Last night I had the opportunity to take a few minutes in a class at Mars Hill Grad School to present a boiled-down version of my Scale-Free Kingdom/Churches as Christ-Clusters paradigm. Dr. Bryan Burton who is guiding the theology course
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
Here is the latest essay I’ve written in my doctoral studies. Scale-Free Networks as a Structural Hermeneutic for Relational Ecclesiology Peace, dwight
The modern epistemological project assumed that systems could be objective, thus making neutrality possible. A more pomo approach might suggest that no system, construct, ideology, etc can be neutral. Semiotically speaking, all systems are a type of language. The systems
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.
I’m a little sad today. Got together with some good friends, and over the course of the last little while our paths seem to be going in different directions, and it just seems almost inevitable that the friendship we have
A couple of weeks ago Mark Humphries – Winnipeg artist, spiritual innovator and community curate – emailed me regarding how I might define ‘relationality’ within the rhythm of community gathering. Mark’s email, alone is a testament to his generosity… I
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
Today I head out for Newfoundland, off Canada’s eastern coast. I will be officiating at my brother’s wedding. Dallas and Leanne will be declaring before God, family and friends on Wednesday; very exciting. One of the things I enjoy about
One of the people I’m doing life with (Jeff Baker) in our little community of faith, wrote a brief reflection paper (for Mars Hill Graduate School) on worship in which he talks about quest. I asked Jeff if I could
On Friday night Lynette and I had dinner with Jacob & Tania Bailey. It is such joy to connect with friends, to wrestle together, to sharpen one another, etc. Sat. Sam, Jackie & Samuel, followed by party over at Jason
All the senses are vital to relationship. Yet the eye is arguably the most easily deceived; slight of hand, smoke and mirrors create illusions that feel true. Vision can only take a person so far. Its interesting to me that
I find it odd how much I struggle – at times – to know how to bring the complexity of my self to this site and this online platform. I am the pastor of a fellowship of Christ-commons dubbed “quest“,
Though I wouldn’t define myself as “process” or “open” theologian – I also wont say that I’m not a process or open theologian – by faith I believe God and humans can have a real relationship. That God walks with
Could heaven and hell be the same place? (this one is for Todd) For all of the talk of streets of gold, angels on clouds playing harps, and such – within the Christian tradition – Heaven is generally understood as
Deborah Mashock is an active participant in our faith community, and a student at Mars Hill Graduate School in Bothell. She recently wrote a paper for one of her classes exploring Hosea 2:14-15 as an intimate look at the Divine/Human
One of my areas of interest has to do with the essence of relationship. What is a relationship? How… When… Who… Unto… Why… etc. So far I have feel like my relational imagination is being expanded by attending to Augustine’s
Let me start off by saying that I am a person in transition. I was raised in a fundamentalist dispensational post-Mennonite evangelical church, throughout college and seminary I shifted to a more reformed position, and now I am finding myself
Growth as a child of God; how is it measured? One of the metaphors I was raised with that no longer serves me is the metaphor I refer to as, ” the steady, uphill climb.” It’s the idea that though
I count myself among those richly blessed. My life is filled with connections that shape, challenge, encourage, emboldened, instruct, strengthen, walk alongside and in some instances endure. I’m not just talking about my partner and son, or my family of
