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	<title>Theology in the 3rd Millennium</title>
	<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com</link>
	<description>Exploring the Shape of Theology in the 3rd Millennium</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:05:27 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Theology from Scratch, The Divine Life Communion</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	In various posts I&#8217;ve allude to my views on what I felt was a reasonable systematic theology for today.  In this post I&#8217;ll bring those thoughts together in a more systematic way in a theology I call &#8220;The Divine Life Communion&#8221;.
	Something like 70-80% of the people on the planet believe in some form of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2013/01/31/theology-from-scratch-divine-live-communion/</link>
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		<title>A Basis for Theology</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	One of the most interesting questions in theology and religious philosophy, at least for me, is why certain individuals and cultures opted for a particular religious framework. While this is certainly a complex issue, one can speculate at what might have been happening with seminal figures (i.e. Elijah, Moses, Jesus, Siddartha, Lao Tsé, etc.) in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2008/07/30/a-basis-for-theology/</link>
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		<title>Abandonment of the Weak</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	There is a general theme in liberal theology these days that really irks me.  It represents a picture of a god that is distant and not participatory in any real sense.  This trend can be seen in the neo-deistic ideas that relegate God to a maintenance person keeping the water flowing and the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/08/07/abandonment-of-the-weak/</link>
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		<title>What problem does &#8220;Lure&#8221; solve?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	The process thinkers seem to think that characterizing divine action as &#8220;lure&#8221; solves some problems for theology and science.  But what does it solve?  Most seem to think it solves the problem of supernaturalism without losing divine action.  But does it?  I don&#8217;t see how.  After all an influence must [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/06/26/what-problem-does-lure-solve/</link>
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		<title>Doing Theology</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	In past centuries most theologies began and proceeded from within a constrained circle.  Usually the constraint was defined by a scripture, scriptures, or religious and theological traditions.  All one has to do is look at the educational institutions for theology around the world and their curriculum to see this.  Theological departments are [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/05/21/doing-theology/</link>
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		<title>The Problem of Perfection</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	I don&#8217;t know when the idea of perfection arose in human thought. It certainly appears in the axial age when philosophy blossomed both in the East and the West.  From that period the major religious systems arose and they were all world rejecting in some fashion. They all point to a perfection in the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/04/05/the-problem-of-perfection/</link>
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		<title>The Risk of Love</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Love has to be one of the most talked about and written about things in the world. The apostle Paul has a wonderful definition in 1 Corinthians.  I would add one thing to Paul&#8217;s list. Risk.  I think it is important to add this for two reasons. First it is an obvious element [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/02/18/the-risk-of-love/</link>
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		<title>Temperament and Theology</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Theologians all have a given temperament just like anyone else.  Should it be any wonder that features of that temperament would be reflected in their theological approach and the ensuing content that emerges.  I have often wondered about the psychological dynamics of great thinkers and how it effects what they produce.  It [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/01/26/temperament-and-theology/</link>
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		<title>An Experience of the Holy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	After all these many years for some reason I remember very vividly an experience I had as a teenager.  As with many teenagers I was troubled.  Being a very shy person, I found it difficult to fit in with the gregarious goings-on in high school.  It seemed,at the time, that most everyone [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/01/19/the-experience-of-the-holy/</link>
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		<title>Theology as an Engineering Endeavor</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Both theology and engineering are systematic endeavors.  In engineering systematics is unavoidable.  Systematics means completeness, coherency, and compliance with all available knowledge.  The reason engineering must be systematic is because if it is not bridges fall down, airplanes crash, and people die.  As a result engineering must correspond to the reality [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2007/01/06/theology-as-an-engineering-endeavor/</link>
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		<title>Pray Boldy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	There is a concept in Christianity and Hinduism call kenosis (i.e. self emptying).  I think this concept is apt in that in God&#8217;s living aspect there is a limitation on God.  The characteristics of life itself are finitude and temporality.  If God is a living God then this is a limitation that [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/12/27/pray-boldy/</link>
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		<title>Appealing to the Intuitive</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	The history of theology and philosophy is rampant with what I would call the reductionist program.  Certainly there is an order to the cosmos that is reflected in rational thought.  All one has to do is look to the &#8220;summas&#8221; of various thinkers over the years to see the massive volume of thought [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/12/09/applealing-to-the-intuitive/</link>
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		<title>A Feeling for Things</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Of course, there are various reasons for the steady decline of participation in traditional religion.  Is there any doubt that there is also a steady secularization in societies?  The reason I would like to focus on is the incredulity of many religious claims found in the traditions.  Most of  the traditions, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/11/27/a-feeling-for-things/</link>
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		<title>The Forgotten and Abandoned</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	There are billions of religious adherents worldwide.  Most adopt the tradition of their culture with little questioning.  However, among those billions of adherents there is a small but growing group of disaffected.  They find many of the claims of the traditions untenable from the worldview that they find compelling.  They can [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/11/21/the-forgotten-and-abandoned/</link>
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		<title>First Things First</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	The rise of religious pluralism in societies has created a new climate for theologians. As prominent theologian Langdon Gilkey says:
	If I were asked what are the biggest changes in theology since the first half of the twentieth century, since the great neoorthodox days, I would mention, first, the concern for the issue of the pluralism [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/11/10/first-things-first/</link>
