By: gfesadmin on October 12, 2012
It has been said that theology is simply what one believes to be true about God. One thought is that God is very relational. Not only is He involved in a personal relationship with humans, but he is concerned with how they interact with one another. Below are two examples of human interaction that we…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
Some quotes by David F. Ford out of the video: “What a theology department is about is trying to do is lead people to think as well as possible about the questions that are raised.” “When I was in Ruanda last Christmas, we came up on people who had survived that 1994 genocide, where a…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
50 years ago, October 11th 1962, Pope John XXIII with about 2500 catholic cardinals and bishops opened the Second Vatican Council. (1962-1965) The council is one of the most important events in Church history of the 20. Century. The dominant term of the council “Aggiornamento” (update) opened the church towards the world by opening a…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
The other evening, I was having dinner with a group of friends and we began to talk about the condition of the world. We talked about the recent assassination of the American Ambassador in Libby and the potential extreme Muslim terrorists who may have committed the act. We then began to talk about the presidential…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
“What would Jesus do? “ Is a question my mother taught me to ask even as a little girl. It is probably a simplistic way of doing theology but it begs me to consider the choices in front of me in that decisive moment. As I have read through the text for this week, Theology:…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
Speak English or Get Out I recently heard a joke that resonated with me. “What do you call someone who speaks 3 languages? – Trilingual” “What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? – Bilingual” “What do you call someone who speaks 1 language? – American!” As a bilingual person, I thought this…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
It was a rich experience to interact with the members of this cohort in Korea regarding their engagemnent in this dmin journey. What is the motive for engaging such punishment?!?! What is the intended life outcome? What will the dmin journey contribute to life after the journey is over? What questions will be answered? What…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
A few weeks ago I was asked the question, “What is your favorite work of art?” I responded immediately by telling the inquisitive person, “Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt. Actually, it was an easy question. For years now this painting which was skillfully created in 1668, has been the most essential piece of…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
To all those people doin’ lines, Don’t do it, don’t do it. Inject your soul with liberty, It’s free, it’s free. Salvation, salvation, salvation is free. Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.” As I pushed my cart down the cereal aisle today, the Cranberries’ song “Salvation” poured from the intercom speakers. Before heading to the grocery…
By: gfesadmin on October 11, 2012
David Ford opens his book, Theology: A Very Short Introduction by writing about overwhelmings. As I understand it, overwhelmings describe various human conditions and experiences (love, war, poverty, joy, suffering) that are readily present in the human life and which require appropriate reflection and response. This reflection and response can easily be described as theology. …
By: gfesadmin on October 10, 2012
“Asato Ma Sad Gamaya; Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya; Om Shanti Shanti Shanti”. This ancient Sanskrit prayer / mantra is recited regularly by the philosophical Brahmin disciple to his Guru. It translates as follows: Lead Us From the Unreal To Real, Lead Us From Darkness To Light, Lead Us From Death To…
By: gfesadmin on October 6, 2012
“Theology does not invent beliefs; it finds beliefs already among Christians and critically examines them.” This is one of the many helpful definitions of theology that Stan Grenz and Roger Olsen supply in their book “Who Needs Theology. Chapter 5 particularly reminds us that Christians already possess beliefs before they may even recognize that they…
By: gfesadmin on October 5, 2012
Who needs theology?“All do” (Grenz, Olson, p.46). Even @Justin_Buber www.Twitter.com/Justin_Buber and @KimKierkegaard www.twitter.com/KimKierkegaard Enjoy Mashup theology!
By: gfesadmin on October 5, 2012
The wisdom literature section of the Old Testament offers a very practical side of theology, speaking to the institute of marriage, the journey of becoming wise, and the reality of the vanity of this life. Books like Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes each speak to everyday life. Song of Solomon One school of thought…
By: gfesadmin on October 5, 2012
I walked past a Buddhist temple and watched devout individuals burn incense. I observed Hindus in a ritualistic ceremony with a priest chanting ‘slokas’ and briefly watched a video on the glory of the Quran as I shopped at Mustafa, a famous Muslim store in Little India, Singapore. My immediate instinct was to reflect on…
By: gfesadmin on October 4, 2012
When the weather shifts in the Northwest the mornings are cool and the days are warm. Fog happens. It blankets the scenery covering the waters, hovering over the trees tops mysteriously. When you travel through the fog you have to slow down to get your bearings. You are wise not to travel at the same…
By: gfesadmin on October 4, 2012
This week we were reading a book on the question ”Who needs theology? (by Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson). The authors are enfolding their answer to this question. ”Who needs theology? And their answer is quite simple: “All do.” (p. 46) So what is the book really about? Grenz and Olson are presenting…
By: gfesadmin on October 4, 2012
GayMarie and I were always close, really close. I never knew her mom or her dad but we were inextricably linked by blood and some magnetic relational chemistry. Her mom was killed in an auto accident when GayMarie and I were about 4 years old. After her mom’s death she and her baby sister went…
By: gfesadmin on October 4, 2012
Despite the fact that India has had two millennia of Christian witness, and that coupled with the fact that Hinduism is openly inclusive, the Gospel has not taken roots in the heart of its people. Christians in every generation have continued to ask the question “why”. That still remains one of the biggest challenges for leadership…
By: gfesadmin on October 4, 2012
WHO NEEDS THEOLOGY? I was tempted! Into a 10 hour flight to Brazil, I began surfing the media console seeing what movie options I had. There it was – Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter! No, I wouldn’t watch something so stupid, but yet it lured me in with the first line. “History prefers legends than men.” …
