiastic guy yells up to me, “What you reading, boss?” I yell down, “Oh this? Isaiah the prophet. Know it?” He goes, “Yeah! Do you get it?” I say, “Ha, not really!” So he offers to explain it to me. He climbs up for a little book group, or so I thought.
Phillip (that was his name) starts connecting the dots for me. Earnest but not too annoying. I suggest we take a cruise. So now we’re rolling along, and at some point it hits me: This sad sack I was reading about is the very one who got killed in Jerusalem. Which is exactly what Phil was trying to tell me. He claimed that hundreds of people saw this fellow, called Jesus, after his crucifixion. Risen from the dead? Suffering servant becomes invincible? Wow, okay…
It made Hebrew sense, and I wanted to believe it. I guess that’s where my faith started. Phil says, “Here’s a creek. What’s the harm in you getting baptized just like any other penitent?” “Nothing, man!” I was surprised at how quickly I responded to such a humbling move. So down we go off the chariot.
I may have been made a eunuch by those brutes in Candace’s court, but this friendly Jew led me to a wholeness and vitality I only dreamed could be true. I knew in my heart a messiah was real, and now I felt as though I knew him. So weird, but I can’t deny the feeling.
Next, I’m drying off with a linen towel from my captain’s kit. I look around, and the dude is gone. Vamoosed! Chariots of the gods? Is that even a thing? Can these followers of Jesus just vanish into thin air? I should’ve been freaked out, but I was too giddy for that.
Now what’ll I do? I mean with this battle axe on wheels? Courage, soldier. You need to ask Candace for a walking beat, something a bit more “vincible.” I mean, I appreciate the court assignment, but I want to walk slow, on the ground with regular people. I doubt Yeshua drove a chariot, or needs one now. Apparently Phillip doesn’t. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m about to turn in the keys.
Your Need a (Poetic) License for That!
Of course you know by now that I fabricated this so-called discovery. It’s my re-telling of a scene from the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 8. The transport details are not the main point of the passage, but I’ve always found them fascinating, and in a deep sense they do point out the implications of how we carry (carriage) ourselves.
Just think how driving versus walking affects how you interact with other people.
I cut this fragment from from my talk last Friday (see below). Even without it my 12 minute slot ended up going 15 1/2 minutes. The audience was very attentive, but I didn’t want to presume too much upon their patience.
What Happened?
Why Drive When You Can Walk? Part 2 of the Practicing Vincibility Series | May 9th, 2025
My job was to take a stab at a weird combo: The science and theology of walking, what one author has called “God’s MPH.” I like that because it speaks to the very basic Christian conviction that God walked among us in the form of Jesus of Nazareth. Thus he not only rescues our sorry selves from our brokenness but also dignifies our very existence as earthlings.
You can listen to how I mashed that sort of theological understanding with the scientific findings of Shane O’Mara in his fascinating book In Praise of Walking.
I showed slides that accompanied eight particularly wild ways walking works wonders. Emily Nixon shared slides and reflections on having walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and Laura Pauls-Thomas showed us what’s being done in Lancaster to make walking safer, easier, and lovelier. We capped the night with a walk to Quips pub!
Our May forum sponsor:
Next Up!
What’s Around the Corner at The Row House, Inc.
1. The Front Porch Journal, #25
Presently we’re taking submissions at Row House HQ. Got something you want to say about anything related to contemporary culture and/or Christian faith?
2. End of Year Partnership Campaign
By June 30th we hope to end our fiscal year in the black. If you’re not yet a Member or Sponsor, we hope you’ll consider it. Stay tuned for more detail$ and our goals.
3. Our first Second Story hang time!
If you’ve missed of any of our Forums, or if you just want to unpack more of our topics with other Row House partners, Second Story is for you. Based on a recent survey, we found out that there’s some interest in providing a more relaxed, unscripted sort of hang time for catching up with recent topics and each other.
So, plan to join us at the big table in the new (and amazing) coffee bar at
WestArt Community Center
816 Buchanan Ave., Lancaster
Sat., July 12th | 5:30-7:00 PM
Enjoy some light fare, a hand-crafted coffee drink, or a beer from Pour Man’s Brewing.
Tickets are coming soon. Please mark your calendar.
4. Concert at WestArt?
Don’t quote us yet, but a Philly band made up of serious musicians contacted us about hosting a show in late July. We’ll let you know if things progress. In the meantime…
Don’t forget to ❤️ this column, make a comment, or share this post with a friend. See you soon!
*Tomsées is a nod to Pensées, an eclectic collection of writings by Blaise Pascal which was a work of apologetics for the Christian faith, published posthumously in 1670. If you please, you can pronounce it “Tom says.”