Dwight J. Friesen • dwight j. friesen

My Review of Thomas Jay Oord’s New Book

My Review of “A Systematic Theology of Love, vol. 1” Thomas Jay Oord. A Systematic Theology of Love: God and Creation. Volume 1. Collector’s Edition. Grasmere, ID: SacraSage Press, 2026. This review was first published on Tom Oord’s Substack. Peace,

Dwight J. Friesen July 14, 2026July 14, 2026

The Suburban Fall of Icarus

There are few activities more suburban than climbing onto your roof with a leaf blower. Somewhere, I imagine, the American Dream has this scene framed on a wall: tidy house, clean gutters, well-maintained yard, a Saturday productively spent. Responsible. Respectable.

Dwight J. Friesen July 12, 2026July 12, 2026

A Mary Oliver Kind of Day

Some days seem to know exactly what they are. Friday was one of those days. My partner and I went to see the new Mary Oliver documentary at SIFF near Seattle Center. Before the film, we stopped by KEXP, where

Dwight J. Friesen July 11, 2026July 12, 2026

“The Quilt We Make Together”

The Quilt We Make Together by Dwight J. Friesen No single squareever calls itself the quilt.It arrives offering what only it canits own beautiful history—a worn sleeve,a child’s Sunday dress,a farmer’s shirt softenedby seasons of weather and work.On their ownthey

Dwight J. Friesen July 7, 2026July 7, 2026

Seattle… So Proud of Us

As the final FIFA World Cup crowds begin to drift home, I find myself feeling unexpectedly grateful. Not because Seattle was perfect. It wasn’t… we weren’t. Not because we solved homelessness, transportation, affordability, or the thousand complexities that come with

Dwight J. Friesen July 6, 2026July 7, 2026

“Harmony”

Harmony by Dwight J. Friesen The world keeps asking for a single note.One flag lifted above every other.One story told loud enoughto drown out the rest.One certainty.One tribe.One voice.Yet every spring, the forest declines.The cedar does not become fern.The river

Dwight J. Friesen July 1, 2026June 29, 2026

Thank You, Albany

There are some weekends that leave you tired. And there are weekends that leave you grateful. This was one of the latter. My sincere thanks to the beautiful people of Albany, OR and the community of Albany Mennonite Church for

Dwight J. Friesen June 29, 2026June 29, 2026

Pride, Presence, & the Kin-dom of God

Today many people around the world celebrate Pride. For some, Pride is a parade, a festival, a public affirmation of identity and belonging. For others, it is a remembrance—a recognition of the long struggle for dignity, safety, visibility, and equal

Dwight J. Friesen June 28, 2026June 27, 2026

Faith, Love, & Hope in the Futures Triangle

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13 As I continue to engage conversations about cities, communities, leadership, ecological flourishing, and the future of faith, I find myself

Dwight J. Friesen June 23, 2026June 27, 2026

Soul of the City

One of the most compelling descriptions of Christian identity outside the New Testament comes from an anonymous second-century letter known as The Epistle to Diognetus. Written sometime in the second century, the letter seeks to answer a simple question: Who

Dwight J. Friesen June 22, 2026June 27, 2026

The Courage to Welcome

Today is World Refugee Day. A day set aside to remember more than 120 million people around the globe who have been displaced by war, violence, persecution, climate disruption, and political instability. Yet if we are not careful, the scale

Dwight J. Friesen June 20, 2026June 27, 2026

“Breathwork”

Breathwork by Dwight J. Friesen Before you learned the names of things,before you called anything sacredor ordinary,you were breathing.The first sermonwas not spoken,it entered your lungs.Each inhale:receiving what you did not create.Each exhale:returning what was never yours to keep.The trees

Dwight J. Friesen June 17, 2026June 17, 2026

Gathering with West Coast Anabaptists

Next week, I’ll have the privilege of joining the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference Annual Meeting. As someone formed by the Mennonite tradition—while also finding a home among Lutherans, Episcopalians, emergents, evangelicals, urban practitioners, and ecumenical communities—these gatherings always feel a

Dwight J. Friesen June 16, 2026June 17, 2026

Ecological Vision of Human Flourishing

Seeing the Forest, Not Just the Tree Many of us were taught to think about human development as something that happens inside an individual. When a child struggles in school, we ask what is wrong with the child. When a

Dwight J. Friesen June 15, 2026June 15, 2026

Fun with Colleagues

Every so often I get to be part of a conversation that doesn’t offer easy answers, but instead opens new questions worth living into. This webinar was one of those gifts. Together with Joel Kiekintveld and psychologist Paul Hoard, we

