I was in the middle of my dissertation research and writing when I noticed that a small conference was happening at the University of Edinburgh, only an hour away from my home in St. Andrews. The conference was called "Continuities and Discontinuities in the Austrian 20th Century." Perhaps not the most exciting title to the layperson's eye, but to a budding Schoenberg scholar, I recognized in the title the influence of a number of the key scholars that I was reading. One of the keynotes, Christopher Hailey, was a prominent Schoenberg scholar, whose work I was referencing almost daily, so I knew this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. And off I went on the train to Edinburgh for a number of very exciting and helpful days of papers and conversation.
As I contemplated this conference, I had no idea that I would also meet one of the most influential historians to the scope of my work on Arnold Schoenberg: Carl E. Schorske. Prof. Schorske was the guest of honor at this conference. It was such an privilege to hear him speak and to meet him. His book, Fin de siècle Vienna, gave me language to address the complex world of early 20th century Vienna, the world of Freud, Wittgenstein, Kraus, Kokoschka, Mahler (Alma and Gustav!), and, of course, Schoenberg. In person, he was kind, thoughtful, and sharp. And wouldn't you know it, he was a violinist.
I think it was his approach to interdisciplinary discourse that impacted me the most in his writing. He had such skill in writing about music, the arts, philosophy, public discourse, politics, etc. He respected each discipline and moved in and out of different disciplines with wisdom, skill, and ease. As I struggled to write and research in a similar vein, I envied and admired his depth and breadth of knowledge.
In this life, we rarely get to meet our heroes, but it was a privilege to meet Prof. Schorske. He seemed to be a truly kind and full human being. I'm sorry to hear that he died earlier this week, but I am grateful that he lead such a long and fruitful life. I'm grateful for his books. Life was richer with him teaching and writing!
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
A New Year, And Many Reading Pod Options!
Every year I give a number of various options for in-class Reading Pod Discussion Groups. To help you learn more about these various kinds of theologies and theologians, here is the list of options. Follow the links for more information. I will also give a short description of each the first day of class.
Here is a link for why there are so many options: Why Reading Pods?
Here is a link for why there are so many options: Why Reading Pods?
Here are the reading options for the Reading Pods:
- Black Liberation Theology:
- Selections from Carter, Cone, Hopkins, and Baker-Fletcher
- Anabaptist:
- Selections from McClendon, Yoder, Finger, and Weaver
- Baptist: Stan Grenz
- Theology for the Community of God, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.
- Church Fathers:
- Christopher A. Hall, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2002.
- Eastern Orthodox:
- Selections from Stavropoulos, Lossky, Zizioulas, and Ware.
- Feminist Theology:
- Selections from Johnson, Soskice, McFague, Gonzalez, Storkey, and Gilliss.
- Womanist/Mujerista/Post-Colonial Theology:
- Selections from Baker-Fletcher, Joh, Oduyoye, Grant, Isasi-Díaz, Kwok, etc.
- South and Central American Liberation Theology:
- Jon Sobrino and Ignacio Ellacuria, eds., Systematic Theology: Perspectives from Liberation Theology, Orbis Books, 1996.
- Reform (German): Jürgen Moltmann
- Selections from Trinity and the Kingdom, God in Creation, and The Crucified God.
- Reform (British): Colin Gunton
- The Christian Faith, Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.
- Reform (American): Kathryn Tanner
- Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity, Edinburgh, UK: T&T Clark, 2001.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
I Keep Thinking About Masculinity/ies
I was reading the NYTimes today and ran across an article about the establishment of the first Master's Degree in Masculinities Studies at SUNY at Stony Brook. Dr. Michael Kimmel is the founder of this egalitarian area of masculinities studies, and has been an advocate for rethinking scholarship on gender and masculinity in the light of feminism, having established The Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities a number of years ago. Read the NYTimes article here:
All of this lead me to explore, once again, what our culture says about "being a man" today. I'm amazed at the conversation that has formed in the past decade or so around the definition of masculinity and maleness. The American conversation, in particular, seems to signal a kind of crisis, as if the headlines of the news do not remind us on a daily basis that we have no idea what it means to be a man, much less human. Dr. Kimmel's argument is that we need multiple definitions of masculinity if we are to have a more holistic view of what it means to be a man.
