Author Archives: Jessamyn Anderson

Heidi Russell, Loyola University Chicago IPS Graduate Program Director, MAPS

Christmas is the feast of the incarnation. In Christmas we do celebrate the nativity or birth of Christ, but what we are celebrating is not simply Jesus’ “birthday,” the way we celebrate our own birthdays. We are celebrating the mystery of Emmanuel, God-with-us, God revealed in time and space. Each week in the creed we say “by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man,” and the instructions say we are supposed to bow at those words, but on Christmas, the instructions say to genuflect. Why? Because those words proclaim the incarnation, that God became human. So what is the incarnation all about?

St. Athanasius, one of the great fathers and theologians of the Church, tells us:

Obviously we do not become God in the way that God is God, but we become God-like, we are divinized. The eastern Christian tradition has done a much better job of reminding people of this fact than our western tradition has done, as the west has tended to focus much more on the incarnation as a remedy for sin (it is both). The eastern tradition has a beautiful Greek word, theopoesis or theosis, literally to make divine, to describe this process. The word is usually translated as divinization or deification. We partake in the divine nature. St. Irenaeus puts it another way:

Living the Opposition

Katie Davis, Loyola IPS MAPS Student

In contemporary society, we are all bombarded with the temptations of individualism, consumerism, and militarism that inevitably shape our understanding of what it means to be human in the world today.  In the midst of such peril, YHWH as revealed in the Old Testament presents a countercultural path to life through the choosing of the covenant to this day.  Contrary to popular belief, the Old Testament is not merely an antiquated text; rather, it introduces poignant and relevant themes such as God’s saving power, social organization based on covenant as opposed to coercion, and the urgently important notion of “prophetic consciousness” as opposed to “royal consciousness”.

As Christians, we tend to grapple with the role that the Old Testament can or should play in our experiences of faith in the Trinity.  Are the Old Testament and the New Testament so different that Christians can disregard the former?  Is the Old Testament simply a starting point to be read solely through the lens of Christianity?  Walter Brueggemann stresses the importance of continually learning from the Jews and the way they read the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the necessity of honoring our similarities and acknowledging our differences.  For we cannot, he suggests, fully understand the New Testament without having a firm grasp on the Old Testament.  With openness to the graces of these Books, we as Christians can gain access to the interior life of a God with whom we can become acquainted in a totally fresh and more substantive way. (more…)

David Bottorff, Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies | M.A. Pastoral Counseling Student

Abstract

Early Christianity proved to be a profound pivotal point around which the social, political, economic, and spiritual lives of many people living in the Mediterranean Basin turned. This shift is characterized by a typology of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. At the same time, this pattern of change was mirrored by one of enslavement, freedom, and reverse discrimination. Reconciling the truth of these two concurrent yet contrasting typologies, whether over the course of centuries or mere moments, has proved to be both a great personal challenge and the key to my subjective appreciation of Early Christianity. This essay explores the tension between what Early Christianity was for its seminal proponents and the gravity it exerts in the life of this post-modern author. Further, it attempts to convey my relationship with a monumental and personally challenging question: How could one man, who by all rights should have been lost in the annuls of history, effect such tremendous change in the way we appreciate salvation of the human soul? This subject remains near to the heart of my lifelong spiritual quest.

Uncovering Early Christianity

Early Christianity precipitated catalytic change in the way much of the world relates to the great metaphysical forces shaping our human condition. For many, including myself, the concepts of mystery, hope and meaning were profoundly altered by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, as told by his seminal biographers. Biblical scholars use many tools to examine scripture, including historical, political, ideological, psychological, form, and redaction approaches (Pregeant, 2009). The conclusions can be widely divergent. To express my personal take on Early Christianity, I rely not only on these academic findings, but also on the Buddhist epistemological hermeneutic through which I read scripture.

To articulate what Early Christianity was, and what it means to me, I turn to the recurring typologic analogue described by Brueggemann (1984) in his Psalms exegesis—that of orientation, disorientation and reorientation. This organic sine pattern repeats time and again throughout human history, and finds expression at the fulcrum point around which spirituality in the Mediterranean Basin pivoted some two millennia ago—the life and times of Jesus. (more…)

Mary Kieffer, Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies, MAPS student

