The Seattle School

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Dr. Dwight J. Friesen is part of the core faculty at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. He’s been part of the school since 2004, currently serving as Professor of Practical Theology. He is so grateful to work alongside passionate, creative, wise people seeking to discover even more Shalomic ways of living.

In his experience, unlearning or at least holding in open hands all he’s come to assume to be true or right is vital if he hopes to discover and know the real. While this can sound scary, it is essential if one desires to move beyond abstracted ideology and toward a more symbiotic relationship with reality. For instance, the claim “God is” is a claim that one can only make by faith. Dwight strives to hold his ideology around his “God is” claim open enough so that the God who is can challenge or transform his understanding, thus inviting him into an ever-deepening experience with the Divine.

For Dwight, teaching is less about downloading the learned content he has amassed throughout his lifetime of following in the Jesus Way, and more about revealing the sheer joy of discovering the real with those he gets to journey alongside. Knowledge is not Dwight’s to give. In the Hebraic linguistic tradition “to know” was a profoundly intimate connection WITH. Knowledge is not a thing to be possessed or owned but is one’s best effort at describing one’s experience of what is real. Dwight is coming to imagine his role as a teacher to be more of a guide along one’s quest to discover and love the real.

Transformational learning happens best within a robustly diverse communal context inviting open-hearted wonder and curiosity. Dwight deeply resonates with the school’s stated mission and its integrative methodology which continually seeks to bring text, soul, & culture into dynamic and interpenetrating relationship making teaching an unending learning process.

The telos of the school’s integrative mission is essentially “faithful presence…” everything points toward loving & serving God as neighbor through mutually transforming relations. The school has four-degree programs: Counseling Psychology, Ministry, Arts, and Community Development.

The mission of The Seattle School “is to train people to be competent in the study of text, soul, and culture in order to serve God and neighbor through transforming relationships.” In the wake of the pandemic, The Seattle School’s modality has evolved into a blend of on-campus, and online learning. It has been striking to Dwight that neither his “Why” of teaching nor his “What” of teaching has changed… it’s primarily his “How.” His quest is still to be faithfully present to himself, to the people in his classes, and to their shared learning venture(s)… but now he’s discovering how to do that through a screen. He had his doubts shifting to online, but he’s been pleasantly surprised! It’s amazing how profoundly transformational the online learning environment can be.

While Dwight’s teaching is anchored at The Seattle School, he enjoys adjunct teaching, guest lecturing, serving on dissertation committees, and supporting leaders in their formative development. If you’re interested in having him come and teach, he can be reached through this site, and text or phone.

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Graduate School Courses in Dwight’s Teaching Rotation

• Intersections 2: Biblical Traditions & Theological Formations
• Intersections 3: Textual Integrations
• Gathering & Becoming: Convening Communities of Faith & Practice
• Listening & Leading: Spiritual Leadership within Communities of Faith & Practice
• The Triune God & Creation
• Critical Reading Lab
• Contextual Learning Lab
• Mission & Faithful Presence

Former Courses & Programs

• Leadership in the New Parish Certificate
• Toward a Spirituality of Contextual Listening Amidst COVID-19
• Culture, Identity, & Locatedness
• Spirituality & Sabbath
• The Kingdom of God & the New Sciences
• Introduction to the Hermeneutical Task: The Art of Reading Beyond the Page
• Life Together 1: Ancient-Future Church & Worship
• Life Together 2: Relational Leadership & Pastoral Ethics
• MDiv Practicum 2 & 3
• Mission in a Global Context
• Theories of Culture
• Essential Community
• Crafting Transformational Moments
• Mission as Faithful Presence
• Toward a Relational Theology
• The Body of Christ: Rediscovering the Local Parish as Embodied Witness
• Thinking Theologically
• Listening Lab
• Church
• Mission in a Postmodern World
• Theology of Spiritual Formation
• Integrative Project: Exploring the Future
• Selected Readings

If you would like to learn more about studying at The Seattle School or about some of the many conferences and workshops they provide visit www.TheSeattleSchool.edu.