Shalomic Imagination • dwight j. friesen

Humanity Through Community: Healing the Racial Divide

MHGS is hosting an important daylong race and ethnicity workshop on Thursday, November 12th, for all faculty, staff, students, alumni, and our significant others. The workshop seeks to acknowledge the voices of MHGS faculty, staff, students, alumni, and significant others

Dwight J. Friesen October 29, 2009January 13, 2021

Conversation with Moltmann

One of the thrills of my life – thus far – was to share space with Professor Jürgen Moltmann. It was a great privilege to hear professor Moltmann tell his story of being held as a prisoner of war in

Dwight J. Friesen October 23, 2009January 14, 2021

Green Bean Lost to Fire

Last night a fire broke out in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood destroying four buildings, including the GreenBean Coffee House where a number of my friends work; Taproot Theater also suffered damage. I am deeply saddened by this loss and my heart

Dwight J. Friesen October 23, 2009January 13, 2021

Film, Faith & Justice

Last week was The Other Journal’s annual Film, Faith & Justice forum. And as with previous years, I found myself drawn into hope. This year I could only attend one evening of the forum but I was able to met

Dwight J. Friesen October 21, 2009January 13, 2021

envision ’09

PRESS RELEASE for envision ’09 Evangelical, Mainline Theologians Gather in DC to Rethink Freedom and Faith (Washington, DC) – As unrest in Iran continues to highlight the role of religion in public life overseas and U.S. faith leaders of diverse

Dwight J. Friesen June 24, 2009January 13, 2021

Thy Kingdom Connected

So my first solo book now has cover art. And is listed on Amazon.com for pre-order. How cool is that? What do you think, is my name big enough? Seriously though, I’m a little concerned about the image of the

Dwight J. Friesen June 12, 2009September 9, 2022

Seattle’s Ecumenical World Café

Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen May 1, 2009May 8, 2022

faith & justice conversation in & for Seattle

Saturday, May 16th 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM “Come Holy Spirit! Come!” for millennia Christians have given voice to this prayer. Across traditions, denomination; on the week before the Church remembers the first Pentecost Christ-followers from many traditions will gather

Dwight J. Friesen April 21, 2009May 6, 2022

philbert kalisa

Last night in during Essential Community (a course I team-teach at MHGS) we were privileged to have Philbert Kalisa (pictured in the light colored polo shirt) from Rwanda join us. In the wake of the Rwanda’s genocide in the 1990s

Dwight J. Friesen January 23, 2009June 17, 2022

Envision 2008

A very interesting, and I think very important conversation is about to take place around “the Gospel, politics & the future.” Here is an excerpt from an email my friend Keelan Downton sent this morning. “This June 8-10, scholars, artists,

Dwight J. Friesen May 6, 2008January 13, 2021

fire strikes “simple way”

This morning a seven alarm fire swept through Philadelphia’s “Simple Way” monastic community. Eight families are currently homeless, numerous cars were lost, the Simple Way has lost its community center, Shane Claiborne and Jesce Walz have lost all of their

Dwight J. Friesen June 20, 2007January 13, 2021

toward reconciliation 2.0

On this the first Sunday of Advent when followers of “the Way” join in a liturgy of anticipation for the coming of Emmanuel – God with us – we are reminded that in the face of separation God offered God’s

Dwight J. Friesen December 3, 2006September 26, 2022

Invitation to Repentance

I join Rose Swetman, Scot McKnight, and others in inviting Mark Driscoll and the leadership of Mars Hill Church into conversation to seek God in reconciliation. Please read, Rose’s Open Letter thoughtfully and prayerfully. Peace, dwight _ _ _ _

Dwight J. Friesen November 16, 2006September 26, 2022

Domestic Violence, the Church & Theology

There is an important forum coming up in Seattle exploring domestic violence and the church’s role. The forum will bring together pastors, educators and activists from the greater Seattle area to address how the Christian church is preventing the issue

