Have you ever had a conversation that you wished you could immediately replay after it finished? I did, after this recording withI James W. Perkinson—theologian, poet, and street activist—exploring what it means to practice political spirituality in an age of ecological collapse. From the embattled streets of Detroit to the ancient wells of biblical memory, Perkinson weaves together insights from Black urban culture, Filipino wisdom, and indigenous teachings to offer a fiercely grounded hope for our unraveling times.
In our riveting back-and-forth covering ground from his book Political Spirituality for a Century of Water Wars The Angel of the Jordan Meets the Trickster of Detroit and beyond, Perkinson shares his remarkable journey from evangelical charismatic to street theologian, shaped by decades of learning from low-income African American communities in Detroit’s inner city, his marriage to a Filipina scholar, and deepening relationships with indigenous teachers. Through his involvement in Detroit’s water wars—where emergency managers imposed by the state shut off water to thousands of predominantly Black households—Perkinson discovered water not merely as a resource, but as ancestor, portal, and rebel.
Our conversation explores several key themes:
- The Bible as “a book of weather” – Perkinson reveals Jesus as a “water warrior” and uncovers indigenous wisdom buried beneath layers of state-sponsored text
- Ancient resistance to empire – How the Hebrew scriptures preserve a minority report of peoples who lived symbiotically with the land before extractive city-states
- Ecological pedagogy in scripture – From the Exodus narrative as de-imperializing journey to the Sabbath-Jubilee tradition as teaching sustainable relationship with land
- The overwhelming scale of crisis – Grappling with the 60-145 million indigenous people killed in the Americas and our daily extinction of 100-200 species without falling into justification or collapse
- “Walking on two legs” – Perkinson’s practice of responding to immediate emergencies while asking deeper questions about ultimate aims
- Animist re-enchantment as resistance – How developing personal relationships with the more-than-human world becomes both spiritual practice and political action
Throughout our dialogue, Perkinson challenges the assumption that technological progress equals moral progress, arguing instead that we need to learn from cultures with track records of living sustainably in place for generations. His work in Detroit includes everything from delivering water to families facing shutoffs to developing relationships with red cardinals outside his window—practices that have taught him to listen to the more-than-human world in revolutionary ways.
The episode concludes with Perkinson’s vision for urban dwellers seeking to reconnect with wild nature and ancient wisdom traditions. His work challenges listeners to become “seeds”—people worth descending from—who plant ourselves in the soil of this moment for futures we may never see, but nonetheless can prepare for.
Watch here!
To find more about James Perkinson’s poetry, insights, and work in the world, please check out his online home.
Related posts:
Where the Trickster Meets the Angel: Animist Readings for Apocalyptic Times
Troubling the Waters: The Revolutionary Power of Creative Love | Jennifer Helminski
Changing the World with Faith, Hope & Love: Ecology, Identity, Class & Solidarity in the Way of Jesus with Joerg Rieger!
Christ and Antichrist: Matthew Fox on Democracy, Joy, and Spiritual Resistance
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