Orthoparadoxical Theologizing

Commodification

Recently I heard Ken Myers interview Vincent Miller regarding his new book Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture. The interview was outstanding. And dealt with, how the commodification of everything affects our sense of religious faith

Dwight J. Friesen October 3, 2004January 14, 2021

sweet fragrance

This morning I was graced to be with Jamal Rahman; a kind, humble, and open Islamic cleric and author of the outstanding book, The Fragrance of Faith: the enlightened heart of Islam. I want to learn in praxis how to

Dwight J. Friesen September 28, 2004January 14, 2021

meta-religion

I’ve been reading a bunch of Biblical Theology this summer. Something that I am beginning to question is what Paul, Mark, Matthew, John, et al thought they were inviting people to when inviting people to follow Christ. I’m pretty sure

Dwight J. Friesen August 29, 2004December 13, 2020

shame & hiding

I’ve continued sitting with the idea of being “created for not knowing.”  Which has going back to scripture’s creation accounts, to look afresh at what immediately follows the introduction of the knowledge of good and evil.  Shame rushes in as an accuser; and

Dwight J. Friesen August 27, 2004May 6, 2022

Created Not to Know?

My friend Jacob popped by for a few minutes today – I really love it when friends drop by especially unannounced – always a nice surprise. And he tells me about a conversation he was having while mountain climbing with

Dwight J. Friesen August 26, 2004January 15, 2021

Theological Conversation

So I’m thinking of participating in the theological conversation sponsored by emergent featuring Walter Brueggemann. I’ve deeply appreciated Dr. Brueggemann’s and his ongoing contribution to biblical scholarship. It would be great to interact with other emergent theologians in an intimate

Dwight J. Friesen August 17, 2004November 25, 2022

Satan… “The” Nihilist?

Todd Trembley – who is fast becoming one of my favorite people – is also one of the most creative thinkers I know. He’s got me thinking about Satan… of all things! Could it be that Satan is the ultimate

Dwight J. Friesen August 16, 2004November 25, 2022

Anabaptist & Loving It!

I grew up in Southern Manitoba (Canada). This was and still is Mennonite country. Mennonites are a Christian religious sect in the Anabaptist tradition taking our name from a dynamic Dutch leader named Menno Simmons, who was born in Friesland

Dwight J. Friesen August 11, 2004November 25, 2022

Mislabeled?

I’m wondering whether we may have mislabeled Genesis chapter 3. We commonly refer to this the events of this narrative as “the fall.” Fall frames it pretty I wondering what might happen if rather than viewing that narrative as a

Dwight J. Friesen August 10, 2004November 27, 2022

playground & violence

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

Dwight J. Friesen August 8, 2004November 26, 2022

Character & Time

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

Dwight J. Friesen August 6, 2004November 28, 2022

method & jumping fences

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

Dwight J. Friesen July 15, 2004January 15, 2021

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