As you can read in the About me section, I am a philosophical thinker at heart, so this section is for posts which wander about in the big ideas and issues of life, God, the universe, and other related subjects.
Developments in the recent political landscape have gotten me to thinking a lot. Mostly, I’ve been thinking about how we can be so blinded by our own perspectives that we can forget what is most important. To begin, let me tell you a bit about one of my favorite movie clips. Have you ever seen Read More …
Transpersonal sociology is still a very young academic discipline, so a definition of transpersonal sociology must actually begin with a definition for transpersonal psychology. Although definitions abound, transpersonal psychology can most succinctly be defined as “the scientific study of behavioral phenomena commonly thought to possess the qualities of ‘awe,’ the ‘spiritual’ or the ‘mystical,’ and Read More …
Before we dig into my definition of mystical theology, I think it is important first to define the term mystical. While definitions abound with regard to this adjective, my primary reference point is the succinct description provided by Bernard McGinn: Thus we can say that the mystical element in Christianity is that part of its Read More …
We hear a lot about spectrums (spectra?) these days? There is the gender spectrum, the sexuality spectrum, the color spectrum (which looked like this when I was a kid). My son and I both have intimate, personal experience with the autism spectrum (please pray for my poor wife). It seems that there is a spectrum Read More …
Currently, I am teaching a university course on the mystical experience, and one of the major issues that we confront is: What does a mystical experience look like? There are many answers to this question, but I would like to offer two pictures today: one from Buddhism and one from Christianity. Let’s begin with Buddhism. Read More …
I have watched many responses to the Parkland, FL massacre. The cycle of horror and shock has given way to resentment and retrenchment. In all of the online “shouting,” I have been surprised – and hopeful – to see how the students themselves won’t back down. That’s where change will come from – real change Read More …
It has been a long time since I have written here! While I don’t think I can promise that posts will be quite as regular as they used to be, I have finished the major projects that have taken up the last 6-9 months. If you are interested in reading them, then they will be Read More …
In this post, I would like to teach you how to open your third eye as a new way of perception. Here you go: Okay, you’ve probably figured out that it is not quite so simple. Actually, the whole concept of a third eye is fraught with misunderstanding and misinformation (and, for my money, I Read More …
Sin, the Examen, and Daring Greatly Sin is a difficult topic to consider. Interestingly, sin is something that every person thinks about – at least from time to time – but no one really likes others to talk about. Sin may have an aspect of willful rebellion, but it also can simply mean a mistake, Read More …
Definitions are important – well, at least, I think so. My wife often accuses me of coming up with my own precise definitions and then expecting others to abide by them. You know what I say to that? I say, “What do you mean by precise and expecting?” Well, all kidding aside, there are a Read More …