For example, (get ready for a small rant...) it is disturbing to me that a bully and misogynist, such as Donald Trump, can come out of the first Republican Presidential debate as the most anticipated and talked about candidate. In the coverage these past few days, I almost forgot that experienced politicians like Jebb Bush and Chris Christy were running. Regardless of anyone's opinion of their tenure as leaders, they have both been governors of large states at key moments of chaos and tragedy. At least we can debate their records and their experience leading their states. Trump, on the other hand, is congratulated for his business acumen and lack of political experience, yet he has no real sense of how to create or nurture community in such a complicated and diverse country as the USA. He wants to make America great again, but I'm not quite sure what he means by that. He seems to have an antiquated view of success and the "great American way." Sure, it has worked for him, but I would love to have a conversation about the true human and environment costs of his successes. A true political leader thinks of more than money and power, he thinks about future generations and the consequences of his actions for communities other than one's own. All that to say, even when it comes to politics, it seems that we Americans don't quite know how to assess masculinity and leadership capacity and quality. We would much rather savor the spectacle of "plain-spoken" bravado and condescending swagger. (OK, rant over... oh, I just love presidential election years...)
In this light, I found a few provocative videos about masculinity in America. More thoughts will follow in the days and months ahead, as they always do, but most likely in fragments as time allows...
The first video is a trailer for documentary made by the same team that created "Miss Representation" a few years back: "The Mask You Live In."
The second video is of a TEDx Baltimore talk by Joe Ehrmann, "Be A Man!!" This is a thought provoking talk in the language of sports.
All of this lead me to explore, once again, what our culture says about "being a man" today. I'm amazed at the conversation that has formed in the past decade or so around the definition of masculinity and maleness. The American conversation, in particular, seems to signal a kind of crisis, as if the headlines of the news do not remind us on a daily basis that we have no idea what it means to be a man, much less human. Dr. Kimmel's argument is that we need multiple definitions of masculinity if we are to have a more holistic view of what it means to be a man.
For example, (get ready for a small rant...) it is disturbing to me that a bully and misogynist, such as Donald Trump, can come out of the first Republican Presidential debate as the most anticipated and talked about candidate. In the coverage these past few days, I almost forgot that experienced politicians like Jebb Bush and Chris Christy were running. Regardless of anyone's opinion of their tenure as leaders, they have both been governors of large states at key moments of chaos and tragedy. At least we can debate their records and their experience leading their states. Trump, on the other hand, is congratulated for his business acumen and lack of political experience, yet he has no real sense of how to create or nurture community in such a complicated and diverse country as the USA. He wants to make America great again, but I'm not quite sure what he means by that. He seems to have an antiquated view of success and the "great American way." Sure, it has worked for him, but I would love to have a conversation about the true human and environment costs of his successes. A true political leader thinks of more than money and power, he thinks about future generations and the consequences of his actions for communities other than one's own. All that to say, even when it comes to politics, it seems that we Americans don't quite know how to assess masculinity and leadership capacity and quality. We would much rather savor the spectacle of "plain-spoken" bravado and condescending swagger. (OK, rant over... oh, I just love presidential election years...)
In this light, I found a few provocative videos about masculinity in America. More thoughts will follow in the days and months ahead, as they always do, but most likely in fragments as time allows...
The first video is a trailer for documentary made by the same team that created "Miss Representation" a few years back: "The Mask You Live In."
The second video is of a TEDx Baltimore talk by Joe Ehrmann, "Be A Man!!" This is a thought provoking talk in the language of sports.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
A Little Something for International Women's Day
Here is a Ted Talk by Isabel Allende. I love how she talks about living passionately, and how she talks of the accomplishments of other women. Who are the favorite women in your life? In history?
Monday, March 2, 2015
One more video ... or two
OK, a few trailers and videos about manhood:
Mansome:
Mansome from Wheelhouse Creative on Vimeo.
