Archive for 2013Page 2

When Does Courage Change the World?

The following is a transcript from October 15, 2013, in Christ Chapel of Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN). As part of the “Daily Sabbath: Discuss” fall semester rhythm, Paula O’Loughlin – Associate Provost and Dean of Arts and Humanities, considered courage in the context of community.  I came to Gustavus about a year and half […]

Sewage and Solidarity in the Company of Strangers

The following is a transcript from October 17, 2013, in Christ Chapel of Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN). As part of the “Daily Sabbath: Re:Vive” fall semester rhythm, the following sermon considers Matthew 25:40 in the context of sewage and solidarity. About 3,300 miles to the southeast of Christ Chapel, there sits a small Caribbean […]

So What Does This Mean? A Response to Race-Based Hate

The Gustavus Homecoming festivities of 2013 were vandalized through an abhorrent act of targeted racism. According to a statement made public by the Dean of Students on September 30th, an unknown individual spray-painted a racial slur, accompanied by the name of a current Gustavus student, on a campus sidewalk. As reported by The Gustavian Weekly […]

Hate and the Imago Dei

The act of harming another is at once a forgetting of one’s own belovedness and a denial of the sacredness and dignity of the other. A couple of weeks ago, I was walking around campus with a student who had requested time together to talk about some theological questions.  As we began our walk down […]

War?

The following is a transcript from September 10, 2013, in Christ Chapel of Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN). As part of the “Daily Sabbath: Discuss” fall semester rhythm, the following theological provocation questions whether or not war can and/or should be used as a method of peacemaking, with a specific focus on the crisis […]

Give (The Department of) Peace a Chance

The International Day of Peace was recently observed on the 21st of September. Among other things, this annual commemoration is dedicated to the promotion of world peace, and more specifically, the elimination of killing violence across the globe. The day was first celebrated in 1982 and is currently recognized by an assortment of nation states, […]

How BIG is God?

How BIG is God? To respond to this question as a Christian, one must reflect on three interrelated doctrines of the faith. 1. Creation or What does it mean to call God creator of the Universe? 2. Providence or What kind of power does God have vis-a-vis the world? 3. Salvation or How does God’s […]