As you my know, I am strive to live a life of non-violence. Well, I had lunch with Paul Steinke yesterday and we were talking about violence and Christian responses and he was lovingly challenging me on my stance, and
The other day I was watching a rerun of “The Simpsons” – such a great show. It was an episode from the first season. What stood out to me was that in the first season the writers didn’t know the
Howard S. Becker once said, “Methodology is too important to be left to methodologists.” And designer Bruce Mau is quoted saying, “Avoid fields. Jump fences: disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life.” I’m
Special thanks to Amber for recently directing my attention to “Sobornost.” Sobornost is a Russian Orthodox social church theory. It is a communal unity by free association in Christ finding expression in gathered church where harmony is attained by free
I’m in the process of doing a deep dive into feminist theology. So much of it resonates, opens me up, and is giving me even better language. I’m discovering that I share even more feminist concerns regarding the results of
Many people have commented on the resurgence of Protestant Trinitarian writing and research post-Barth. In an era where the postfoundational, postcritical, postmodern, post-etc. reign supreme, objective propositional claims of truth no longer carry the weight they once carried with certainty.
When I was in Phoenix last week at my friend Peter’s wedding, I had the chance to share a room with some of Peter’s philosophy buddies from college who introduced me to the person and work of Max Scheler. Scheler
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
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
Was friend recently talking with a friend about the old saying which suggests that Christ-followers live in two worlds. Do we though? How are we to think about this? I’m not sure we want to have one foot in each
I finished my “unleadership” essay for my doctoral program. I titled it, “Hubbing: The “Being” and “Act” of Leadership within Dynamic Christ-Clusters.” I hope to take some of the main ideas from the essay and turning it into shorter and
In while living in India in1925 E. Stanley Jones published an insightful book called, “The Christ along the Indian Road.” At one point in the book he describes the “conversion by sword” which Islam brought to India (much like the
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
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’m in the process of writing an essay on the concept of leadership as a communal ethos (I talked a little about this on 3/25). This is a constructivist position arguing in favor of a self-emptying, relationally connective form of
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
Back in the 1920’s E. Stanley Jones wrote something to the effect of, Christ did not come to abolish Judaism but to fulfill it. Jones went on to build a case challenging the colonialist missionary movement of his day, arguing
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
In the words of Olivia Newton John – almost – “Let’s get metaphysical, metaphysical, we wanna get metaphysical, let us hear Christ’s body talk…” (or something like that). I’m in the process of writing a short paper on leadership. I
Thinking about syncing… I recently finishing reading Steven Strogatz’s book “Sync: the emerging science of spontaneous order.” Is God subject to God’s creation? Usually Christians have answered, “No.” For example we would usually say something like the genders of male
I was telling a friend that I believe that ALL philosophy, science, theology and even heresy are a gift from God, often serving a prophetic role for humanity. And all is an invitation to know (in the eastern sense) the
I continue to struggle with the growing use of the term “missional.” I’ve often used the term, yet I’m becoming concerned about what the cultural baggage hidden underneath the idea. I choose to emphasize embodied living (maybe even bodied living)
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
Here is the latest essay I’ve written in my doctoral studies. Scale-Free Networks as a Structural Hermeneutic for Relational Ecclesiology Peace, dwight
Chad raises an important point of for further discussion from my last post. I’d like to try to speak to it, but please recognize that I am still very much in process on this one… In my 12/13/2003 journal entry
Text always says what we are willing, or open to let it say at any given moment; it can never say more. By faith I sense that the Spirit am be inviting more… the Spirit seems to let the reality
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
A friend emailed a couple of questions yesterday: “What are the drawbacks to Post-Modernism? What are weaknesses within the ‘post-modern’ church?” Here are my efforts at a response… There are likely as many drawbacks to the pomo as there are
