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dwight j. friesen

dwight j. friesen

neighbor | practical theologian | author | he/they

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Author: Dwight J. Friesen

“Join or Die” . A Putnam Documentary

“Join or Die” . A Putnam Documentary

Last year, Join or Die was released. The film explores America’s civic unraveling through the journey of scientist Robert Putnam – of Bowling Alone fame – whose research on the decline in American community lights a path out of our

Dwight J. Friesen February 8, 2024February 7, 2024

Faith For Cities

Faith For Cities

I’m joining Chris Elisara and the folks at Faith for Cities seeking to harness multi-faith insights and actions in the face of an unparalleled era of urbanization. As we know more than eight out of people people on the planet

Dwight J. Friesen February 7, 2024February 7, 2024

“Fast Car”

“Fast Car”

The performance at last night’s Grammy’s that most pulled me in – and I think – stole the show, was Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs “Fast Car” duet. So beautiful. It was sheer joy to watch Chapman play and sing

Dwight J. Friesen February 5, 2024February 9, 2024

The Future of Theological Education

The Future of Theological Education

Today I get to spend the day at a retreat center East of Seattle with leaders and theologians from The Seattle School exploring our next steps into the future of theological education and ministry formation. So very grateful to the

Dwight J. Friesen February 2, 2024February 2, 2024

Metacrisis . Your Daily Experience of the World Falling Apart

Metacrisis . Your Daily Experience of the World Falling Apart

My colleague Joshua Montoya sent me a link to the above video. It feels so alive inside me. Please watch it and wonder about it. What is the invitation coming to you, and yours. “The metacrisis is your daily experience of

Dwight J. Friesen February 1, 2024February 2, 2024

Multi-Faith Side Events . COP28

Multi-Faith Side Events . COP28

Speakers: James Bhagwan, Julia Rensburg, Tara van Ryneveld. Remove: Episcopal Nana Firman & Meryne Warah, H.E. President Wavel Ramkalawa Islamic Dev Bank/Islamic Solidarity Fund, Phoebe Chatfield Faiths for a Just Transition: Bottom up & Systemic Approaches from Affected Communities 🌍

Dwight J. Friesen January 31, 2024January 31, 2024

Multi-Faith Presence @ COP28

Multi-Faith Presence @ COP28

While I wasn’t able to attend COP28 in person, it’s been so great to the reports from my multi-faith colleagues about the remarkable advancement in the active participation of world’s faiths, religions, and spiritualities in the conversation. 84-85% of the

Dwight J. Friesen January 30, 2024January 30, 2024

Middle Kids

Middle Kids

I was recently introduced to an Australian band who go by “Middle Kids.” Their latest record Faith Crisis Pt 1 will be released the middle of next month. I have been listening to all of their stuff online and am

Dwight J. Friesen January 28, 2024January 28, 2024

Learning Community This Weekend

Learning Community This Weekend

This weekend Today and tomorrow is a Parish Collective Learning Community. Can’t wait. To find out more about these learning communities, visit Parish Collective. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen January 26, 2024January 25, 2024

Bellevue Comprehensive Plan 2044

Bellevue Comprehensive Plan 2044

Bellevue’s Comprehensive Plan is updated about every 10 years. The 2024 update, to guide Bellevue’s development through 2044, is now underway. The update includes an environmental impact statement as a requirement of the State Environmental Policy Act. The EIS includes

Dwight J. Friesen January 24, 2024January 22, 2024

The Bible Intentionally Mistranslated

The Bible Intentionally Mistranslated

1946 is a feature documentary following the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. The film chronicles the discovery of never-before-seen archives at Yale

Dwight J. Friesen January 23, 2024January 22, 2024

Trevor Powers . Youth Lagoon

Trevor Powers . Youth Lagoon

Prizefighter by Youth Lagoon (aka Trevor Powers) Hope you filled the sky at nighttime Diamond in the ring don’t feed your mind Maybe I never pictured bad times Brother in drugstore falls behind He’s got knuckles that no longer fit