Dwight J. Friesen October 9, 2006November 15, 2020

Hildegard of Bingen

Today is Earth Day, a global invitation to grow in awareness of our shared ecosystem which holds all life. I thought I’d share these beautiful words/images from medieval mystic, Benedictine abbess, artist, theologian, and poet, Hildegard von Bingen. Hildegard was

Dwight J. Friesen April 22, 2006September 21, 2022

A Story of Violence

As my eyes are opening to the magnitude of domestic violence as a great cultural concern and a great concern within the church, I thought I’d pass along a link to powerful a radio interview where Dr. Nancy Murphy shares

Dwight J. Friesen April 8, 2006November 15, 2020

interfaith declaration on domestic violence

Yesterday in Washington DC a declaration was signed by religious and spiritual leaders to address violence against women. More than 40 leaders from different faith traditions and from around the country declared violence against women as intolerable and pledged their

Dwight J. Friesen April 6, 2006January 13, 2021

world water day

Today is the international observance of World Water Day. World Water Day is a nearly 15 year old initiative that grew out of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Check out the World Council of Churches statement on

Dwight J. Friesen March 22, 2006May 12, 2022

christianity & violence

Here’s a helpful essay by Miroslav Volf, titled “Christianity and Violence.” Volf delivered this as the 2002 Boardman Lectureship in Christian Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania.Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen January 18, 2006May 12, 2022

International Day of Peace

Today is the Day for Peace I invite you to take a few moments to attend to this address by Kofi Annan. Many people around the world are observing a minute of silence in prayer for peace at noon today.

Dwight J. Friesen September 21, 2005September 30, 2022

Getting Ready for Peace

Tomorrow (9/21) is the International Day of Peace. “The day,” according to Kofi Annan “is meant to be a day of global cease-fire. I call on all countries and all people to stop all hostilities for the entire day. I

Dwight J. Friesen September 20, 2005June 9, 2022

glósóli

Paragraph If you haven’t already seen this music video from the Icelandic band, Sigur Ros, take a few moments to receive it. Tim introduced it to me last night. Glósóli music video The music video to Glósóli from ‘Takk…’: Windows

Dwight J. Friesen September 19, 2005June 9, 2022

Hurricane Katrina

The photos, news coverage and personal stories of the devastation in the wake of hurricane Katrina are truly overwhelming – my heart and mind are heavy with suffering, loss, pain, and just chaos so many are experiencing. From the loss of loved

Dwight J. Friesen September 1, 2005October 3, 2022

exploiting body & soul

Jennifer Goodson (one of my colleagues at MHGS) just publishing a powerful article titled: “Exploiting Body and Soul” in Sojourners. peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen August 17, 2005May 7, 2022

tragic news, Brother Roger has been killed

90 year old Brother Roger – spiritual father to countless Christ-followers throughout the world and the founder and Abbott of the Taizé Community – was killed during evening prayers yesterday, Tuesday August 16th, 2005 and he died immediately (read more). May the Peace of Christ

Dwight J. Friesen August 17, 2005May 12, 2022

Beyond Indifference

Here is a short clip of Elie Wiesel urging us to move beyond indifference – “fight indifference”. It seems to me that indifference is the fuel powering power. Indifference when combined with fear makes tyranny almost inevitable. Incarnate-grace may be the Christ response.

Dwight J. Friesen August 1, 2005September 9, 2022

“Opposite of Free Love”

You’ve got to check out this article sex trafficking by Jennifer Goodson: The Opposite of Free Love: Dispatches from the World of Human Trafficking. www.protectionproject.org www.awid.org www.protest4.com peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen July 20, 2005September 12, 2022

faith & race

Eugene Cho and Q-Seattle are hosting a conference addressing Faith & Race with Bob Ekblad. One of the great opportunities for today’s white – majority culture – church is to step with even greater intentionality and resolve into conversations exploring the

Dwight J. Friesen July 6, 2005November 3, 2022

Relational Hell?

If you have visited my site before than you know that I take pretty seriously the notion that relations form identity. I would go so far to say that understanding of self is impossible without the other. As I sit

Dwight J. Friesen June 23, 2005January 14, 2021