zenlutheran ecumenicalism, faith, justification, Luther, Mannermaa, theosis

An unfinished outline on a Finnish theologian: Mannermaa, theosis and Lutheran-Russian Orthodox dialog

NOTE: This is something about Luther’s concept of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that I was working on last month, before I learned my proposal had been accepted for the Illinois History Conference sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum — and my priorities changed! Now I have to crash my paper, … Continue reading An unfinished outline on a Finnish theologian: Mannermaa, theosis and Lutheran-Russian Orthodox dialog

zenlutheran 12-step, discernment, foxhole spirituality, Franciscans, Ilia Delio, Jesuits, Luther, Mannermaa, prayer, spiritual practice

Luther and the indwelling ‘Christ present in faith’ — Finnish theologians, Irish Jesuit offer a way of coping with a scary diagnosis

One thing about getting a cancer diagnosis — it tends to focus your mind, especially if you’ve been working on your prayer life already. Increasingly since I was diagnosed toward the end of October, I’ve been falling back on what’s sometimes called the Prayer of Good Courage. A favorite at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in … Continue reading Luther and the indwelling ‘Christ present in faith’ — Finnish theologians, Irish Jesuit offer a way of coping with a scary diagnosis

zenlutheran ecumenism, faith, justification, Luther, Mannermaa, theosis

Finns re-examine Luther on justification by faith, the indwelling of Christ and other theological headaches

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed an item on the Patheos website by Ted Peters, emeritus professor of systematic theology and ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. I like to check him out from time to time because he has a way getting abstract concepts down to where … Continue reading Finns re-examine Luther on justification by faith, the indwelling of Christ and other theological headaches

zenlutheran Ireland, Jesuits, journal, Luther, Mannermaa, music, prayer, spiritual direction, theosis

Who am I in Christ? Who are the people of God? A surprising answer from Ireland that brings the abstractions down to earth

[…] Christ with me, Christ before me,Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,Christ when I arise, Christ to shield me Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth … Continue reading Who am I in Christ? Who are the people of God? A surprising answer from Ireland that brings the abstractions down to earth

zenlutheran Christology, historical Jesus, Jesuits, Luther, Mannermaa, personal God, prayer

Praying St. Ignatius’ colloquy with a story from the Talmud about Hillel the Elder and a corny Latin pun by Martin Luther

Editor’s (admin’s) note. Second of two posts in which I try to imagine an Ignatian Colloquy, a one-on-one conversation with Jesus, on a series of Zoom calls. It’s a prayer technique adapted from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. I’ve read up on it, and I’ve blogged about the technique HERE and HERE. My first Zoom call of … Continue reading Praying St. Ignatius’ colloquy with a story from the Talmud about Hillel the Elder and a corny Latin pun by Martin Luther

zenlutheran discernment, Dominicans, ecumenism, journal, spiritual direction, spiritual mutts

Spiritual direction, May 2022

Editor’s (admin’s) note. Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director the night before our monthly meeting for May. I email her every month, mostly to focus my mind before we meet, and I archive them here so I have a record of issues I’ve dealt with over time. Here’s my monthly … Continue reading Spiritual direction, May 2022

zenlutheran diversity, ecumenism, eucharist, faith, Krister Stendahl, Mannermaa, peace, spiritual mutts

How ‘holy envy’ enhances religious pluralism and guards against spiritual shoplifting or appropriation

I’ve been thinking lately about the concept of “holy envy” and the Swedish academic who coined the term. That’s partly because I worry that the whole idea of pluralism — both religious and secular — is under sustained attack now at home and abroad. I feel like we’re crying in the wilderness, and a little … Continue reading How ‘holy envy’ enhances religious pluralism and guards against spiritual shoplifting or appropriation

zenlutheran faith, Franciscans, justification, Luther, Mannermaa, Mystics, Richard Rohr, theosis

A Franciscan take on the presence of God in all of God’s creation — including brother wolf … and all of us

Second of two posts looking ahead to the new liturgical year and making new (church) year’s resolutions. For the earlier post, link HERE. Fr. Richard Rohr’s daily meditation for Friday poses a theological question I want to work on in the coming year. I don’t know exactly what to call it, and I want to … Continue reading A Franciscan take on the presence of God in all of God’s creation — including brother wolf … and all of us

zenlutheran culture wars, diversity, Episcopalians, faith, journal, justification, pandemic, racism

Theologian N.T. Wright rethinks ‘multi-ethnic, polychrome, mutually supportive’ early church, justification by faith

We’re still quarantining magazines as they come into the house, and when I was going through them last night, a billboarded pull quote from British theologian N.T. Wright in a back issue of Christian Century jumped up off the page, snuggled up to me and wanted me to adopt it and give it a forever … Continue reading Theologian N.T. Wright rethinks ‘multi-ethnic, polychrome, mutually supportive’ early church, justification by faith

zenlutheran chorales, climate change, John, Krister Stendahl, Mannermaa, pandemic, theosis

‘Letting grace renew us’ — a little book by a Swedish dean of Harvard Divinity and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit

When we got our mail out of quarantine earlier this week, a little volume by Krister Stendahl titled Energy for Life: Reflections on the Theme “Come Holy Spirit — Renew the Whole Creation” tumbled out. Perhaps I should explain. The mail wasn’t directed to self-isolate by the Sangamon County Public Health Department, of course, but … Continue reading ‘Letting grace renew us’ — a little book by a Swedish dean of Harvard Divinity and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit