University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Geography ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 4-12-2019 ENGAGING SACRED SPACE AND EXPERIENCING GOD IN THE MOUNTAINS: A STUDY OF THE NON- TRADITIONAL WORSHIP ENVIRONMENT OF MOUNTAIN CATHEDRALS, AN ECUMENICAL MEETUP GROUP BASED IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO Brendan Isaiah Nixon University of New Mexico Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/geog_etds Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Catholic Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Human Geography Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, New Religious Movements Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, Other Geography Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons, and the Tourism Commons Recommended Citation Nixon, Brendan Isaiah. "ENGAGING SACRED SPACE AND EXPERIENCING GOD IN THE MOUNTAINS: A STUDY OF THE NON-TRADITIONAL WORSHIP ENVIRONMENT OF MOUNTAIN CATHEDRALS, AN ECUMENICAL MEETUP GROUP BASED IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO." (2019). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/geog_etds/45 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Geography ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Brendan Isaiah Nixon Candidate Geography and Environmental Studies Department This thesis is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Thesis Committee: Dr. John Carr , Chairperson Dr. K. Maria D. Lane Dr. Kathleen Holscher ii ENGAGING SACRED SPACE AND EXPERIENCING GOD IN THE MOUNTAINS: A STUDY OF THE NON-TRADITIONAL WORSHIP ENVIRONMENT OF MOUNTAIN CATHEDRALS, AN ECUMENICAL MEETUP GROUP BASED IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO by BRENDAN ISAIAH NIXON B.A., PHILOSOPHY AND GEOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 2014 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Geography The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico May 2019 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the University of New Mexico and the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies for supporting and funding this project. Further thanks and gratitude is extended to Dr. John Carr, my advisor, for walking me through the process of academic research and being a strong voice for this project. I would also like to thank current and past members of my thesis committee: Dr. Maria Lane, Dr. Kathleen Holscher, and Dr. Lindsay Smith who were instrumental in providing guidance, feedback, and support in creating, developing, and completing this project. Beyond academia, I would like to give significant thanks to Rev. Melissa Madara in your willingness to allow me to study Mountain Cathedrals and supporting me through the process. Likewise, to all those faithful hikers that I climbed mountains with, talked to, learned from, and interviewed throughout this process—thank you! Finally, I would like to thank my wife Emma, my family, friends, and coworkers for supporting me and allowing me to pursue this project. It is my hope that I have portrayed the views of the contemporary and past Christian church, hikers, and fellow geographers with respect and uprightness for the furthering of each of your callings. iv ENGAGING SACRED SPACE AND EXPERIENCING GOD IN THE MOUNTAINS: A STUDY OF THE NON-TRADITIONAL WORSHIP ENVIRONMENT OF MOUNTAIN CATHEDRALS, AN ECUMENICAL MEETUP GROUP BASED IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO by BRENDAN ISAIAH NIXON B.A., PHILOSOPHY AND GEOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 2014 M.S., GEOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 2019 ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the non-traditional Christian worship site of Mountain Cathedrals in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I argue that affectual and emotional responses are elicited from the congregants of Mountain Cathedrals through the process of sacralization. It is shown that Christian worship in a non-traditional outdoor setting affects the ways in which the congregants engage with, participate in, and create sacred space. I survey current literatures of sacred space, the contemporary Christian church, and non-traditional worships spaces. Using the literature as a backdrop, I utilize Mountain Cathedrals as a case study for understanding the ways in which sacred space is created in a non- traditional Christian worship environment. Through this research, the voice of geography is brought into conversations of sacred space. The study is centered upon the voices of the congregants and their worship experiences with Mountain Cathedrals. This in contrast to many studies that had focused on the clergy, architecture, or history of the Christian church. I utilized observation, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews to v collect data and found that the sacred space of Mountain Cathedrals is sacralized via practice, shared experience, sensuous experience, and sacred fusion. Keywords: affect, emotion, religious geography, sacred space, Christianity vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... viii 1. INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1 1.1 Project Description................................................................................................3 1.2 Research Question(s) ............................................................................................3 2. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................4 2.1 Christianity and the Worship Centers of Albuquerque, New Mexico ..................5 2.2 Mountain Cathedrals .............................................................................................7 3. LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................................12 3.1 The Creation of Sacred Space: Emotional and Affectual Geography in Regard to Sacred Space and Places of Worship .................................................................14 3.2 Current Phenomena in Traditional Christian Spaces of Worship ......................23 3.3 Non-traditional Spaces of Worship ....................................................................31 3.4 Gaps and Shortcomings within the Literature and Conversation ......................39 4. RESEARCH DESIGN .................................................................................................41 4.1 Research Question(s) ..........................................................................................41 4.2 Data Collection ...................................................................................................41 4.3 Data Analysis .....................................................................................................42 4.4 Resources and Resource Access .........................................................................43 4.5 Statement of Ethics .............................................................................................44 5. RESULTS .....................................................................................................................45 5.1 Relations with the Non-human Built Environment ............................................51 vii 5.2 Relations with Liturgy ........................................................................................56 5.3 Affective and Emotional Experiences within Mountain Cathedrals ...................60 5.4 Weaknesses and Limitations ...............................................................................76 6. DISCUSSION ...............................................................................................................78 6.1 Ramifications of the Study..................................................................................78 6.2 The Sacred Space of Mountain Cathedrals .........................................................81 7. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................83 8. APPENDICES ..............................................................................................................84 Appendix A. Clergy Interview Questions ................................................................84 Appendix B. Congregant Interview Questions ........................................................85 Appendix C. Survey Questions .................................................................................86 Appendix D. Mountain Cathedrals Pamphlets and Scriptures .................................88 9. REFERENCES .............................................................................................................98 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Acres Owned by Religious Institutions Figure 2. Albuquerque Christian Churches by Church Branch Figure 3. Los Lunas Open Space, Los Lunas, NM (Photo credit: Isaiah Nixon) Figure 4. Los Lunas Open Space, Los Lunas, NM (Photo credit: Isaiah Nixon) Figure 5. Mount Taylor, Gooseberry Springs Trail, Grants, NM (Photo credit: Isaiah Nixon) Figure 6. Bosque Del Apache, Antonio, NM (Photo credit: Isaiah Nixon) Figure 7. Rinconada