1. Offer a critical and appreciative assessment of Don Browning’s model of practical theology, giving special attention to A Fundamental Practical Theology. Develop your own model of practical theology with reference to that of Browning, explicating similarities and differences. 2. Provide an overview of the transversal approach to interdisciplinary work, describing some of the key persons who have given rise to this approach. Building on your answer to question one, compare the transversal approach to Don Browing’s revised correlational model... Read more

…I start my second round of comps. I’ll post the questions after I get them, but I’ll spare anyone the agony of having to read through my answers. In preparation, I’ll post the questions from my Spring comps this week. And, no, I don’t know how I did — I’ll find that out on 9/22 at my oral defense. Read more

Why I should not search my name on Technorati. Read more

During the evening prayer on Tuesday 16 August, in the midst of thecrowd surrounding the Community in the Church of Reconciliation, a woman – probably mentally disturbed – struck Brother Roger violently with knife blows. He died a few moments later. In its sorrow, the Taizé Community thanks all those who aresupporting it by their affection and their prayer. On the morning of 17 August, after Brother Roger’s death, the following prayer was readin the church: “Christ of compassion, you... Read more

…on October 1. …whether you want it to or not. Read more

…I’ll be on Bob Grant’s call-in radio show (4pm mountain time, 100.7 KGFT) on Friday to talk about The Sacred Way. I’ll also be on his Sunday show, “Ancient-Future Faith,” but I don’t know if it will be this weekend or in the future. It doesn’t look like they stream their audio, so the rest of you hapless people will just have to call a friend in CS and have them hold their phone up to the radio. Here’s hoping... Read more

Here’s a list of where I’ll be in the coming months — I’d love to meet with Emergent types along the way, so drop me a comment if you want to get together for a beverage… July 5-10: SingaporeOctober 1-2: Sacramento, CAOctober 3-4: San FranciscoOctober 7-8: Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, Mt. Vernon, OHOctober 15-16: PittsburghNovember 1-4: Princeton, NJNovember 19-20: NashvilleDecember 1-7: Rome and Taize Read more

Response to Recent Criticisms By Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Spencer Burke, Brian McLaren, Dan Kimball, Andrew Jones, Chris Seay We continue to be amazed by the enthusiastic interest in the work of emergent, a conversation and friendship of which we are a small part. This conversation is bringing together a wide range of committed Christians and those exploring the Christian faith in wonderful ways, and many of us sense that God is at work among us. As would be expected,... Read more

Life being what it is, I will be ceasing to blog, or to read blogs, until further notice. My comprehensive exams are all-consuming through next September (see this), and Tanner needs my help learning to ride a bike without training wheels. See what I’m saying? I really like blogging — I find it an excellent medium for quick, provocative statements about issues theological and otherwise. And it doesn’t require footnotes. But it’s easier than re-reading about 100 books in the... Read more

So, as I put my 4 and 3 year-olds to bed tonight, they were yet again asking me about how God the Mommy/Daddy (as I refer to the first person), Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all God. So I was thrust by my preschoolers into explaing the Trinity. I tried the old water as liquid, ice, and vapor, but I couldn’t go through with it because of the inherent modalism in that analogy. Then I looked up. I saw... Read more