Orthoparadoxical Theologizing

Sobornost

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

Dwight J. Friesen July 8, 2004November 28, 2022

Real Friendship

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

Dwight J. Friesen July 7, 2004November 28, 2022

Triune Living

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.

Dwight J. Friesen July 5, 2004November 28, 2022

New Conversation Partner

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

Dwight J. Friesen June 25, 2004November 29, 2022

Thank You Kansas City & Jacob’s Well

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

Dwight J. Friesen June 16, 2004November 29, 2022

The Divine Comma

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

Dwight J. Friesen May 21, 2004November 30, 2022

What Matters

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

Dwight J. Friesen May 18, 2004December 1, 2022

Two Worlds

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

Dwight J. Friesen May 10, 2004December 1, 2022

My Latest Essay… “Hubbing”

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

Dwight J. Friesen April 28, 2004December 1, 2022

Not Abolish, Rather Fulfill

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

Dwight J. Friesen April 13, 2004December 2, 2022

Idea Grasped… Words Forgotten

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

Dwight J. Friesen April 12, 2004December 2, 2022

Jesus Is Dead

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

Dwight J. Friesen April 9, 2004December 2, 2022

Ethos & Leadership Emergence

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

Dwight J. Friesen April 6, 2004December 5, 2022

salvation in loss: the relational theodicy

Salvation in Loss: The Relational Theodicy  by Todd Trembley.  Soon to be published in an undergraduate academic journal. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen March 22, 2004October 24, 2022

Chaos & Beauty

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

Dwight J. Friesen March 15, 2004December 7, 2022

Fulfill Not Abolish

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

Dwight J. Friesen March 1, 2004December 8, 2022

Imago Dei

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

Dwight J. Friesen February 23, 2004December 8, 2022

Let’s Get (Meta)physical

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

Dwight J. Friesen February 11, 2004December 8, 2022

Got a Syncing Feeling

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

Dwight J. Friesen February 7, 2004December 8, 2022

Gift of Heresy?

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

Dwight J. Friesen January 23, 2004December 9, 2022

Missional, Incarnational, Embodied, or Bodied?

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)

Dwight J. Friesen January 14, 2004December 12, 2022

Putting Words in Jesus’ Mouth?

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

Dwight J. Friesen January 11, 2004December 13, 2022

Scale-Free Networks

Here is the latest essay I’ve written in my doctoral studies. Scale-Free Networks as a Structural Hermeneutic for Relational Ecclesiology Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen December 22, 2003November 14, 2022

From Absolute to Reality

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

Dwight J. Friesen December 18, 2003November 14, 2022

Absolutely… “Not”

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

Dwight J. Friesen December 13, 2003November 14, 2022

Law of Love?

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

Dwight J. Friesen December 12, 2003November 14, 2022

Opening

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

Dwight J. Friesen December 11, 2003November 14, 2022

Toward a More Open Hearing

I don’t see postmodernity at odds with special revelation. However, postmodernity is very in in the midst of a vigorous conversation with a foundationalist approach to the text. I dare say that a postmodern reading of scripture brings it to

Dwight J. Friesen December 10, 2003November 14, 2022

Trans-Church

In dialogue with my friend Thomas, we found ourselves wondering about the church as trans. Take a look at the “da Vinci Code” for some of the impetus for the discussion. The church seems to struggle with its identity. One

Dwight J. Friesen December 2, 2003November 15, 2022

Eastern Biblical Scholarship

I’m back from an great trip to Boston. Walking in the main hall for the opening of this conference I was a little surprised to find the vast majority of the attendees were male and almost all of the males

Dwight J. Friesen November 4, 2003November 15, 2022