R. M. Keelan Downton

Oberlin II Presentation: now with audio!

2009-06-09T14:44:00.002-04:00

Ecclesiological Malleability as Ecumenical Horizon

Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute Lecture

2009-05-14T17:30:00.001-04:00

I joined the Friars of the Atonement for the third lecture (full version to be posted soon) celebrating the centennial of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Msgr. John Radano presented an engaging summary of bilateral dialogues since Vatican II and identified trends in 21st century dialogues.

Mobilization to End Poverty

2009-04-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

This week, hundreds joined Sojourners in Washington, DC to give voice to their conviction that the gospel impels Christians to direct their energies not just towards spiritual but also material care for those with whom Jesus most closely identified himself.

Religion in the Civil Rights Movement

2009-04-03T16:35:00.005-04:00

a graphical meditation on some of the iconic images
of Septima Clark, Ella J. Baker, and Fannie Lou Hamer

For the past three days, some of the great scholars of the Civil Rights Movement have reflected on the issues of memory and memorializing, representation and imagination, and the relation of praxis, rituals, and values. The various approaches to revisiting the movement (many in light of the Obama presidency) have enhanced my appreciation for the many contributions of African-American churches to the ecumenical movement. Among the many stories of tragedy, hope, and courage, the sense of the conference was powerfully expressed for me when those present were invited to join with Hollis Watkins in singing Calypso Freedom.

Princeton University
April 2-4
link to program

Visiting Villanova

2009-03-27T10:31:00.002-04:00

One of the great benefits of participation in the search for Christian unity is the chance to think theologically with those from different traditions. It was a delight and a privilege to be invited by my colleague, Fr. Joseph Loya, OSA, to reflect on how understandings of God as loving, what God requires of humans, and what it means to worship have intersected at different points in church history for his introductory class. He continues to remind me of the importance of Slavic communities for understanding the differences between Eastern and Western expressions of Christian faith. Such hospitality makes it easier to celebrate the Wildcats' victory over the alma mater of other great ecumenists and wish them well this weekend.

Research Flow Chart

2009-03-25T10:33:00.004-04:00

A number of my students have had issues with finding and utilizing sources in extended arguments. This flow chart is designed to assist them in making good use of a variety tools including library catalogs, Google, Amazon, and Wikipedia as an entry point to more complex scholarly discussions.

Wesleyan Theological Society Meeting

2009-03-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

At this year's meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society, Somerset's own Richard Riss presented a review of the literature on John Wesley's Christology. John Drury presented in the same session on the resurrection in Karl Barth's Christology.

Other interesting presentations included Nathan Crawford's discussion of race and hospitality, Timothy Gaines on aesthetics, Dave Mowers on pacifism in the Assemblies of God, and Jeff Stark on postliberal theology, Thomas Bridges on the incarnation and secularism, and a panel discussion of Nathan Kerr's new book: Christ, History, and Apocalyptic. And, of course, John Caputo brought provocations and amusement in numerous addressess to the Society of Wesleyan Philosophers—most pointedly the connections he draws between Christian and transhumanist attempts to overcome flesh.

My own contribution, Narratives of Testimony, Witness, and Reconciliation, is included below:

Create Moodle Courses Easily with EditGrid + XSL

2009-02-16T00:53:00.005-05:00

As I'm making more use of online teaching tools, I've noticed how cumbersome and time consuming it is to create courses on Moodle. There is no easy way to repeat an assignment multiple times or edit them without a lot of waiting for page-loads. To make my life easier, I've devised a way to create courses outside of the Moodle interface and import them using the "Restore" option.

Create the course using my EditGrid template (you need to create an account and then File > Save As before you can make changes).
In your browser's navigation bar, append .moodle.xml to the template page's URL
www.editgrid.com/user/yourname/course -->
www.editgrid.com/user/yourname/course.moodle.xml
Alternatively, you can use the EditGrid menu: Data > My Data Format > moodle.xml Either approach will apply an XSL stylesheet to the spreadsheet that you can also download here.
Use your browser to save the resulting page as moodle.xml
Compress moodle.xml as a .zip file (once zipped it can be renamed something sensible like M101.zip so that you can tell your zipped courses apart).
Upload your zipped file to your Moodle filespace or email it to an administrator.
In a Moodle course, click the restore option, select your uploaded file, and use it to create a new course. If you can't find the menu, ask an administrator to do it for you.

Both the template and the stylesheet are licensed Creative Commons Attribution. If you find it useful, please let me know. It's currently still under development (current version: 0.8) and may have a few bugs. One upcoming feature is the ability to author an entire quiz in a spreadsheet.