A Few Duplass Brothers's Movies (always about manhood, masculinity, growing up, etc.). I wrote a blog post about their movies awhile back, check it out:
Safety Not Guaranteed:
Jeff Who Lives at Home:
The Puffy Chair:
One of my favorite coming of age movies in recent times, The Way, Way Back:
Mansome:
Mansome from Wheelhouse Creative on Vimeo.
A Few Duplass Brothers's Movies (always about manhood, masculinity, growing up, etc.). I wrote a blog post about their movies awhile back, check it out:
Safety Not Guaranteed:
Jeff Who Lives at Home:
The Puffy Chair:
One of my favorite coming of age movies in recent times, The Way, Way Back:
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Thinking About Femininity and Spirituality
As we dive into the topic of gender and spirituality, I should say that I am not thinking about sexuality or how to discuss what it means to be partnered well. Sexuality and sexual orientation brings with it a different set of questions and issues that deserve a good amount of space and time to sort through and think about but, again, that is not what I want to discuss. Instead, I'm more concerned with societal, media, and discipleship norms. Regardless of who we are and how we locate ourselves in the world, we all take in and respond in various ways to these outward influences in our lives.
The biggest issue is that whenever spirituality is discussed, the first order question is really about one's personal experience and that that experience is inexplicably linked to these outward influences. Thus, when talking about gender and spirituality, we sometimes talk about how we feel or what we have experienced, while at other times we may start with what we were taught to think of as normative. This is the point of discernment, rejection, integration, congruence, and/or differentiation. I would argue that a healthy spirituality can hold all of these various stages and suspicions; rebellions and reversals; conversions and commitments.
When I think about my own faith I realize that I am in it for the long haul. Faith, Hope, and Love in the Triune God of the Christian faith has been and is my home. Because I believe in a God who created all things and has been, is, and will be that same God for all time, I really think a little criticism of how we practice our spirituality is truly worth our time. Plus, it will do little to change God, but it will change our experience. Again, well worth our time for we are the church today...
With all of that said, here are a few articles and videos about body, femininity, and spirituality. Not all of these are meant to be directly spiritual, but all are connected to an embodied way of being.
1) First up is an op-ed found in the NYTimes this weekend that I found provocative. It is by an Psychiatrist that is frustrated how over medicated women in America are, and what this says about what it means to be a woman in our culture: Dr. Julie Holland, "Medicating Women's Feelings." (She is the author of Moody Bitches: The Truth About the Drugs You are Taking, The Sleep You're Missing, The Sex You're Not Having, and What's Really Making You Crazy.)
2) Second is a funny video that goes with the first ... This is from That Mitchell and Webb Look, because it is funny and it gets at something in our culture ...
3) Third is the upcoming workshop happening at The Seattle School this weekend: Redeeming Food and Body. I don't think this is a particularly female issue though it does seem to reek more havoc with and in women's bodies. Kate Sweet, one of our grads, is one of the facilitators. Kate focused much of her integrative project on Michelle Lelwica's work around eating disorders and spirituality. If you are interestsed in this subject, check out Lelwica's Starving For Salvation: The Spiritual Dimensions of Eating Problems Among American Girls and Women.
4) Fourth, Nuns and Oblates! I wrote a blog post recently on Sister Joan Chittister on her views regarding the place of women in the Catholic Church, check it out. I also just ran across a fun little article in The Atlantic about Europe's last Brewmaster Nun, Sister Doris Engelhard. And a nod of the hat has to go to Kathleen Norris, who is a benedictine oblate. Her book The Cloister Walk came at a pivotal time in my spirituality, giving me new language for prayer, spirituality, creativity, poetry, the prophetic, and femininity. She helped me with language around a more embodied spirituality that helped me to embrace both my deep sense of faith and practice and, in many ways, my deep sense of betrayal that I felt from and through the spiritual tradition in which I was raised and discipled. I have experienced over the years that God endures even past our frustrations and critiques. Plus, in the process, we might even realize that there are many good gifts that have been given and received along the way.
5) Rachel Held Evans. I think she is the current voice of (post)Evangelical women. Her current book is Searching For Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church. The other voice that many of my friends and students turn to is Lauren Winner. She teaches at Duke Divinity School and is also a memoirist. She has a book coming out later this month, Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God.
