Cultural and Intellectual Historian
“In fact, while the climate of widespread moral uncertainty can in some way be explained by the multiplicity and gravity of today's social problems, and these can sometimes mitigate the subjective responsibility of individuals, it is no less true that we are confronted by an even larger reality, which can be described as a veritable … Continue reading Towards a Thanatocene Spirituality
I delivered my second sermon at RUF UCLA, once again at the kind invitation of Rev. Matthew Trexler. Inspired by the verses containing the closing words of Zechariah's Benedictus, I delivered a Christmas homily from the apocalyptic (revelatory) and cosmic perspective of the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death and how this victory … Continue reading Sermon: A Dawning from on High Has Visited Us
A very important note about sources: Several structures, themes, and ideas of this message, especially some text enclosed in quotation marks, has been lifted from the course, available on the udemy platform, entitled, “Paul and His Letter to the Ephesians,” the copyright for which belongs to N.T. Wright Online, 2016. Also see the relevant sections … Continue reading Sermon: Outside the Party?
I have always said that Los Angeles wasn't the city for me—that doing life in L.A. would be a catastrophic mistake. To live the remainder of my life in L.A. would mean (in the words of Racine's Le songe d'Athalie), C'était pendant l'horreur d'une profonde nuit. "It was during the horror of a profound night," or so I … Continue reading What’s going on?
In this message, we think about spiritual friendship through the lens of the friendship between David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18). Ultimately we see that God enters into covenant relationship with human beings through the paradigm of friendship. Jesus himself said to his disciples, "I have called you friends, for all that I have heard … Continue reading Sermon: The Friendship of David and Jonathan
Originally published in two installments in 2016. This is an edited and collected version including a final chapter written in mid-2017. Chapter One (June 2016) In the first volume of Marcel Proust’s, In Search of Lost Time, one of the characters introduced is the up-and-coming socialite, M. Swann. He often visited the Proust’s country home in … Continue reading Healing and the Promise: Chapters I-III
Originally published in three installments in late 2015 and early 2016. This is an edited and collected version. Chapter One The way of the Son of God into the far country is the way of obedience. This is…the first and inner moment of the mystery of the deity of Christ. – Karl Barth In October … Continue reading Suffering and the Promise: Chapters I-III
