"The Religious Left is the beating heart of modern progressivism; although rarely acknowledged by members of either political party, it is one of the "The Religious Left is the beating heart of modern progressivism; although rarely acknowledged by members of either political party, it is one of the Left's most secret of weapons and has the potential to impact US politics for years to come."
A revealing discussion of the role of faith in progressive politics in this century, connecting the religious threads of Ferguson, Charlottesville, Standing Rock, and more.
And full of encouragement for those of us involved in this work....more
"At its best, our online play can give us the tools we need to become fuller, more complex versions of ourselves. To discover who we are and remember "At its best, our online play can give us the tools we need to become fuller, more complex versions of ourselves. To discover who we are and remember it."
This is simply one of the best books I've read on the internet and social media. The focus is whether our online selves are our "real selves," and Stedman thinks they are. Our use of social media allows us to explore and experiment with our identity. Yes, there are dangers, and we have to cultivate better online habits, but he reminds us that we are still in the early years of learning how to do all of this well.
I also appreciated the queer aspects of this reflection and analysis as well....more
"I believe that our capacity for anger is one of God's good gifts, intentionally rooted in creation and serving important purposes in human life."
As a"I believe that our capacity for anger is one of God's good gifts, intentionally rooted in creation and serving important purposes in human life."
As a pastor, I've had quite a few congregants come to me over the years wanting help with their anger. And I too, especially in the couple of years after my divorce, have wrestled with the healthy expression of anger (my therapist and I were just discussing it yesterday even).
This book was excellent. Smart, well-researched, compassionate. You come away with both a better intellectual understanding of anger and tips for pastoral care and counseling. Now, I only wish there were a shorter, more popular-style version that I could recommend to laypeople....more
An excellent approach to theology. Far more systematic than I expected. I'm planning to use this in a series on wisdom in 2023.An excellent approach to theology. Far more systematic than I expected. I'm planning to use this in a series on wisdom in 2023....more
"Do not get tired. Don't be discouraged. Be determined. Come. Together let's go toward the highest place.""Do not get tired. Don't be discouraged. Be determined. Come. Together let's go toward the highest place."...more
While in Minnesota to canoe and camp in the Boundary Waters, I picked up this local novel. And what a delightful, engaging story with rich characters.While in Minnesota to canoe and camp in the Boundary Waters, I picked up this local novel. And what a delightful, engaging story with rich characters. Set in a dying Lake Superior town, centered around the owner of the local cinema after he has survived a car accident and is now a changed man. Despite hard luck, life remains full of possibilities....more
Lewis-Giggetts turns her own grief and pain from the death of a cousin to anti-Black violence into a reflection o"Healing is always about liberation."
Lewis-Giggetts turns her own grief and pain from the death of a cousin to anti-Black violence into a reflection of what is needed if we as individuals and as a society are to heal from the trauma of racial violence.
I particularly liked the discussion in the final chapters of inherited trauma. She writes about how racial violence has damaged both Black and White people, and that we all have inherited the trauma of our ancestors. A deep uprooting is needed if we are to heal...more
An excellent discussion of embodiment. McBride explores pain, disability, trauma, oppression, emotions, sex, etc. in well-written chapters that are inAn excellent discussion of embodiment. McBride explores pain, disability, trauma, oppression, emotions, sex, etc. in well-written chapters that are insightful, moving, informative, and helpful. I've been recommending it to lots of people....more
A fascinating geological description of Wyoming that's good to read after you've been there. A fascinating geological description of Wyoming that's good to read after you've been there. ...more
"We can never sing enough, never utter sufficiently our gratitude, not even if our lives were one continuous prayer of thanksgiving, because we are all, y"We can never sing enough, never utter sufficiently our gratitude, not even if our lives were one continuous prayer of thanksgiving, because we are all, yes, each & every one, the last, least, best, unexpected thing."...more
In a profound essay that opens this volume, Rita Nakashima Brock contends that the pandemic "created the conditions for an apocalypse, an unveiling ofIn a profound essay that opens this volume, Rita Nakashima Brock contends that the pandemic "created the conditions for an apocalypse, an unveiling of moral truth in the midst of the collapse of powerful malevolent systems."
She goes on to write about how we have all experienced moral injury during the pandemic and confrontations against racial injustice and police brutality. Her essay is the best theological reflection I've read yet on the pandemic.
The other excellent essay in this collection is Cody Sanders's "Feeling Our Way through an Apocalypse." He grapples with the emotions elicited from the end of the world as we know it. We care for our anger, fear, and sadness by cultivating wonder, gratitude, and grief, in community....more
A ministry colleague recommended this one, and I'm glad I read it. The book helps us to understand how to better host various types of gathering from A ministry colleague recommended this one, and I'm glad I read it. The book helps us to understand how to better host various types of gathering from a dinner party to a large conference, first by clarifying what the purpose of gathering is. Though not focused on church ministry, I think it would be helpful to other colleagues as well....more
I was convinced by a Cartwright essay I read in graduate school of the limitations of scientific understanding as it relates to laws. This is a handy I was convinced by a Cartwright essay I read in graduate school of the limitations of scientific understanding as it relates to laws. This is a handy summary of her views developed over her career, on what science is and isn't, what it can and can't do, and why we should have humility....more
Beautiful illustrations. The rhythm is a little forced. And it's a little too didactic in places.Beautiful illustrations. The rhythm is a little forced. And it's a little too didactic in places....more
Martin, an historian, recounts the vital role that the apocalyptic imagination played in early modernity, whic"Modernity is rooted in the Apocalypse."
Martin, an historian, recounts the vital role that the apocalyptic imagination played in early modernity, which still affects us today. A fascinating book I'd recommend to folks interested in history, the history of ideas, and religious thought....more
"Society can only be happy and free in proportion as it is virtuous."
I'm glad to have finally read Wollstonecraft's masterwork. Of course many of the "Society can only be happy and free in proportion as it is virtuous."
I'm glad to have finally read Wollstonecraft's masterwork. Of course many of the arguments are now, thankfully, primarily of historical interest. But I'm glad to finally have this canonical book stored in my brain.
"The being who patiently endures injustice, and silently bears insults, will soon become unjust, or unable to discern right from wrong."...more
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