6) And, Tina Fey, just because ....
Of course there are many more things, videos, etc. that we could look at along the way. My list is not very diverse. Other things to add?
The biggest issue is that whenever spirituality is discussed, the first order question is really about one's personal experience and that that experience is inexplicably linked to these outward influences. Thus, when talking about gender and spirituality, we sometimes talk about how we feel or what we have experienced, while at other times we may start with what we were taught to think of as normative. This is the point of discernment, rejection, integration, congruence, and/or differentiation. I would argue that a healthy spirituality can hold all of these various stages and suspicions; rebellions and reversals; conversions and commitments.
When I think about my own faith I realize that I am in it for the long haul. Faith, Hope, and Love in the Triune God of the Christian faith has been and is my home. Because I believe in a God who created all things and has been, is, and will be that same God for all time, I really think a little criticism of how we practice our spirituality is truly worth our time. Plus, it will do little to change God, but it will change our experience. Again, well worth our time for we are the church today...
With all of that said, here are a few articles and videos about body, femininity, and spirituality. Not all of these are meant to be directly spiritual, but all are connected to an embodied way of being.
1) First up is an op-ed found in the NYTimes this weekend that I found provocative. It is by an Psychiatrist that is frustrated how over medicated women in America are, and what this says about what it means to be a woman in our culture: Dr. Julie Holland, "Medicating Women's Feelings." (She is the author of Moody Bitches: The Truth About the Drugs You are Taking, The Sleep You're Missing, The Sex You're Not Having, and What's Really Making You Crazy.)
2) Second is a funny video that goes with the first ... This is from That Mitchell and Webb Look, because it is funny and it gets at something in our culture ...
3) Third is the upcoming workshop happening at The Seattle School this weekend: Redeeming Food and Body. I don't think this is a particularly female issue though it does seem to reek more havoc with and in women's bodies. Kate Sweet, one of our grads, is one of the facilitators. Kate focused much of her integrative project on Michelle Lelwica's work around eating disorders and spirituality. If you are interestsed in this subject, check out Lelwica's Starving For Salvation: The Spiritual Dimensions of Eating Problems Among American Girls and Women.
4) Fourth, Nuns and Oblates! I wrote a blog post recently on Sister Joan Chittister on her views regarding the place of women in the Catholic Church, check it out. I also just ran across a fun little article in The Atlantic about Europe's last Brewmaster Nun, Sister Doris Engelhard. And a nod of the hat has to go to Kathleen Norris, who is a benedictine oblate. Her book The Cloister Walk came at a pivotal time in my spirituality, giving me new language for prayer, spirituality, creativity, poetry, the prophetic, and femininity. She helped me with language around a more embodied spirituality that helped me to embrace both my deep sense of faith and practice and, in many ways, my deep sense of betrayal that I felt from and through the spiritual tradition in which I was raised and discipled. I have experienced over the years that God endures even past our frustrations and critiques. Plus, in the process, we might even realize that there are many good gifts that have been given and received along the way.
5) Rachel Held Evans. I think she is the current voice of (post)Evangelical women. Her current book is Searching For Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church. The other voice that many of my friends and students turn to is Lauren Winner. She teaches at Duke Divinity School and is also a memoirist. She has a book coming out later this month, Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God.
6) And, Tina Fey, just because ....
Of course there are many more things, videos, etc. that we could look at along the way. My list is not very diverse. Other things to add?
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Masculinity and Spirituality
We are going to talk about gender and spirituality in class on Tuesday. Over the next few days, I'm going to put up a few videos that explore this topic. In particular, there is a rising interest in what some people are calling "fight church," which includes a new documentary.
At this point, I don't want to critique or advocate any stance on this trend. I would like to say that this demonstrates something of a crisis of masculinity within American culture. If not these voices speaking up for men, then whose voices should we be listening to?
Here are a few videos and news reports that discuss this growing trend:
World News Videos | US News Videos
Here is the official trailer for "Fight Church":
Here is a scene from the film:
At this point, I don't want to critique or advocate any stance on this trend. I would like to say that this demonstrates something of a crisis of masculinity within American culture. If not these voices speaking up for men, then whose voices should we be listening to?
