Thoughts on faith, culture, and public life.
By Rod Benson Recently, I have been reading a lot about Celtic history and spirituality. For someone like me,ย who identifies as a follower of Jesus, the most compelling feature of Celtic Christianity is arguably its integration of biblical faith, disciplined prayer, missionary adventure, poetry and attachment to place. It invites us to explore a Christian …
Continue reading "Snow on the mountain: Welsh gnomic poetry and the practice of attention"
The Durupฤฑnar site on the border between Tรผrkiye and Iran, showing the structure claimed to be Noah's Ark, in 2007. By Rod Benson According to the Book of Genesis, Noahโs Ark once saved the worldโs animals from extinction. Today, in the latest of many archaeological expeditions to the region, a dry sonic core drill is …
Who gets to name the world? By Rod Benson Imagine a government announcing that it will โright-sizeโ a service. The phrase sounds responsible, yet tells us little. Will people lose their jobs? Will a hospital close? Who decided what the โrightโ size is? The wording has not concealed every fact, but it has delayed the …
Francis Hoyland, The Life of Christ 71: Christ foretells the destruction of the Temple The case for ecumenical collaboration and engagement By Rod Benson Public theology has a future wherever Christians take responsibility for the public consequences of their faith. Its task is to bring theological convictions into critical conversation with the institutions, practices and …
Ed Sheeran By Rod Benson The controversy surrounding Macklemoreโs removal from Ed Sheeranโs tour eventually reaches a question deeper than celebrity politics: can compassion remain morally credible when it becomes selective? Public culture is saturated with the language of kindness, inclusion, empathy and love. Yet those virtues are tested not when they are universally applauded …
Continue reading "Selective compassion:ย How would Jesus respond?"