Dwight J. Friesen January 22, 2024January 21, 2024

Mennonites Singing for Cease-Fire

Mennonites Singing for Cease-Fire

Earlier this week – Tuesday, I think – a couple of hundred Anabaptists convened in the House of Representatives’ Cannon House Office Building, in Washington DC, to call for a permanent cease-fire in Palestine. The Mennonites sang songs of peace

Dwight J. Friesen January 21, 2024January 21, 2024

SDGs & Religion . Free eBook

SDGs & Religion . Free eBook

On the Significance of Religion for the SDGs: An Introduction, by Dr Christine Schliesser, is part of Routledge’s “Religion Matters” series. And it is available for free as an eBook on Amazon. I’m not sure whether this is permanently free

Dwight J. Friesen January 20, 2024January 20, 2024

Spirituality & Polycrisis

Spirituality & Polycrisis

Some of the people of faith I’ve been collaborating with to activate our respective traditions to engage the SDGs for a more sustainable urban future for all everything alongside UN-Habitat and the World Economic Forum have just published a new

Dwight J. Friesen January 19, 2024January 19, 2024

Grenz Lecture 2024 . Tonight

Grenz Lecture 2024 . Tonight

This lecture series is offered in honor of the great Stanley J. Grenz; former Professor at The Seattle School, (then known as Mars Hill Graduate School). Stan was a prolific Christian scholar with a pastoral heart and deep intellectual presence.

Dwight J. Friesen January 12, 2024January 10, 2024

Guest Preaching this Sunday

Guest Preaching this Sunday

I am delighted to be invited back to St Luke’s in North Bellevue to preside and preach this weekend. It’s going to be so wonderful to be with this community again. This is the faith community with whom I served

Dwight J. Friesen January 10, 2024January 9, 2024

New Urban Agenda . Best Practices

New Urban Agenda . Best Practices

This 2022 UN-Habitat report highlights of the numerous ways real people, governing bodies, and organizations are acting on the New Urban Agenda. As you may know, the New Urban Agenda is an audacious and beautiful activation of a better urban

Dwight J. Friesen January 9, 2024January 9, 2024

Emerged… an oral history begins

Emerged… an oral history begins

So excited to share the launch of a new podcast co-hosted by Tripp Fuller & Tony Jones, and produced by Josh Gilbert. It’s titled, “Emerged: an oral history of the emerging church movement.” The podcast launched on January 1st, 2024

Dwight J. Friesen January 5, 2024January 8, 2024

“What Was I Made For?”

“What Was I Made For?”

Last night Billie Eilish performed on Saturday Night Live and I thought it was simply beautiful. What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish & Finneas Baird O’Connell I used to float, now I just fall down I used to

Dwight J. Friesen December 17, 2023January 21, 2024

Dwight’s Top Ten Books of 2023

Dwight’s Top Ten Books of 2023

Here’s my top ten list of books from 2023. At the end of each year I reflect on books that I engaged this year that sparked imagination… this is my 24th such list. In some way, each of these books

Dwight J. Friesen December 9, 2023December 13, 2023

Save the Date… WUF12

Save the Date… WUF12

UN-Habitat, World Urban Forum 12 (WUF12), will be assembling around this time next year… November 4-8, 2024. Mark your calendar and begin making plans. I am hoping to convene – or co-convene – two gatherings in Cairo, Egypt to coincide

Dwight J. Friesen November 1, 2023November 1, 2023

Urban October 2023

Urban October 2023

For a number of years now, UN-Habitat has been earmarking the month of October as “Urban October.” Our goal is to draw humanity’s attention our cities in order foster conversation, engagement, and movement toward a better urban future for all

Dwight J. Friesen October 1, 2023October 14, 2023

Dying for Change: Two Loops Model

Dying for Change: Two Loops Model

Systems thinkers, organizational innovators, and localists Deborah Frieze and Margaret Wheatley, with the Berkana Institute, have developed a very helpful model for better understanding the complex process of systems change. Their model – among other things – thoughtfully attends to

Dwight J. Friesen September 13, 2023September 13, 2023

Wowie, Wow, Wow!

Wowie, Wow, Wow!