Here are a few videos and news reports that discuss this growing trend:
World News Videos | US News Videos
Here is the official trailer for "Fight Church":
Here is a scene from the film:
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The Songs We Sing
Today, in one of my small Reading Seminars, we were discussing Psalms, liturgy, and the songs we sing - all within a context of the real stories of trauma and life. Here are a couple of different links about worship, church, hymnody, etc. that were inspired (came to mind) as we talked...
- Pop Quiz: 50 Shades of Grey or Contemporary Christian Music
- Hymnary.org: A resource for hymns, hymn tunes, and history
- The Bad Vicar: That Mitchell and Webb Look (A sarcastic video about Church and Tradition)
- Ann Hamilton: "The Event of a Thread" (My ideal model of congregational play)
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Sister Joan Chittister
On the way to work last week, I heard a fun interview on NPR "Here and Now" with Benedictine Nun, Sister Joan Chittister. She was commenting on the current place of women in the Catholic Church and the call by Pope Francis for a theology of women. This is a far cry from Pope Benedict XVI's investigation of American nuns for being too feminist and progressive. Instead, Pope Francis has called for more female theologians - even if he refers to them as "strawberries on the cake." He believes that women are able "to take up ... certain unexplored aspects of the unfathomable mystery of Christ."
I enjoyed hearing Sister Chittister's take on the role of women in the Catholic Church. It seems there is progress for our Catholic sisters, but still more need for equality.
In case you are interested, here is an earlier interview with Chittister if you want to get to know this fascinating woman a bit better, especially about her call to her vocation as a nun. Are nuns necessary for today? She seems to think so. It is enjoyable to hear someone really advocate for the Catholic Church. She has a great love for the Church. In this interview she details why she stays ...
I enjoyed hearing Sister Chittister's take on the role of women in the Catholic Church. It seems there is progress for our Catholic sisters, but still more need for equality.
In case you are interested, here is an earlier interview with Chittister if you want to get to know this fascinating woman a bit better, especially about her call to her vocation as a nun. Are nuns necessary for today? She seems to think so. It is enjoyable to hear someone really advocate for the Catholic Church. She has a great love for the Church. In this interview she details why she stays ...
Saturday, January 31, 2015
First Lady Bishop for the Church of England
It is official. The Church of England has consecrated its first female Bishop, Rev. Libby Lane. Congrats!
Here are some links to stories and at least one video of part of the ceremony. Very exciting!
PBS - Religion and Ethics Newsweekly
BBC - with video
BBC - with pictures
BBC - commentary
Now we can all hope for the Vicar of Dibley to be reset as the Bishop of Dibley ...
Here are some links to stories and at least one video of part of the ceremony. Very exciting!
PBS - Religion and Ethics Newsweekly
BBC - with video
BBC - with pictures
BBC - commentary
Now we can all hope for the Vicar of Dibley to be reset as the Bishop of Dibley ...
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Henri le Chat Noir
I don't know why, but this article in the Seattle Times today makes me smile - "The Man Behind Henri le Chat Noir is Now King of Cat Videos." Cat videos are one of those strange accompaniments to modern online life. They are a guilty pleasure in those moments when we choose to waste hours on youtube, searching for cute and funny felines. There are now film festivals devoted to cat videos, where the cats become celebrities. Fans flock to see and sometimes pet the stars. It is a bizarre time in which we live, but I have to admit that I love the indulgent and delightful frivolity.
And, of course, Henri le Chat Noir is the feline celebrity extraordinaire. The videos are witty and winsome. Long live the clever cat video! And may the king of cat videos give us many more reasons to waste time in such a lighthearted and uplifting way; even though Henri seems to need antidepressants ...
And, of course, Henri le Chat Noir is the feline celebrity extraordinaire. The videos are witty and winsome. Long live the clever cat video! And may the king of cat videos give us many more reasons to waste time in such a lighthearted and uplifting way; even though Henri seems to need antidepressants ...
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