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
- Science and technology
- Scriptural commentary
- Social science
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Recent posts:
- “Panpsychism”: is the universe alive with consciousness? Some parallels with early Mormon theology.In Chapter 5 of Until the End of Time, physicist Brian Greene describes a niche scientific theory that has has deep roots and/or parallels in classical and spiritual thought: “panpsychism.” This theory posits that “individual particles themselves [gluons, protons, electrons, etc.] are endowed with an innate attribute of consciousness … that cannot be described in
- Materialism, free will, and sin: more musings from Chapter 4 of “Until the End of Time” by Brian GreeneChapter 5 of Until the End of Time by Brian Greene is a tour-de-force all by itself. In the span of about 45 pages, the author traces the latest understanding of the development of human consciousness from the particles of matter that make up our brains. This includes a discussion of the philosophy of consciousness,
- “Nested Stories” and the importance of interdisciplinary explanations: musings from Chapter 4 of “Until the End of Time” by Brian GreeneChapter 4 of Brian Greene’s new book Until the End of Time tells the story of the origin of the elements, the Solar System, the Earth, water and oxygen in the environment of the young Earth, the origin of DNA and the essentials for life as we understand it. As with other chapters of this
- Questions that guide thinking and faith about a historical Resurrection“It doesn’t matter if Jesus was actually raised from the dead; what matters is that we believe he was raised from the dead.” Discuss. This is a prompt from a recent seminary writing assignment. My thinking style is such that I tend to respond to questions with more questions. This helps me clarify the ideas
- The Big Bang, creation ex nihilo, and “God of the Gaps”: thoughts on Chapter 3 of “Until the End of Time” by Brian Greene“A model of Life, the Universe, and Everything that integrates both science and theology could place God as the ’cause’ of the configuration of mathematics, quantum laws, etc. as well as the low-entropy state of the pre-Big Bang universe.”
