Hazelnut Notes is a blog site and a resource for information on the topics of contemplative activism, postmodern religion, and public theology. These topics are accessible via the links in the menu above.
Blog topics include individual spirituality, religious practice, progressive Christianity, the nexus of religion, science, and social science, public theology, etc. Specific blog categories are available here:
Blog categories:
- Anglicanism/Episcopal Church
- Book review
- Christianity
- Interfaith and ecumenicism
- Mormonism/LDS Church
- Postmodern religion
- Public theology
- RationalFaiths archives
- Religious practice
- Scriptural commentary
- Social science
- Society and politics
- Uncategorized
Recent posts:
- Speaking prophetically to one’s community; daily office commentary on Matthew 10:17-28."For most of my life I thought that speaking "prophetically" meant seeing the future or speaking in the role of a divinely authorized leader of a religious institution. In Jesus's context, though, prophets most often emerged not from the leadership of the institutional political or religious class, but rather from the people, and sometimes even … Read more
- On the theological paradox of ecclesiastical authority in the Episcopal Church"In the Episcopal Church, priests take vows to follow the counsel of their bishops and to live and teach the doctrines of the Church BUT are also called to help people live into the life and teachings of Jesus who was anything but deferential to institutional religious authority."
- Opening weekend at Bexley SeaburyThis weekend I began an M.Div. program at Bexley Seabury Seminary in Chicago. My path to this program has been somewhat unconventional. I'm in my mid-thirties, have a full-time day job (college professor), and three kids at home. When I finished my Ph.D. ten years ago I didn't expect that I'd be going back to … Read more
- Daily office commentary, Galatians 3:18-27; “Obviously [Christianity] was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, [Jesus].”A common theme of the New Testament is the dueling contrasts of the Hebrew "law": the dominant interpretation as embodied in Jewish culture and religion vs. the interpretation advocated for by early Christian writers and leaders. What if we were to take this contrast as a metaphor and apply it one step further: to the … Read more
- Daily office commentary, Mark 12:28-34; living the most important commandments through proper use of our religions28 One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?” 29-31 Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the … Read more
