Theological Rants, Musings on the Mystical, and Wonderings about Stuff
The story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one that needs to continue to be told as it is a story that is not well known in the broader public mind. Bonhoeffer’s commitment to love, forgiveness, and resistance is inspiring and important. We need to learn about and remember heroes like Bonhoeffer, and as much as has been written about Bonhoeffer, he remains a figure from World War II who is not well known..
Read MoreThe idea of starting with sound is novel and creative and holds a good deal of promise. It is something that we all do, even the Quakers. With such an approach, Rutt may be inviting the reader into a space where unity in experience draws people past the differences of theology, ontology, and metaphysics. Rutt also looks to draw from the mystical edges of various traditions (Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam), which opens the potential for the engagement of the divine in ways that can leave space for others. The idea has merit and potential.
Read MoreWe cannot live without evil. We cannot work our way through the challenges of life, interacting with other people, engaging on the day to day without encountering some kind of evil in one way or another. While we may think of evil as a large, ominous presence, a devastating specter that looks to destroy all, a cartoonish devil, evil can and does occur in small and subtle ways. This is one of the aspects of Rosenthal’s book that is engaging and enticing, that evil is seen as that which gets in the way of the “good life.” Such a view of evil does not label one individual as completely fallen or looks to some kind of divine being constantly wrestling with a divine being of good in an eternal Manichaeism conflict. Evil is the moment that we all participate in that restrict others from living the good life. There are gradations of evil. There are levels of severity and part of our challenge is to minimize the evil we inflict on others as much as possible.
Read MoreWe are, by in large, a visual culture. We look first. We gage our environment by what we can see. We also listen, caught by the many audible cues that tickle our attention, that draw us from one point of focus to the other, but primarily we see. The visual comes before the audible. What do we lose when we fail to listen?
Read MorePeople are not alone, in isolation, struggling in their own pit of quicksand. Society, gatherings of individuals need to consider how to be deliberate in their relationships with those who are struggling.
Read MorePart of grief is finding a sense of closure in one’s relationship with the deceased, and covering up the imperfections complicates that closure. It is important to tell the truth.
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