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Theology is by nature a contextual discipline. All who reflect on God, and on God's encounter with them do so from a particular time, place and setting, just as God's encounter with them takes place in such a setting. Much has been made in the past century about contextual theologies, and many lessons must be learned from liberation or feminist or other theologies which are deliberately contextual. In short, our history has a profound effect on who we are and upon our understanding of God. Even as we make a claim that our view of reality is one that mirrors that reality, we must at the same time acknowledge that there is a social component to this view (essentially a "critical realist" position). This is why I believe it is important to detail who I am and from where I am coming in presenting the theological viewpoint that I do, for I know my own past experiences inform my present understandings. |
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My own experiences of God, and of theology, have come from a perspective that is both broad and narrow. I come from the midwestern United States, and thus have a particular view on the world which is invariably shaped by that context. Thus, in this way, my viewpoint may be narrow, even as I strive to see that this is not so. At the same time, I also have a broad background in my encounters with theology. I have been raised in the Evangelical Free Church, of which I am still a member. Thus, I have a decidedly conservative and evangelical bent to my theology, informed by my own experiences and the experiences and understandings of those around me. To compliment this, I have received my education at a string of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) institutions, from a Lutheran high school, through a religion honors degree at a Lutheran College, to a Masters degree in theology from a Lutheran Seminary. I believe the dialogue between these two streams of American Protestantism has helped deepen my own theological reflecftions, and has certainly broadened my theological horizons.
Another important factor informing my theology is my broad and extensive familiarity with funerals across many different denominations. Growing up and working in the funeral business, I have encountered theology where it meets life, or more specifically, where it meets life's end. Thus, the "funeral theology" from various denominations has raised questions, as well as proposed answers, that shape my understanding of the world. |
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B.A., Religion Honors
Concordia College, Moorhead Minnesota
"The Emptying God: A Kenotic Understanding of God's Relationship to the World"
M.A., Doctrine and Theology
Luther Seminary, St. Paul Minnesota
"Careful Appropriation: A Study of Polkinghorne's Relation of Quantum Theory and Theology"
"Rethinking Creation: Fretheim, Welker and Creation as Kenosis" |
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