A New Kind of Hegelianism
Nathan Gilmour has (publicly and privately) referred several times to Emergent theology—or, so I’m sure not to oversimplify a complex and varied intellectual movement, to the version of Emergent theology…
Remembering and Understanding: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 4 April 2010
Revised Common Lectionary Page for 4 April 2010 (Easter Sunday, Year C) Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 65:17-25 • Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 • 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 or Acts 10:34-43 • John 20:1-18 or Luke…
Hobbits, Monsters, and Augustine
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. And so he did: Bilbo Baggins, that is. However, the opening sentence of Tolkien’s story could just as easily describe…
Getting it and Not Getting it: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 28 March 2010
Revised Common Lectionary Page for 28 March 2010 (Liturgy of Palms, Year C) Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 • Luke 19:28-40 I really like that, in this relatively brief story in today’s Gospel…
Thy Kingdom Connected: A Review for The Ooze Viral Blogs
Thy Kingdom Connected: What the Church Can Learn from Facebook, the Internet, and Other Networks By Dwight J. Friesen 192 pp. Baker. $14.99. I think I have a new favorite…
The Raised Stone Speaks
March 17 is the Feast of Saint Patrick. (Seriously. What did you think I was going to write about? Saints are, like, my one schtick, especially those affiliated with Britain.)…
Alienation, Existentialism, and the Theological Hole
Alienation is such a major fixation for existentialists that it can be easy to forget that they didn’t invent it. (Students, like me, of Christian existentialism are more likely to…
Jackals and Owls and the Poor: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 21 March 2010
Revised Common Lectionary Page for 21 March 2010 (Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C) Isaiah 43:16-21 • Psalm 126 • Philippians 3:4b-14 • John 12:1-8 What do jackals and owls and dragons and…
Complexity and Directness: A Response to Brian McLaren
Reviews and Interviews: A New Kind of Christianity Round-up I have to admit that I’m more star-struck than someone my age should be at the fact that a writer of…
Better to be Beaten
College teachers are often wont to crab about their students, and a frequent theme of such crabbing is the apparent lack of interest amongst students towards the business of learning…
Bible, Tradition, Theology part 1: The Nature of God
Once again I have Phil Rutledge to thank for an occasion to think not only about theology’s content but the ways in which I do theology. Responding to our recent…
Creation Doesn't Stop at Harvest: A Reflection on the Lectionary Readings for 14 March 2010
Revised Common Lectionary Page for 14 March 2010 (Year C, Fourth Sunday of Lent) Joshua 5:9-12 • Psalm 32 • 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 • Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 I love when the Lectionary readings…
More on Marriage
I keep thinking about marriage lately, especially as I’ve been reading about Søren Kierkegaard, who, depending on how you spin it, is either the institution’s greatest advocate or its greatest…
The Christian Humanist Podcast, Episode 14: Origin Stories
The music this week is Bruce Cockburn’s “Creation Dream,” from Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws (1979). General Introduction – Reader feedback – What’s on the blog this week? The Genesis…
Why Getting Plato Right Does Matter: A Follow-up on my McLaren Review
Sometimes folks who normally impress me with their breadth of vision and maturity ways of existing in the world slip into frames of mind that I can only call adolescent.…