Social science – Hazelnut Notes

Ruminations on Existentialism: tentative agreements and disagreements

June 4, 2021 Benjamin Knoll

In my attempts to get a handle on the key schools of thought within ancient, modern, and contemporary theology, I’ve often read that certain theologies

Christian Universalism and God’s radical acceptance, presence, and love for all, “to the ends of the earth”

August 17, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

“These passages teach that God’s acceptance, presence, love, and salvation are openly and freely given to all on a radically equal basis, no exceptions. While our social psychology makes it difficult (if not ultimately impossible) for us to do the same, it seems an ideal worth striving for with all our might as disciples of God.”

Daily office commentary, Mark 9:33-37; keeping the need for structure and organization in proper perspective

August 10, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

“Jesus seems to me to be saying: sure, structure and hierarchy can be useful, but how about we spend our time focusing on loving and serving others instead of arguing over who gets to call the shots.” #dailyoffice

Daily office commentary, Romans 14; “both are guests at Christ’s table”

August 4, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

is it possible to seek to advance our political and social goals in a way that does not “interfere with the free exchange of love” and remembers that those we disagree with “have their own history to deal with”? What might this look like in practice? #dailyoffice

Daily office commentary, Mark 4:35-38; calmness of mind in stressful situations

July 25, 2019 Benjamin Knoll

What stands out to me here is how calm Jesus seems to be, even to the point of being slightly annoyed with his friends for freaking out about the storm. To use psychology terms, he was able to suppress his amygdala anxiety threat response which allowed his prefrontal cortex to stay online and deal with the situation with all his “thinking cylinders” firing.

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