So, the challenge always is to get in and out of these posts without taking forever! Today was a great day, but I’m exhausted tonight, and I have to be up so early tomorrow:  there is a Yoruba service at 7:00 am I want to attend.  So, here are the highlights!I presented this morning from…… Continue reading Parliament, Day 1

Today I leave for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, which will be held back in the United States for the first time in more than 20 years. [We’ll be in Salt Lake City this year.]  This is the second Parliament I will have attended–I went to the last Parliament, which was held in 2009…… Continue reading The Parliament of the World’s Religions: A Great Cloud of Witnesses

I’ve just concluded what I hope is only the first round of an ongoing series of podcast interviews with some scientists from Gettysburg College.  [Most of them haven’t aired yet, but when they do, you can find them here:  The Seminary Explores.]  The impetus for this little series was the AAAS grant Gettysburg Seminary received…… Continue reading Theology and Science, and why every Theologian Should Put on a Scientist’s Glasses [at least once in awhile]

I just finished proofing an article that will be coming out in the winter issue of Dialog; the article is titled “Nathan Söderblom and Our Own Time,” and it was written by the current archbishop of Sweden, Antje Jackelén and her theological secretary, Jakob Wirén.  In this piece, the authors quote a statement Söderblom made back in 1916,…… Continue reading Placing the Impersonal above the Personal

Do you remember the “missing children” milk carton campaign?  If you are around my age or older, surely you do.  I do, of course, but I admit I hadn’t thought about it in a long time.  What sparked my memory was this great podcast from 99% Invisible with Roman Mars:  http://99percentinvisible.org/ [It’s a quirky, interesting…… Continue reading Remembering the "Missing Children" Milk Cartons

So, today was my last day in Hong Kong, and let me tell you, I made it count!  I got up early and took the metro (which, by the way, is extraordinarily organized, clear & clean!) out to Lantau Island–first stop was the giant Buddha & the monastery.  It was absolutely gorgeous, and I have…… Continue reading Lantau Island & the Giant Buddha

Today was another great day in Hong Kong!  I came down to my hotel in Kowloon (it’s in the Ovolo chain, and seriously, if you are ever in Hong Kong, this is where you want to stay!), where I’ll be for the next two days.  I wanted to have two days to visit a few…… Continue reading Doing the (comparative theologian) tourist thing in Hong Kong

The conference finished up yesterday, and what a great conference it was.  You can see a couple pictures of the participations:  we had representatives from India, China, Hong Kong, Sweden, Germany, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Japan, Norway–I’m sure I’m forgetting a few countries, too.  I learned so much about the lived experience of Christianity…… Continue reading Final Conference Reflections

I’d like to interrupt my regular theological broadcasting for this special theological report on monkeys.  Yes, monkeys.  This is not only because I feel in almost every circumstance monkeys deserve their own headline, but also because it gives me another opportunity to talk about one of my strongest theological convictions.Over all my years as a…… Continue reading Theological Thoughts about Monkeys

Every time I go to an academic conference, we spend lots of time together talking about religion.  This is no surprise, of course, and it’s a critical part of theological work.  For example, thanks to the excellent presentations I have heard the past few days, I have gained important insights about the church in Hong…… Continue reading 2 Temples and a Mosque