Patrik Olterman
Oh My Ego!
Read more: Oh My Ego!I am sittning at the Salvation Army leadership conference in Örebro, listening to Tommy Hellsten talking about finding your true self and how the ego must be crucified, taken apart, gotten rid of. I think of Eddie Izzard that stated last night during his “Force Majeure” show that he had an overgrown ego, he tells…
Deconstruction
Read more: DeconstructionI often end up in conversations about deconstruction. Is it wise, they ask to deconstruct doctrinal and creedal statements, bible texts and above all is it wise to deconstruct god? In the question, I find, there is a fear that deconstruction will somhow damage or break the idea or concept that is being deconstructed. There…
Subverting the norm
Read more: Subverting the normThe last couple of days I have spent at Subverting the norm II, a conference about radical theology, postmodernism and the church. It has been three days of deconstruction, radical thought and repentance. It has been such a privilege and honour to spend three days with some of the greatest theologians involved in this ongoing…
Being alive is my daily spiritual practice
Read more: Being alive is my daily spiritual practiceWhat is a spiritual practice, or a spiritual discipline? Most people I know would place a spiritual practice within the confines of what you do on a Sunday in church or possibly in your daily prayer session at home. A subset of my friends would also extend it to their activities in feeding the hungry…
Life is my religion
Read more: Life is my religionIt is a grand statement: Life is my religion! But what does it mean? Let’s start with the end, religion, what is religion? The word religion comes from latin and means to re/connect (ligare is the same root word that gives us the english word ligament). What is it we need to re/connect? Naturally this…
Theopoetics
Read more: TheopoeticsAfter a long hiatus in blogging I have decided to warm up the keyboard and start blogging again. Any long term reader will immediately notice that the name of the blog has changed and with that maybe the direction of the blog as well. Personally I think the new name “Theopoetics” better reflect the direction…
Steve Chalke breaks the silence
Read more: Steve Chalke breaks the silenceSteve Chalke, theologian, author and leader of Oasis Church has decided to break the silence and believe out loud. It is encouraging to see that more and more evangelical leaders are stepping up to the plate, ready to take a stand for christlike inclusion and justice. If you want to read the longer (and annotated…
In my name ….
Read more: In my name ….This week has been full of questions and reflection. And as I was reading “The idolatry of God” I was reflecting on Jesus asking us to pray in his name. I think in our traditional thinking we connect this with John 4.6 (No one comes to the father but through me) or we possibly se…
Repent!
Read more: Repent!It’s a whole new year, we need to learn how to write 2013 instead of 2012, Oh and the world ended so here we are in the aftermath of the end of the world or at least the end of the year. New years eve is a traditional time of repentance, maybe not in the…
We believe …
Read more: We believe …The conversation goes on and on, and we toss around words that are loaded with presuppositions, the verb “to believe” is not the least of them. I have written extensively about this, but it seems it’s a topic worth another go. What does it mean to believe, to have faith and to be faithful? I…
Truth, Grace & Justice
Read more: Truth, Grace & JusticeThe trinity of love consists, according to Christian Schwartz book “The 3 colors of love”, of truth grace and justice. The scriptures rarely mention truth or grace without mentioning justice, but what if any is the relationship between the three? Grace is the word most often associated with love, when someone is graceful we understand…
Christianity, faith or science?
Read more: Christianity, faith or science?It seems that most people are upset by uncertainty, and more specifically Christians get really upset if one where to say that we cannot know. I was taught when I first came into the church about this “blessed assurance”, to know that you know that you know that god is real/good/loving etc. At the same…
The importance of play and silliness
Read more: The importance of play and sillinessSitting here and mulling over my many impressions and conversations at this weeks conference (Piratkyrkan bibel – 2012). One conversation keep coming back. Saturday night we had a small conversation about Glossolalia, speaking in tongues. It is my belief that everyone can speak in tongues, as I find it hard to believe Paul would express…
Life is my religion
Read more: Life is my religionThere where two trees in the garden. There was the tree that the first eikons (reflections of god) was told not to touch, you know the one with the “apple”. But there was also another tree the tree of life, it is interesting to note that god never told the adama (earthling) and his ezer kenegdo (lifesaver)…
First love
Read more: First loveAn unnamed ancient eastern mystic have penned that you “…should always stay at the beginning”. The beginning of a new relationship is sweet and filled with endorphin induced bliss. Equally when we first meet/fall in love with Jesus we are equally blissed out. All our attention is on this new found love, we breathe it,…
Looking for serious conversation
Read more: Looking for serious conversationI was asked last week, why do I blog? Do I have a need to be heard, seen or is it something else? This has led me to reflect on why I am writing this blog, I have come up with a few answers to the question. I write because I need to see my…
Living whole hearted
Read more: Living whole heartedIf you have heard me teach, chances are you have heard me teach on Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV)…
In god’s queer image …
Read more: In god’s queer image …A dear friend and mentor wrote: You ask whether your post will make you an outcast from the Christian community. I hope it does not because we could do with a dose of clear thinking, careful theological reflection, and honesty on this subject, and others. Of course, the Christian community cannot bear such questions because,…
The sacrament of coming out of the closet …
Read more: The sacrament of coming out of the closet …The biggest problem with wearing a mask is that as long as we wear it only the mask receives love. The psychology is as simple as it is diabolical, I know that what I am presenting is not real me, therefore I also know that the person you are loving is not really the real…
The omniamourous god.
Read more: The omniamourous god.As soon as you say the words: god is love, some people make a face and sigh. The notion is that when you speak about god as love and when you talk about grace, it is a sign that you have gone soft. Implying that you have compromised the “high standards” of Christian living and…
Marriage is meaningless …
Read more: Marriage is meaningless …After years of deconstructing both my worldview, my faith, my theology, my sexuality and every other aspect of my faith I have come to this conclusion (among many others to be sure), marriage is meaningless. Marriage has meant many different things in many different times and many different cultures. Most of the time marriage has…
Being myself …
Read more: Being myself …Anyone that knows me knows that the last year has been a theological and emotional roller coaster of self discovery. I have been to the depths of me and re-examined my core beliefs and my standard scripts, realising that I live like most people behind the mask that I think will be accepted by the…
Truth and grace revisited
Read more: Truth and grace revisitedI love my blog readers, they are not many but they are faithful. Recently a new but dear friend has been reading my blog from the beginning, charting the twists and turns of both my life and my faith. This has provoked more than a few very interesting questions. One of the more poignant questions…
Taking the G out of the kingdom ….
Read more: Taking the G out of the kingdom ….I was listening to a Homebrewed Christianity – Theology Nerd Throwdown (TNT) when I was struck with this beautiful idea. It was Tripp Fuller who said (Not the exact quote, though these are his words) If you take the G out of Kingdom you get kindom with no cock and no crown. The kindom of…
Why tolerance is not good enough.
Read more: Why tolerance is not good enough.Tolerance has long been a hobby horse of many within the evangelical movement (to make fun of and hate it) and the liberal movement (to advocate it). Recently my friend and former pastor Peter Baranowsky have been blogging about the book the new tolerance and it seems to me that Peter and possibly the authors…
