To rewild as a Christian man is to remember who you were before the world domesticated you—and to return to harmony with God, self, creation, and all living things. It’s a sacred act of recovery: of your rootedness, your instincts, your place in the ecology of God’s world. Both rewilding principles and scripture deeply affirm this journey.
Here’s a vision of what that might look like:
🌿 1. Reconnect to the Earth as Sacred
Genesis 2:7 – “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground…”
Psalm 104 – A vivid song of the wild world God sustains.
Rewilding Principle: Rewilding is about relationship—not domination. It’s recognizing that the land is not a backdrop to your life—it is your life.
Practice:
- Spend time barefoot on the earth. Touch the soil that formed you.
- Observe wild animals without agenda. Watch, listen, learn.
- Learn the native plants, trees, birds, and cycles where you live.
- Give thanks daily—not just for “stuff,” but for clouds, wind, soil, breath.
🐾 2. Let Go of Control and Embrace Mystery
Job 38–39 – “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?…”
Ecclesiastes 11:5 – “As you do not know the path of the wind… so you cannot understand the work of God.”
Rewilding Principle: True wildness can’t be controlled or tamed. Rewilding means de-domesticating the soul—letting go of the illusion of control.
Practice:
- Fast from convenience and artificial noise.
- Sit in wild places with no phone, no plan—just presence.
- Welcome mystery as part of God’s way.
- Trust the Spirit in the wilderness, like Jesus did.
🔥 3. Recover Your Embodied, Instinctual Self
1 Kings 19 – Elijah hears God not in fire or storm but in a gentle whisper after walking 40 days into the wild.
Romans 12:1 – “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice…”
Rewilding Principle: You are not just a brain in a box. Your instincts, senses, and body were created good. To rewild is to honor your wholeness.
Practice:
- Move your body through landscape: climb, crawl, hike, rest.
- Eat real, whole food close to the earth.
- Learn primitive skills—not to “survive,” but to remember how to be.
- Bless your body—it is dust and divine breath.
🌳 4. Reclaim Your Place in the Web of Creation
Romans 8:19–22 – “Creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed…”
Colossians 1:16–17 – “All things were created through Him and for Him… and in Him all things hold together.”
Rewilding Principle: You are not above nature—you are within it. A Christian man doesn’t rule nature; he belongs to it, as a steward, brother, and servant.
Practice:
- Pray not just for people, but for rivers, animals, forests.
- Seek relationships with land as you would with people.
- Tend a piece of earth. Heal it. Let it heal you.
- Ask: “How can I be good kin to this place today?”
🛶 5. Walk the Wild Way of Christ
Luke 5:16 – “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Mark 1:13 – “He was in the wilderness forty days, with wild animals…”
John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd…”
Jesus wasn’t a temple priest. He was a wandering teacher, storyteller, healer—a wild man who walked dusty paths, slept outside, noticed lilies, fed multitudes with fish and bread, and wept over cities that forgot their place in creation.
To rewild as a Christian man is to follow Jesus out of the tame systems of empire, into the wilderness of deeper knowing.
🔄 Summary: Five Rewilding Paths for the Christian Man
| Path | Scripture | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Reconnect to Earth | Genesis 2, Psalm 104 | Barefoot prayer, observe wildlife |
| Embrace Mystery | Job 38, Ecclesiastes 11 | Sit in silence, release control |
| Embody Instinct | 1 Kings 19, Romans 12 | Move, eat, and live as fully human |
| Rejoin Creation | Romans 8, Colossians 1 | Care for land, honor kinship with nature |
| Follow Wild Christ | Luke 5, Mark 1 | Walk slow, pray wild, love wide |