Essay Contest - National Workshop on Christian Unity

2009-02-06T19:29:00.002-05:00

National Workshop on Christian Unity (NWCU)
April 27-30, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona

Theme: "Desert Pilgrimage", complemented by the 2009 Week of Prayer theme "That they may be one in your hand", drawn from Ezekial 37:15-28.

The National Workshop on Christian Unity is pleased to announce a coordinated essay contest to encourage students to engage contemporary ecumenical issues. The contest is open to students working toward a graduate degree in theological studies at a seminary or accredited school of theology.

download details

Thinking About Religion, Belief, and Politics

2008-12-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Inaugural Danforth Lecture Series
Princeton University

In a dense and stimulating talk, anthropologist Talal Asad engaged the work of Charles Hirschkind and Charles Taylor. Here are a few ideas that stayed with me:

changing models of 'religion' over time, particularly in relation to understandings of ritual
connections between the optimism of liberal secular politics and Christian articulations of personal salvation
how the market and formal communication both exert forms of control that alter internal desire
an 'ethnography of the body' that would help distinguish between discipline (as intentional cultivation of specific practices) and unintended shifts in the sensorium (the place data from our senses in received and interpreted)
the contrast between state dominance of space and acoustic sensibility of sermons in Egypt
the provocative question: how does democratic sensibility accord with democracy as a state?

Emergent Mid-Atlantic Conference

2008-11-09T21:57:00.004-05:00

Peter Rollins told stories, pushed the envelope, and dialogued with John Franke. Here's a few highlights:

subjective violence vs. objective violence
retroactive need
refusal to do pastoral care
theology as the architecture we build in the aftermath of God
we always get God wrong when we speak, but we are impelled to keep on talking
interdependent particularity

And two questions it stimulated for me:

If we tend to be attentive to subjective violence (the crime-fighting of Batman) while objective violence (the poverty-creation of Wayne Industries) is sublimated, might rejection of success (or criteria for success) enact a Girardian unveiling for churches or other bodies?
Might a focus on embodied existence in general (and Gen 1:26 and Matt 25:40 in particular) provide a path beyond a framework in which finitude and fallenness form an impenetrable barrier to Truth?

Ecclesiological Desire and the Empire We Find Ourselves In

2008-10-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

Evangelicals and Empire Discussion
New York Theological Seminary

Listen

Citizens for Global Solutions is holding its 4th Annual Multimedia contest

2008-10-12T14:27:00.003-04:00

Citizens for Global Solutions is holding its 4th Annual Multimedia contest for artists, designers, poets, activists and just about anyone interested in thinking about global issues and making some cool art. The top contenders will be published on our website.

They're looking for short multimedia pieces (flash animation, spoken word, digital video) that can inspire, amuse and activate people out there who believe that a better world is possible. You are welcome to work alone, in a team, or as part of a classroom project (but the cash prizes remain the same).

In 2003 the world awakened to the terrible tragedy unfolding in Darfur, Sudan. Five years into the armed conflict, the situation remains dire for civilians. The conflict has claimed over a million lives, and the people there are still living in abject poverty. This year Citizens for Global Solutions would like to re-focus attention upon this crisis to remind the world that we still have a duty to help the Sudanese people. The Sudanese government continues to disregard its international humanitarian law obligations and flout UN Security Council resolutions, including the ban on offensive military over-flights, the disarming of the Janjaweed militia, and cooperation with the International Criminal Court at the Hague.

This contest is all about communicating your thoughts and ideas on the conflict:

* Feel free to focus on one specific aspect of the Darfurian case that interests you, since this will give you the most creative space to work in.

* You can also choose to expand the theme to include the larger issues of war and genocide. Remember, this theme is there mainly as a guidance tool; you have complete leeway in deciding which direction you will take when planning for this contest.

* As with all previous Flash and Multimedia contests, the yearly theme is considered elective. You can choose to tackle world hunger and poverty, environmental issues, nuclear weapons & the arms trade, or a different global issue of your choice. Simply choose a GLOBAL ISSUE that you care about, and give us your SOLUTION(s)!