In the present age which is filled with rampant consumerism, disputes between nations, and, at least in American society, individualism, it is comforting to study and appreciate the ancient scriptures known as the Old Testament which are comforting in their prophetic vision that remains relevant despite the passing of time. As Walter Brueggemann attests, the Old Testament continues to offer “an alternative to the paths of death” when individuals or nations ignore the covenant relationship between humankind and YHWH. In fact, Brueggemann asserts that it is impossible to be a complete Christian if we feel that we can solely rely on New Testament teachings to guide us to the wholeness for which each of us is called. The Old Testament’s prophetic critique of autonomy, covenantal relationship and the saving power of YHWH are all tools of salvation which make us “human in the world” as well as chosen people of God. (more…)

by Cathy Hampton, IPS Student

In the Fall of 2007, I interviewed on two separate occasions for the position of development director at Washington Theological Union (WTU) in Washington, D.C. I learned about the WTU community the prior year (2006) when I lived on Capitol Hill in N.E. DC, not too far from WTU and Catholic University of America. In 2006, I was development director at the Mosaic Foundation in McLean, VA, a private foundation established in 1998 by Princess Haifa al-Faisal, the wife of Prince Bandar bin Sultan who was the ambassador to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia, and the other wives of the Arab ambassadors to the U.S. My purpose in going for the WTU position was to begin graduate studies in theology while working with WTU’s president to raise funds for the Union and for interreligious programs.

The position ended up going to a Washington, DC native who worked for the Pontifical North American College. Although I did not get the job, the time was not right for me to become a part of the WTU community. God was at work on my behalf in this negative decision because WTU’s president ended up resigning in early 2008, after only 18 months in the position. The key fundraiser for any institution is the president which leaves the development director in limbo during a leadership transition, especially when the director is from outside of the area. Despite the setback, I persevered with my plan to do graduate work in theology and spirituality and instead began my studies at IPS in January 2008.

I never forgot how much I liked the WTU community and the Franciscan charism working in harmony with the special gifts of the Carmelites, Dominicans, Jesuits and other religious orders. There was something more that I needed to investigate while keeping in contact with my former colleagues in the DC area. In early 2009, I was accepted into WTU’s distance learning graduate certificate program in Franciscan Theology and Spirituality.

My first course was on the Spiritual Franciscans and The Struggle for the Soul of the Order and constituted the bulk of my 2010 “summer vacation.” The six-week course was taught by Dr. David Burr, professor emeritus of history at Virginia Tech who was the author of The Spiritual Franciscans: From Protest to Persecution in the Century After Saint Francis. We read Dr. Burr’s work and the work of Angelo Clareno, a spiritual Franciscan, who wrote A Chronicle or History of the Seven Tribulations of the Order of Brothers Minor. In the course we were asked to identify the cross roads or turning points in the history of the conflict between the spiritual Franciscans, the Conventual community, the wider Church and the secular world at large. (more…)

Robert Ludwig

Perhaps the single most important spiritual issue of our time emerges in the global ecological crisis we face. The vast devastation that human beings have visited on the Earth in modernity poses profound threats to the survival of all life forms on the planet. Pollution of the land, air, and water has introduced life-threatening toxins into the food-chain and our bodies.  Depletion of the protective ozone, global warming, alarming increments in human population growth, and the killing off of millions of plant and animal species–all of these suggest a grim future devoid of natural aesthetics and a radically diminished existence, if, indeed, we can survive at all. The source of these problems is not superficial. It has to do with our self-understanding and our relationship to the natural world. We are alienated from nature, estranged from the elegant magnificence which is all about us and within us. Growing awareness of this alienation and estrangement challenges our fundamental meanings and values.

We need to stand back from the present crisis and assess why things are so amiss. What are the underlying reasons for today’s threatening situation? The answer, of course, is the human species. We are what has thrown the natural world into such imbalance. But is the human species intrinsically the problem? Are we a mistake of nature, inevitably drawn to behaviors which are destructive to the planet as a whole? A closer look suggests that the underlying problem is not the human species as such, but the human species of the past 200 years–and more precisely, the human species in the Western hemisphere and north of the equator during the past 200 years. It is modern Eurocentered humanity that has plundered nature and wrought such destruction to the planet.

Thomas Berry suggests that the underlying problem is twofold: otherworldly religion and controlling science–religion that denigrates the natural world and sees it as at best neutral and at worst our spiritual enemy; and science as conquest which seeks to conquer and subjugate the world of nature. Transcending nature through religion and overcoming nature through science–these prevailing attitudes combine to create a human species which devastates the natural world, perceiving itself as separate from, and even alien to, nature.  Clearly, it is our understanding and perception that must change.

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by Kirsten T.

