This is “Terra Dei,” a sustainable house here on the camp campus. They have solar panels, a compost toilet, and the walls actually are straw bales–very cool. I also loved the bike hooked up to a battery–twenty minutes of biking can power a tv for 2 hours! (I wonder if I can get little Henry…… Continue reading Terra Dei
Author: happylutheran
I am the president at Wartburg Theological Seminary, my beloved alma mater. I am an inveterate optimist, runner, vegetarian, and harp player. I love Mary Oliver and Gerard Manley Hopkins, and like them, I'm continually delighted by all the surprising and wonderful ways God shows up in the world.
"Earth Your Dancing Place"
I think I have mentioned before that poetry is not my favorite literary genre. Sure, there are certain poems and poets I love [Gerard Manley Hopkins and Mary Oliver are at the very top of my list], but I’m pretty conventional in my tastes, and I don’t have the sophisticated tools I would need to…… Continue reading "Earth Your Dancing Place"
Things That are Hidden
I am here in Vancouver–spectacularly beautiful–for a conference on Pure Land Buddhism; and before the conference started this afternoon, my friend Richard and I visited the Museum of Anthropology. It was a gorgeous, interesting museum–most of it devoted to First Nations peoples. I am still thinking about all I saw, but this piece stayed with…… Continue reading Things That are Hidden
God "with," not "for"
My friend, Robin, alerted me to this great article by Sam Wells in the journal Cresset: http://thecresset.org/2013/Easter/Wells_E2013.htmlIt’s titled “Rethinking Service,” and there are two issues in particular he raises that I think are really important and interesting for both individual Christians and the church today. The first is the question of what the current “problem”…… Continue reading God "with," not "for"
Rejecting the Dead?
Did you see/hear this story on NPR? http://www.npr.org/2013/05/06/181678766/in-boston-a-rare-rejection-of-the-deadThe body of suspected Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev languishes in a funeral home because no cemetery will accept it for burial. Interestingly enough, the story quickly notes that this impetus for “justice” and punishment is an old one, and it begins with the following example: “The notion that…… Continue reading Rejecting the Dead?
The Power of "Story-truth" for Understanding the Bible
A post in 50 words or less:Read this little piece, from a great website you should be reading regularly: http://www.betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com/?p=17399And then think more deeply and creatively about what it means when we say something is “true” in the context of our faith! [More Christians should think about this when reading Scripture!!]
My Bright Abyss
I was at Virginia Tech last weekend as the visiting theologian [sponsored by Luther Memorial Lutheran Church], and I got to spend some time with the college students there. They were GREAT–mostly engineering majors, actually, with one interesting organic farmer-to-be and a few other majors, too–none religion. They all were very active in the campus…… Continue reading My Bright Abyss
The Problem of "Race" when it comes to Religion
The category of “race” is becoming more and more problematic as it becomes more and more outdated–soon, one hopes, it will be nothing more than a relic of history, a way we used to talk about and categorize people that no longer serves any constructive purpose. While there may be some advantages to the category,…… Continue reading The Problem of "Race" when it comes to Religion
What’s Wrong with April?
In case you haven’t noticed, April seems to be a particularly cruel month: the Columbine High School shootings [April 20th, 1999]; the Oklahoma City bombing [April 19th, 1995]; the Virginia Tech shootings [April 16th, 2007]; and now the Boston Marathon bombing. What’s wrong with April? My birthday is April 19th, so I always think about…… Continue reading What’s Wrong with April?
Happy Lutheran 