Well, Sunday was my final Sunday serving at St Luke’s. And today was my final staff meeting. As challenging as transitions can be in the life of any community, this one was so beautiful and warm. It was filled with

Dwight J. Friesen August 29, 2023September 5, 2023

Helpful Reports

Helpful Reports

Here are links to three very helpful UN-Habitat reports reflecting back on 2022. My apologies for not posting these sooner, but here they are: Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen August 27, 2023October 14, 2023

My Time @ St Luke’s Coming to a Close

My Time @ St Luke’s Coming to a Close

If you’re a regular to my site you might recall that I have had the privilege of serving as the “substitute pastor” for an ELCA (Lutheran) community here in Bellevue since January 2022. Even though I am not ordained Lutheran

Dwight J. Friesen August 25, 2023August 25, 2023

“Fake Plastic Trees” . Covers

“Fake Plastic Trees” . Covers

There are few songs that have met me, held me, and helped me get through and keep going when I was in a thin place, quite like Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees.” I love this song. Thank you Thom Yorke! I

Dwight J. Friesen July 31, 2023April 16, 2024

C-TEN Interview

C-TEN Interview

podcast interview “Church after Mars Hill” In this episode, I am hosted and interviewed by Dr Joel Kiekintveld.

Dwight J. Friesen July 18, 2023August 18, 2023

“Like a Prayer” Cover

“Like a Prayer” Cover

Yesterday afternoon, I turned on the radio (KEXP, of course) DJ Eva Walker was in covering for Kevin, I wasn’t there for the beginning of it all, but a most unusual – dare I say sacred – thing was unfolding.

Dwight J. Friesen June 30, 2023June 30, 2023
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Formative Practices

  • Ad Busters
  • Book of Common Prayer
  • Celtic Prayer
  • Center for Action & Contemplation
  • Divine Hours
  • God Space
  • Inner Development Goals (IDGs)
  • Insight Timer
  • Lectionary
  • Sloww
  • Spirituality for Trauma Survivors
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Taize

Linking with Organizations

  • Christian Peacemaker Teams
  • Equal Justice Initiative
  • Jesus Radicals
  • Micah Global
  • Sojourners
  • The Global Church Project
  • The Other Journal
  • The Work of the People

Multifaith & Ecumenical Connections

  • Christian Churches Together
  • Faith Action Network
  • Faith For Cities
  • Interfaith Community Sanctuary
  • National Council of Churches
  • Parliament of the World's Religions
  • The Church Council of Greater Seattle
  • The Pluralism Project
  • World Council of Churches

Podcasts

  • Embedded Church Podcast
  • Friends Like Us
  • On Being
  • Queerology
  • Reality Studies
  • Redemptification Podcast
  • Strong Towns Podcast
  • Talking Headways Podcast
  • Tara Brach
  • The Witness
  • Truth's Table
  • Wild

Rooting in Place

  • Better Cities Films Festival
  • CCDA
  • Center For Environmental Leadership
  • Christ & Cascadia
  • City Observatory
  • Compassionate Citizens
  • Design Justice
  • Making Housing Happen
  • Parish Collective
  • Proximity Project
  • Rooted Good
  • Strong Towns
  • The Good Neighbor Movement
  • UN-Habitat
  • Urban Shalom Society

Shalomic Voices

  • Bob & Gracie Ekblad
  • Brenda Salter McNeil
  • Brian McLaren
  • Cornel West
  • Daniel Schmachtenberger
  • Dominique DuBois Gilliard
  • Eliacin Rosario Cruz
  • Esther Lightcap Meek
  • Eugene Cho
  • Iain McGilchrist
  • James Alison
  • James Howard Kunstler
  • John Vervaeke
  • Jonathan Brooks
  • Jonathan Rowson
  • Jonny Baker
  • José Humphreys
  • Kwok Pui-Lan
  • Leanne Friesen
  • Majora Carter
  • Margaret J. Wheatley
  • Mark Scandrette
  • Micah Bournes
  • Mitzi J. Smith
  • N. T. Wright
  • Peter Block
  • Peter Enns
  • Peter Rollins
  • Peterson Toscano
  • Randy Woodley
  • Romal Tune
  • Soong-Chan Rah
  • Tall Skinny Kiwi
  • Thomas Jay Oord
  • Tim Soerens
  • Tripp Fuller

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