Orthoparadoxical Theologizing

MATC Degree

The Seattle School recently filmed and uploaded a couple of Instagram posts describing the school’s MATC degree. Enjoy! Peace, dwight View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Seattle School (@theseattleschool) View this post on Instagram A post

Dwight J. Friesen June 24, 2024July 10, 2024

Guest Preaching on Palm Sunday

This weekend I will be guest preaching at Evergreen Mennonite Church in Kirkland on Seattle’s Eastside. I’ve been handed a lot of narrative to cover, from Christ’s entry into Jerusalem to the his unjust execution. I’m very much looking forward

Dwight J. Friesen March 19, 2024March 19, 2024

Inner Development Goals

If you follow my blog at all, then you know that I am passionate about helping realize the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). I often say that the 17 SDGs are as audacious as they are beautiful and are a

Dwight J. Friesen March 18, 2024May 7, 2024

The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology is Hiring!

My school, The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, is in the process of hiring two full-time core faculty positions, a number of adjunct instructors, plus a handful of other vital roles. If you, or someone you know invests their

Dwight J. Friesen March 12, 2024March 12, 2024

“Evangelical” Doesn’t Mean what it Used To!

My friend Tim likes to says that “words make worlds,” and they do, words are powerful. I just heard my friend Sparrow say, “all transformation is linguistic.” The way we – and those around us – use language makes some

Dwight J. Friesen March 4, 2024March 4, 2024

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

As you may know at the end of 2023 the world observed the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This bold and beautiful series of 30 articles, is a milestone document in the history of human rights.

Dwight J. Friesen March 2, 2024March 4, 2024

Pope Calls for Liturgical Reform

Matthew Santucci of the Catholic New Agency reported yesterday that Pope Francis addressed members of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments to discuss the importance of liturgical reform as a core feature of the board

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stations of the Cross

On this Holy Friday I share this thoughtful reflection on the Stations of the Cross by Irish theologian and poet, Pádraig Ó Tuama. He recorded this reflection for the first Holy Week of the COVID era. Pádraig walks us through the

Dwight J. Friesen April 7, 2023November 7, 2022

Vatican Repudiates ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ 

Yesterday the Vatican formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” a legal concept based on 15th-century papal documents that European colonial powers used to legitimize the seizure and exploitation of Indigenous lands in Africa and the Americas, among other places. As

Dwight J. Friesen March 31, 2023March 31, 2023

Brian McLaren in Cascadia

I’m thrilled to learn that Brian McLaren will be coming to Cascadia next month. Brian will be here for two dates: Jim Henderson and the folks at Off-the-Map are putting on the two events. Brian will engage in a series

Dwight J. Friesen February 7, 2023February 7, 2023

Fusion & Consent?

Lot’s of excitement from US scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California because for the first time ever they have successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain. On

Dwight J. Friesen December 15, 2022December 15, 2022

Advent & Sabbath

Whatever hemisphere a person lives in, Winter is a season of long nights and short days. Located as I am in the Northern hemisphere, I witness winter turning colder, Canada Geese flying south, Monarch butterflies migrating, bears hibernating, and humans…

Dwight J. Friesen December 10, 2022December 12, 2022

All Saints & All Souls

Since last Sunday my church observed Reformation Sunday, this weekend we will be observing All Saints Day.  Here is an except from the letter I sent to our faith community… I kind of love that All Saints Day is followed

Dwight J. Friesen November 1, 2022November 27, 2022

Missionary Church After Christendom

This week I got to serve as the theologian in residence for the Episcopal Gathering of Leaders clergy event just outside of Portland, Oregon. What a great group of church leaders. It was so inspiring to be with other folks

Dwight J. Friesen October 20, 2022October 21, 2022

One Who Wrestles with God

This weekend, one of our lectionary readings is a story of encounter, wrestling, and transformation. It’s the story of Jacob’s name being changed to Israel. As you may recall, it is Jacob’s sons for whom the twelve tribes of the

Dwight J. Friesen October 13, 2022January 31, 2023

Real . Story . Life

Below you will find the latest letter I sent to the congregation with whom I am serving. For some reason I went a little philosophical with this one. I sure hope it makes sense. I hear in my writing an

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

Iona – Affirmation of Faith

Today, during The Seattle’s School’s “Sacred Assembly” – which is part of our learning community’s back to school rituals – Paul Steinke shared an all-age “Affirmation of the Faith” from Scotland’s Iona Community. I loved it so much. Paul let

Dwight J. Friesen August 29, 2022February 23, 2023

Great Article by Kevin Neuhouser

In the wake of Seattle Pacific University’s Board of Directors’ decision to double down on its policy to proactively exclude queer faculty, student protests and sit-ins have gained national… even international attention. Kevin Neuhouser, who is a professor of sociology

Dwight J. Friesen August 25, 2022September 6, 2022

Trinity Sunday

This weekend is “Trinity” Sunday.  I’ll let you in on a secret.  I’ve never experienced a Trinity Sunday; it simply wasn’t part of my upbringing.  I was raised in a church culture which held a stated belief in the Threeness

Dwight J. Friesen June 10, 2022June 11, 2022

Remembering Rosemary Radford Ruether

“God is not a ‘being’ removed from creation, ruling it from outside in the manner of a patriarchal ruler; God is the source of being that underlies creation and grounds its nature and future potential for continual transformative renewal in

Dwight J. Friesen May 26, 2022May 27, 2022

A Vital Resource for Church & City

Since its creation, United Nations Habitat has been striving to put practical tools in the hands of local people and communities to equip them with the needed information, inspiration, and ideas to mobilize grassroots people to bring about real change

Dwight J. Friesen May 11, 2022December 19, 2022

Self-Encounter

My friend Don sent me a link to the late, Dr Hazel Barnes‘ TV show from the early 1960s, “Self Encounter: A Study in Existentialism.” I started watching it while recovering from COVID. The pace of the series is clearly

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

Psalm 51 & Perpetration Trauma

Dr. Paul Hoard – a colleague of mine at The Seattle School – and I will be presenting at this year’s Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) conference. The title of our break out session is: “Against You and You

Dwight J. Friesen March 12, 2022December 19, 2022

The Missionary Church After Christendom

Each year the “Gathering of Leaders” invites a theologian to spend some time thinking alongside some leaders within the Episcopal Church, this year that honor falls to me. I get to spend some time in January and again in June

Dwight J. Friesen January 6, 2022December 19, 2022

Mourning the Loss of Hans Küng

…every human being – without distinction of sex, age, race, skin color, language, religion, political view, or national or social origin – possesses an inalienable and untouchable dignity. Dr. Hans Küng Sadden to learn of the death of the great

Dwight J. Friesen April 7, 2021November 2, 2022