Pantheism & Prayer

Pantheism & Prayer

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety when the very idea of God feels impossible? This episode of Father Bill W. takes that challenge head-on, as Father Bill and fellow Episcopal priest in recovery, Father James R, chat their way through John Caputo’s “What to Believe?”—focusing on pantheism and prayer. The conversation is aimed squarely at people in 12‑Step recovery who struggle with the “God problem” yet know their lives depend on some kind of spiritual solution.

You’ll hear them joke about being “older than dirt” and “radical hats”, but beneath the humour is a serious attempt to rethink how a Higher Power might work for real alcoholics and addicts. Pantheism is unpacked in very down-to-earth terms. As Caputo puts it, pantheism doesn’t mean “the broken lawnmower in the garage is God,” but that “things have a depth dimension” that’s divine when you really pay attention.

James contrasts “bridge builders” who try to escape this world with “ground diggers” who find holiness right where they are—yes, even in the garage.

They move on to panentheism, summarised with Marcus Borg’s phrase: “God is everything and then some.” Father Bill adds his own line that hits hard for anyone in recovery: “You cannot be where God is not, but you can think you are.” That false sense of separation is described as a kind of insanity that sobriety slowly heals. Prayer is treated less as a religious performance and more as honest relationship.

Caputo’s view that “praying is not trying to get something, but letting it get us” fits naturally with Two Way Prayer and Step 11. They talk about praying when you feel nothing, being brutally honest (“I don’t feel connected”), and trusting that “God is not far,” even if you’re swearing your way into the conversation.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your Higher Power can stretch beyond “the guy in the sky” and still support your recovery, this one might be worth your time—what image of God are you actually sober with today?