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		<title>Theology Matters</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Paul Tillich once said that &#8220;culture is the form of religion and religion is the substance of culture&#8221;.  He could say that because to Tillich religion is about ultimate concerns and cultures all emerge out of the ultimate concerns of its constituents.  One has only to look at the results of theologies that [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/11/05/theology-matters/</link>
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		<title>Theological Change, A Matter of Investment</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	There can certainly be theological change within a tradition but there are also core concepts that may in fact be untenable for many in this millennium.  There is a general decline in religious affilliation at least in the West. Reasons for this are varied but the trend should be disturbing for professional theologians.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/10/29/theological-change-a-matter-of-investment/</link>
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		<title>Aspect Monism</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	All religious systems attempt to characterize the structure of reality.  Inevitably they find their foundation is what is called ontology (the study of being). The ontology chosen stems first of all from an intuition about the structure of reality.  Those intuitions have always struggled with a sense of being both an individual and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/10/21/aspect-monism/</link>
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		<title>The Basis of Belief</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	There are many things that religion has in common with other forms of human endeavor.  Religion creates community.  It offers support and structure for society.  It may even venture into the political and activist arena.  However, the one area that makes religion distinctive is its focus on ultimates, the depth of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/10/10/the-basis-of-belief/</link>
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		<title>What Think Ye of Jesus?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	I want to start off this post by explaining that I hold Christianity in extremely high regard.  I was raised and remained a Christian for many years.  In my view Christianity holds so many wonderful insights concerning God and God&#8217;s relationship with the world that it deserves the prominence it has.  There [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/10/04/what-think-ye-of-jesus/</link>
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		<title>Tillich&#8217;s Misstep</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	I have a great admiration for the work of Paul Tillich. I consider him one of the greatest modern theologians.  However, I do think that Tillich made a misstep in his core ontology that destined his theology to be less than adequate for the 3rd millennium.
	Tillich adopts a version of the Greek ontology that [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/10/03/tillichs-misstep/</link>
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		<title>A Matter of Emphasis</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	One has only to look at the roots of the religious traditions to see that they arose out of certain existential emphases.  Why certain existential concerns were emphasized in the theology and religious philosophy of the time is a complex question and one that can only be answered by an indepth study of the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/09/26/a-matter-of-emphasis/</link>
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		<title>Theology and Change</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	I don&#8217;t think there is any question that theological formulations can create an astounding change in society.  History has borne this out both in the West and the East.  However, there do seem to be seminal moments in history where theology has had a momentous impact.  These moments seem to ensue from [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/09/17/theology-is-not-enough/</link>
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		<title>Religious Experience, Exquisite Yin-Yang</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	What should be counted as a religious experience?  Invariably at least in the theistic traditions religious experiences are described in &#8220;positive&#8221; terms.  By positive I mean terms like unity, blessedness, beauty, goodness, healing, etc.  The problem with restricting religious experiences to something positive is that it drives a wedge between God and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/09/03/religious-experience-exquisite-yin-yang/</link>
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		<title>Metaphor,  Meta &#8212; Pherein</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	Who can deny the central role of metaphor in religious language? From the allegories in the Bible, to Greek mythology, to the parables of Jesus, to the songs in the Vedas, the use of metaphor is pervasive.  Today the issue of metaphor in religion has become particularly important.  Cutting edge theologians like Borg [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/08/28/metaphor-meta-pherein/</link>
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		<title>Intelligent Design, An Unfortunate Choice of Terms</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	As some of you may know I have considerable sympathies for intelligent design both as a natural theology and as a counterbalance to the pervasive materialism in science.  However, I do believe the choice of terms for this cultural phenomenon is unfortunate.  It is unfortunate because it automatically creates an image of teleology [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/08/22/intelligent-design-an-unfortunate-choice-of-terms/</link>
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		<title>Process Philosophy&#8217;s Missteps</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	I am a big fan of event type models like that found in process philosophy.  It positions mind as the foundation of reality.  It fits very well within science. It also offers satisfactory solutions to problematic issues like consciousness.  However, when it comes to its theology of God I believe process theology [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/08/21/process-philosophys-missteps/</link>
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		<title>Rejecting World Rejection</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	All the major religious traditions have some element of world rejection. They all have their &#8220;salvation&#8221; schemes.  In Christianity and Islam creation is &#8220;fallen&#8221; and in need of salvation which will eventually occur in some eschatological event.  In Buddhism and Hinduism ultimate salvation is liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/08/17/rejecting-world-rejection/</link>
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		<title>On Prayer</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	New theological perspectives often try to position themselves as being &#8220;naturalistic&#8221;.  By this I mean they want to distance themselves from the supernaturalistic interpretations found in many traditions.  Prayer is often a sticking point for “naturalistic” religious forms.  This is because if prayer is efficacious beyond some psychological factor, it seems to [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/08/12/on-prayer/</link>
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		<title>Revelation without Holy Writ</title>
		<description><![CDATA[	The question of revelation is very important today.  Many of the traditions are grappling with how to regard scripture.  Is it holy writ in the sense of God &#8220;dictating&#8221; to the prophets?  This seems to be the approach taken by conservative traditions where scripture is considered inerrant.  If scripture is not [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://theology3m.blogsome.com/2006/08/10/revelation-without-holy-writ/</link>
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