Merriam –Webster defines parable as a “short story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.” According to Robert Ludwig in our week five essay, Jesus spoke in parables to attack fundamental beliefs of his listeners (p. 4). The parables of Jesus were not just to tell a story with a moral; the reason was to transform lives. In my life there have been many transformative moments; the birth of my son, a divorce, and the foray into a life of professional ministry. Perhaps the most significant parabolic moment in my life occurred through the death of my father almost 17 years ago. It was in the hours preceding his death that I came to experience a moment of mystery. This essay will explore that personal parable.

A brief history of my mom and dad is helpful to explain the situation. My mother was the church going Catholic. She was the one from whom I learned my prayers and observed of a life of service. She volunteered whenever possible at our local Catholic church and expected me to do the same. My mother was a model of fidelity. Questions surrounding my faith or my God were directed to her. My father had been raised Lutheran, but never went to church except when his sister visited in the winter. He did attend mass a few times in my life when I was leading music ministry. Attending his first Easter Vigil service when I was 17 was his final visit inside a Catholic church, however. A three hour service was just a little too much for him to take.

My dad never interfered with my mom and her connection to the local church. This did not mean I was not connected deeply to my father. With my dad I explored the intellect through reading, writing, history and the sciences. He and I could argue politics and my future career at length. From him, I developed a significant work ethic. Prayer was never a part of our 32 year relationship other than grace before meals on holidays. When I began my work in professional church ministry he was happy for me, but there was never any discussion around what I did on a day to day basis. He was tough on me, but also, as his sole daughter, he was quite empowering, assuring me that I could do or be anything I set my mind to. (more…)

by Beth Orchard

When I first set foot into the offices of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) in Greek town on my first day as intern in May, 2010, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I remembered reading a book titled ‘Acts of Faith,’ by Eboo Patel and read about their mission to ‘build mutual respect and pluralism among young people from different religious traditions by empowering them to work together to serve others,’ but I soon found out whatever I thought I knew about interfaith cooperation and dialogue was only part of the bigger picture.

My placement was with the One Chicago, One Nation initiative, a pilot year program designed to train people from all over the city of Chicago, from 18-88 years of age, to host Community Conversations about interfaith dialogue and cooperation around issues in their community. Through the trainings, nearly 100 Chicagoans from all over the city and suburbs came together to learn about how their story can be used to change the conversation around an issue (such as anti-violence, for example) and move together in service.

Throughout my time at IFYC, I got to interact with Community Ambassadors who were trained through the program and came from all sectors, college and university campuses and organizations as well as program officers from the Chicago Community Trust and high level corporate officials who attended the reception and induction for the trained ambassadors. I sat in on the trainings, created demographics to analyze the numbers from the pilot year and also engaged with the Community Ambassadors who were from all spiritual and religious backgrounds from Secular Humanist to Christian, Islam and others. (more…)

by Susan Rans

Many current and incoming students have asked for a description of the differences between the Social Justice and Community Development tracks of the Master of Arts in Social Justice & Community Development (MASJCD). In the past, I have answered this question in a kind of shorthand: Social Justice “thinks globally”; Community Development “acts locally”. Here, I attempt to put more meat on those bones.

The biggest idea behind the creation of the MASJCD was to join the theoretical and theological study of social justice to a place-based practice and policy approach to change in urban communities. While the study of social justice leads toward action, the study of community development provides effective and proven tools for action. So, another formulation might be that the study of social justice reveals why we must act and the study of community development shows what we can do.

It can also be said that community development is a form of social justice. Our religious traditions speak clearly about the injustices of poverty, of war and of oppression of the powerless. Answering this call often leads students to involvement in justice issues like eliminating poverty and hunger, ending wars, empowering women or welcoming immigrants. Community development–building strong and liberating communities in which the economy is available to all, in which every member is a valued contributor, and in which access to health care, education and secure housing is a mandate–fulfills the social justice vision. (more…)

By Christoph Soyer, IPS Student, M.A. Pastoral Counseling

In the book of Exodus, there is a wonderful story: Moses was tending to the sheep, when he saw fire flaming out of a bush. The bush, though on fire, was not consumed. Moses wanted to approach the bush in order to see why it was not burned, but a voice – God – said: Come no nearer. Remove the shoes from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. This is a deeply meaningful phrase for me: Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.

I would like to share with you a very important experience I had in the summer of 2008. Alongside eight young adults from my parish, we all joined the World Youth Day in Sydney. We went to Sydney as a part of the Jesuit program called MAGIS (Latin: more). Before the WYD and the gathering with the Pope, there was a special program. The core of this program was called an experiment. The experiment was centered on the idea of having a spiritual experience in an extraordinary environment and in an international group.

Our group went to Indonesia, where we lived for 6 days on the “garbage mountains” of Jakarta. This is difficult to describe in words, so I would like to share several photos as well.

(more…)