If all philosophy, theology etc. is a form of biography then, have we come to a point where all debate is ad hominem? By a “form of biography” I’m following in the footsteps of William James McLendon and many others
Well, I’m home for one day and then I’m off again. This is not the way my life has usually is… how do people who travel all the time get the everyday stuff done? I spent the last couple of
The other day in a session with a spiritual directee, our conversation led us to explore Divine punctuation. Gracie Allen once said, “Never put a period where God puts a comma.” We seem to endlessly edit God’s text. Maybe God’s
In a 1986 interview with Didier Cahen, Jacques Derrida said, “Narcissism! There is not narcissism and non-narcissism; there are narcissisms that are more or less comprehensive, generous, open, extended. What is called non-narcissism is in general but the economy of
I’ve been wondering a little bit about ‘matter.’ Does anyone know if scientists think that new matter is coming in to existence all the time or is the amount of matter static and only the distribution of matter changes, or
A Daily Prayer by Saint Teresa of Calcutta Dear Jesus, Help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go. Flood our souls with your spirit and life. Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may only
Some penetrating questions were posted in response to some journal entries during Holy Week, and I would like to spend some time engaging them further. Anyone who knows me or something of my narrative, knows that the certainty with which
In-between. Holy Saturday is in many ways, the day of Holy Week most like our day-to-day lives. Holy Saturday is one of those days that Christ-followers may well have looked back on with almost a “now but not yet” sense.
It is Holy Friday. Jesus is dead. And so are the hopes of Jesus’ followers. And when hope moves out, fear and fear’s friends quickly move in. Mary tenderly holds the lifeless body of her son… her little boy. “What
I’ve received a couple of follow-up emails from friends asking what’s prompted my dump of questions in 3/21’s entry. First off, yes, I am well aware of the self-deconstructive tone of my questions. Many of those questions reflect my personal
What is power in a loving relationship? When John Calvin wrote, that he was – among other things – seeking a way for the church to be kept pure without “the Church,” thus there was great safety in the system
Complexity seems to find its fullness in beauty. So I’m not sure I connect as much with the subtle message that complexity is bad and beauty is good. Some people speak of God as a God of order rather than
Last night I had the opportunity to take a few minutes in a class at Mars Hill Grad School to present a boiled-down version of my Scale-Free Kingdom/Churches as Christ-Clusters paradigm. Dr. Bryan Burton who is guiding the theology course
Together with a few friends I am reading a great book called, “The Face of the Deep: a theology of becoming” – by Catherine Keller. The text is witty and wonderfully creative. It’s a feminist, constructivist challenge to the doctrine
Lately I have been challenging the the assumption was raised with that God created the church. Is God drawing people together to live the the way of Jesus? – yes. Was Christ’s statement to Peter about what we now commonly
“Every soul has a will capable of loving God.” St. Francis de Sales Centering Prayer is a practice of prayerful meditation, which prepares us to receive the gift of God’s presence, often referred to as contemplative prayer. It consists of
Here is the latest essay I’ve written in my doctoral studies. Scale-Free Networks as a Structural Hermeneutic for Relational Ecclesiology Peace, dwight
I have a growing sense that moral relativism may be the highest from of morality that exists for Christians. If you are Christ’s (whatever that means) and God’s Spirit is leading you to deny self, love God, others, and creation
The modern epistemological project assumed that systems could be objective, thus making neutrality possible. A more pomo approach might suggest that no system, construct, ideology, etc can be neutral. Semiotically speaking, all systems are a type of language. The systems
Michael Jinkins, writes: “When the church faces the prospect of its own demise (for whatever reasons), it faces a critical moment when its vocation is called into question, when it has the unparalleled opportunity to comprehend and render its life.
I continue to wrestle with what feels like a growing tension between the Missional and Incarnational approaches to life. I may be way of base here, does anyone else feel this tension? Is it just me? I guess when I
I think that of all people of all time I am blessed. God is so good to me. Here I am sitting in my studio, hearing my partner and son singing upstairs, I’m surrounded by great books, and art. Augie
Here is an exciting essay by educator, Grant Wiggins. Entitled: “The Futility of Trying to Teach Everything of Importance.” As I read this article I could help but think of the implications for teaching, preaching and discipleship with the Christ-community.
Aimless Love by Billy Collins This morning as I walked along the lakeshore, I fell in love with a wren and later in the day with a mouse the cat had dropped under the dining room table. In the shadows
A Prayer of Unknowing by Thomas Merton My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really
On Friday l have the opportunity to join Trinity Lutheran College and speak in their chapel. I’ve been asked to speak to the kinds of leaders I sense that the church needs now and into the future. I’m titling my
Go to the Limits of Your Longing by Rainer Maria Rilke God speaks to each of us as he makes us, then walks with us silently out of the night. These are the words we dimly hear: You, sent out
I just saw the documentary, This is What Democracy Looks Like, I posted the trailer above. The film is a look at last year’s protests in Seattle responding to the international gathering of the World Trade Organization Summit. That was
