I absolutely love these ideas, especially paying attention to beauty and reducing your needs.
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 2: Religion is Woke
Read MORE: Lesson 2: Religion is WokeAll the great world religions could be said to be “woke” in the sense that awareness is a basic teaching. They all claim to discern reality. That might be described as facing the truth, providing a healthy way of life,…
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Lesson 1: What is Woke?
Read MORE: Lesson 1: What is Woke?Many of my friends at some time in the past year have asked, “Exactly what is ‘woke’ anyway?” It’s usually in response to politicians using the term in a derogatory way, in mockery as if something “woke” is silly or…
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Lesson 12: Two Surprises
Read MORE: Lesson 12: Two SurprisesI had two surprises doing this series. The first was I did not anticipate how comprehensive compassion was going to be. I started out simply seeking a broader Christian approach than nonviolence for resolving our society’s conflicts. Compassion expressed empathy…
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Lesson 11: Karen Armstrong – Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
Read MORE: Lesson 11: Karen Armstrong – Twelve Steps to a Compassionate LifeI decided a good way to bring this series together was to reread Karen Armstrong’s Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. Many regard it as the classic treatment of compassion in our time. My guess is many, if not most…
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Lesson10: Compassion in the Atonement
Read MORE: Lesson10: Compassion in the AtonementThe most difficult theological task is explaining the atonement. There have been many theories, but none are completely satisfying in our day. I was surprised how frequently I turned to compassion in the past few months when trying to understand…
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Lesson 9: Compassion as Willingness to Suffer
Read MORE: Lesson 9: Compassion as Willingness to SufferRight from the beginning, I regarded compassion as more than being emotional about something. I thought it could be a guiding light in overcoming our divisions because it involves empathy that considers what the other person or group thinks. It…
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Lesson 8: Compassion as Guiding Light in Change
Read MORE: Lesson 8: Compassion as Guiding Light in ChangeI have been considering how compassion might be a guiding light for overcoming the deep divisions in our church and society. Underlying this quest is the conviction that we are in one of the major periods of change in human…
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Lesson 6: Compassion for the Economically Oppressed
Read MORE: Lesson 6: Compassion for the Economically OppressedIt was time to start applying the study to our situation, so I tried to imagine what would move Jesus to compassion in our time. After the obvious needs of the sick, injured, and grieving, those neglected and hurt by…
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Lesson 5: Forgiveness
Read MORE: Lesson 5: ForgivenessI am still amazed by what I learn when writing these studies. It’s hard to believe how much I missed in 86 years! For instance, last week, while pondering the Buddhist image of compassion as longing for oneness, it became…
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Lesson 4: Longing for Oneness
Read MORE: Lesson 4: Longing for OnenessBarbara inspired me to read John Phillip Newell, who writes about the need to reconnect with compassion in Rebirthing God, Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings. He echoes many of my friend’s concerns that we have a fossilized church that talks…
Recent Comments
Fritz a wonderful lesson – and esp. reading has a flow I found encompassing. If only …….. yes we can…
So forgiveness pre-requires understanding the mistakes of the past? here hear re this opposing this me-first, America-first, white-first, male-first approach>…