Orthoparadoxical Theologizing

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

Sacred Text & Interpretation

Tomorrow I’m heading to Boston as part of my doctoral studies. I’ll be attend a conference entitled, “Sacred Text and Interpretation: Perspectives in Orthodox Biblical Studies” which focuses on Biblical and cultural exegesis from an Eastern perspective. The conference is

Dwight J. Friesen October 28, 2003November 16, 2022

Loosely Connected Wonderings

I got into a discussion with a friend regarding our view of Scripture and our connection to the “world.” She stressed that a very high view of Scripture is essential. What is a high view? And how does a “high

Dwight J. Friesen October 24, 2003November 16, 2022

Certain-ly Not

Kierkegaard wrote: “It would seem very strange that Christianity should have come into the world just to receive an explanation.” The question of experience is in part a question of certainty. Is my experience a guise or is it genuine,

Dwight J. Friesen October 17, 2003November 17, 2022

Spiritual Leadership

I just returned from a denominational conference and was shocked by the “us” verses “them” conversation representing the clergy verses the laity. As though “we” clergy (or whatever we are) have an experience of God that we need to lead

Dwight J. Friesen October 10, 2003November 18, 2022

“Fall”owing up to Yesterday’s Post

Ok, creation is good… God even said so. Though God seemed to make a slight oversight God caught it and fixed it before anyone really noticed. 🙂 I didn’t mean to suggest the Eden was anything less than paradise. It

Dwight J. Friesen October 3, 2003November 18, 2022

Fall-Forward

What would happen if we revisioned our theology of the “fall.” Clearly our creation accounts indicate that all was not perfect before the fall, (God even declares it is not all good…) in chapter two of Genesis… it is not

Dwight J. Friesen October 2, 2003November 18, 2022

Paradox… No Problem

In the modern era one of the most troubling theological enigmas was the Christian understanding of the Holy Trinity. Trying to wrap our little enlightened rational minds around how God could be one while simultaneously being three proved troubling indeed.

Dwight J. Friesen September 19, 2003November 21, 2022

Resurrection is Impossibility

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.

Dwight J. Friesen September 18, 2003November 21, 2022

Perspectives

Is pluralism is a disruption to community? When each person does what is right in their own eyes, (is this even a useful way of thinking about pluralism?) then someone will get hurt. Which of course means that one person’s

Dwight J. Friesen September 15, 2003November 21, 2022

Post-Missional Presence?

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

Dwight J. Friesen September 11, 2003November 22, 2022

Refusing the Invitation of Us

What is sin? It seems it may be time to move toward an understanding of sin as a social construction rooted in time and space. Romans 14 has always painted a picture where what is “sin” for one may not

Dwight J. Friesen September 2, 2003November 23, 2022

Clear-ish Communication

Here’s a little something I posted on Emergent Village’s site the other day… Postmodern linguist theory seems to suggest that humans only communicate proximately. No one can perfectly understand what another is trying to communicate. Basically all I can hope

Dwight J. Friesen September 1, 2003November 23, 2022

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