Dwight J. Friesen June 4, 2026July 9, 2026

WUF13 . Faith Pavilion Call to Action

As conversations from the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum continue to ripple outward, we are witnessing a growing global recognition that housing is far more than infrastructure or economics. Housing is about dignity, belonging, safety, community, resilience, and

Dwight J. Friesen May 26, 2026June 3, 2026

Thank You Baku & WUF13

The 13th Session of the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan felt like one of those moments when new possibilities were opening up. Over the course of WUF13, more than 53,000 participants from 176 countries gathered under the theme “Housing

Dwight J. Friesen May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

Free Download from Faith for Cities

Participants gathering at World Urban Forum 13 know that the future of our cities will require more than policy, infrastructure, and technology alone. Sustainable urban futures also require meaning, moral imagination, community trust, and shared purpose. This is where faith

Dwight J. Friesen May 7, 2026May 8, 2026

Thanks . Chicago, Little Village, & Lovers of Place

This year’s Inhabit Conference 2026, hosted by Lawndale Christian Community Church on Chicago’s West Side, felt less like a conference and more like a homecoming—an embodied reminder of what it means to live, love, and witness in the Way of

Dwight J. Friesen May 4, 2026May 7, 2026

“The Great Divide”

The Great Divide by Noah Kahan I can’t recall the last time that we talkedAbout anything but looking out for copsWe got cigarette burns in the same side of our hands, we ain’t friendsWe’re just morons, who broke skin in

Dwight J. Friesen April 30, 2026July 11, 2026

The Jesus Way Confession

A Confession for Such a Time as This We are living in a moment of rupture. Across our neighborhoods and nations, the fractures are visible—political, racial, ecological, ecclesial. Many who bear the name “Christian” are increasingly entangled with power, exclusion,

Dwight J. Friesen April 27, 2026May 4, 2026

Christian Charter on Sacred-Civic Placemaking

What if followers of Jesus were known not primarily for what we opposed, but for how we helped places flourish? What if churches, faith-based organizations, civic leaders, neighborhood associations, artists, planners, business owners, educators, and community organizers could discover a

Dwight J. Friesen April 18, 2026June 18, 2026

Urban Gems Podcast

I’m grateful to share the book launch party episode of a new podcast connected to a meaningful project—Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and Its People, edited by my friend and colleague, Dr. Joel S. Kiekintveld. This book

Dwight J. Friesen April 13, 2026April 13, 2026

Thomas’ Healing Touch?

The Scripture reading & sermon begins at 18:05. This morning I was thrilled to be back with the St Luke’s community in Bellevue. I had the gift of preaching on the first Sunday after Easter—a day when the Church turns

Dwight J. Friesen April 12, 2026April 13, 2026

Multifaith Pavilion @ WUF13

What does your faith tradition have to say about housing, homelessness, and the future of our cities? More than you might think — and there is now a global stage to say it. This May, I’ll be heading to Baku,

Dwight J. Friesen April 10, 2026April 10, 2026

From Networks to Ecology

Sometimes the most meaningful ideas don’t begin as fully formed theories, but as quiet questions that linger after the “official” learning has ended. This little article, From Networks to Ecology, began that way. Toward the end of a class—after the

Dwight J. Friesen March 18, 2026April 13, 2026

Remembering Dr. John Perkins

“The gospel of Jesus is about reconciliation—reconciliation with God and reconciliation with one another.”— John M. Perkins I am grieving the death of Dr. John Perkins. Dr. Perkins died on March 13, 2026, at the age of 95. My heart

Dwight J. Friesen March 14, 2026March 14, 2026

Inhabit Conference . May 1-2, 2026

There’s a conference I keep coming back to, and this year I want to invite you to come with me. On May 1–2, 2026, Parish Collective is hosting their annual Inhabit Conference at Lawndale Community Church in Chicago, IL —

Dwight J. Friesen February 10, 2026April 10, 2026

Grenz Lecture 2026 . Dr. Gary F. Green II

The Seattle School is hosting its 13th annual Grenz Lecture, on Friday, January 9th at 6:00PM, 2026. This year’s lecturer is Rev. Dr. Gary F. Green II. Rev. Dr. Green is the associate professor of Pastoral Theology and Social Transformation and

Dwight J. Friesen January 7, 2026January 7, 2026

Michael Bennett’s Religious Space (In)version

Night Chapel is a timber reimagining of religious institutional architecture transformed into a connective spiritual practice. Created by Michael Bennett in collaboration with Studio Kër, the installation offers sacred space for healing, reflection, and communal presence, deeply rooted in the

Dwight J. Friesen December 16, 2025January 8, 2026

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