Last year, I read Julie Canlis’ wonderful, little book A Theology of the Ordinary (2d, ed.;Godspeed Press, 2018). The book emerged from the author’s “extended meditation on this cultural obsession with greatness and being ‘impactful'” (2). Canlis ponders whether “our culture’s emphasis on supercharged emotions and measurable success blinded us to Romans 12 and the fact that our ordinary lives are our ‘spiritual act of worship'” (3)? In the rest of the book she precedes to sketch out a brief “theology of the ordinary” organized around the themes of creation, redemption, and new creation.
Continue reading Atonement and the OrdinaryAll posts by Robert Dean
On Pilgrimage
A short quote from Jim Forest’s devotional book, Pilgrimage as a Way of Life (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2007):
“You can walk to some great shrine on a journey that takes weeks or months and fail to become a pilgrim. Walking a pilgrimage route, wearing a pilgrim’s badge, and sleeping in pilgrim’s hostels, are not what make a pilgrim. Pilgrimage is more an attitude than an act.1 If all you are seeking is exercise, diversion, or a deed that will slim your body or impress your friends, you might be happier racking up miles on an exercise cycle at the local gym. Pilgrimage is a conscious act of seeking a more vital awareness of God’s living presence. As was said in medieval times, ‘If you do not travel with the King whom you seek, you will not find him at the end of your journey.’”
- I would be inclined to say that pilgrimage involves both the activity and the disposition. ↩
Upcoming Public Lecture: “Imagining a Better Way”
Nate Wall-Bowering: “Water, Whisper, Thunder”
A recording of my colleague Nate Wall Bowering‘s recent presentation, “Water, Whisper, Thunder: What God’s Voice Sounds Like” has been posted on the Providence You Tube channel. It was a truly stimulating presentation.
Call for Papers: “Ministry in the Prairies”
CALL FOR PAPERS:
Didaskalia invites submissions for its upcoming issue on the theme “Ministry in the Prairies.” There are opportunities to submit two different types of articles:
Upcoming Public Event at Providence
My newest colleague Nate Wall-Bowering is going to be presenting a paper at our upcoming BTS Symposium entitled “Waters, Whisper, Thunder: What God’s Voice Sounds Like.” For an early-career scholar, Nate demonstrates an impressive breadth of learning. He is the rare Old Testament scholar who brings profound theological sensibilities to his work. His paper will draw on some of his doctoral research into the English poet John Donne’s engagement with the Old Testament. It’s not too late to register to attend the event in person at Providence or watch on Zoom this Thursday.