Missional Christianity... Church Beyond Boundaries

2008-09-24T16:43:00.002-04:00

A conference addressing theological and practical challenges
for the future of the missional church

Friday, October 10, 2008

SCHEDULE
Noon - Registration
1:00 - 1:50 p.m. - Plenary session
Scot McKnight - "The Bible and Missional Listening"
2:00 - 2:45 p.m. - Parallel sessions
Michael Noel – Coaching Established Churches for Missional Change
Todd Hiestand – Missional in Suburbia? Are you Kidding?
J.H. Kim – The Art of Worship: Practical ways to empower and engage the creative arts in your community
Eric Mason – Missional church planting in an urban setting
Steve Kriss & pastors – Missionality & Multiculturalism
2:45 - 3:15 p.m. - Snack break
3:15 - 4:00 p.m. - Parallel sessions
Repeat first session
4:10 - 5:00 p.m. - Plenary session
Tim Keel - "Leadership, the Local Church, and the Crisis of Imagination"

5:00 - 6:30 p.m. - Reception with refreshments

6:30 - 9:00 p.m. - Speakers & Formal Installation Ceremony
David Dunbar - Welcome
Darrell Guder - "The Promise and Threat of Missional Theology"
Brian McLaren - "An Epistemology of Love"
John Franke - Chair Acknowledgment

photo credit: untitled by inocuo 2007-08-30 flickr

Echos Commission Meeting in Bangalore

2008-09-23T09:59:00.006-04:00

Next week, a group of 25 young leaders from churches across the globe will meet in Bangalore to work on issues of mission and overcoming violence. I count it a privilege to be joining them.

You can find more information here.

EcuMap beta launch!

2008-09-10T20:20:00.011-04:00

There are a number of good archives for ecumenical documents, but for those who are just beginning to learn about church unity the sheer volume of texts can be overwhelming. The EcuMap project is my attempt to create a visual, interactive means to explore the complicated relationships that have developed between various communions over the last century as they pursue the unity for which Christ prayed. At long last, it's finally ready for some beta testing. If you find it helpful or have some suggestions to improve it, drop me an email.

Managing a Busy Schedule

2008-09-04T09:00:00.002-04:00

As another semester begins, I am posting a few organizational tips that I find useful in keeping track of my own busy schedule. I am including strategies for both those who love computers and those who hate them. The basic idea is to develop a system that works for you to organize and simplify your life (for reflection on the spiritual dimensions of simplicity, see Richard Foster).

Lo-Tech

Go through your syllabi and write down every assignment and when it is due in one place.
Write out a regular schedule for yourself that includes your other commitments and designates extra study time for completing major assignments.
Make a to do list and look at it every day.
Once a week, review the things you accomplished last week (congratulations!), remind yourself to finish things you left incomplete (oops!), and add new things you need to do during the next seven days (you can do it!).
Evaluate whether your system is working and make changes that fit your schedule, personality, etc. (you can find additional ideas and tips at 43 Folders or Lifehack)

Hi-Tech

CALENDAR: Sign up for a free Google account and set up a calendar that you enter all your deadlines (you can even tell it to send you email reminders a week, day, or minutes(!) before they are due).*
TO DO LIST: Sign up for a free Remember The Milk account and use that to manage a system for "getting things done" that works for you. (43 Folders and Lifehack are very useful for this stage)
INTEGRATION: Download Firefox and get the Remember the Milk addon for Google Calendar (and Gmail too, if you use that). This will enable you to add tasks to RTM from your Google Calendar.
MAKE IT EASY: Create a bookmark in your browser's toolbar (or make it your "homepage") so you can get to your to do list/schedule easily and use it daily.
CUSTOMIZE: Review your system to evaluate what is helpful and what is not. If you waste a lot of time maintaining your system, figure out ways to streamline the process.

*my courses all have a link to a iCal formatted version of the syllabus that you can import into Google Calendar - professors who wish to use my EditGrid template can find it here.

Signs of Emergence by Kester Brewin

2008-08-06T12:00:00.003-04:00

A review published in Blackwell Reviews in Religion and Theology

Podcast Theology Lectures

2008-07-29T11:19:00.013-04:00

As an increasing number of seminaries and universities make public lecture series available online, students of theology may find the following compendium a useful supplement to their education–particularly those with long commutes. Suggestions of additional resources that would improve this fragmentary index are most welcome.
Note: Posting these links does not indicate an endorsement of the sponsoring institutions or content of linked presentations, simply an indication that they include academic presentations of some value for reflection or response.

Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry - Great Theologians Lecture Series
Spring Institute for Lived Theology
Taylor University College and Seminary (Canada) Lectures and Special Events
H. Orton Wiley Lecture Series in Theology
New College Lecture Series (Australia)
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary audio resources
The Center for Christian Studies
N.T. Wright Lectures
Gifford Lectures (no audio, but well-indexed summaries of lectures from 1888 to the present)

iTunes U (links open to iTunes podcasts)
Abilene Christian University
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Gordon College
Loyola Marymount University
Seattle Pacific University
Villanova University

Envision the Future: A Declaration on the Common Good

2008-06-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

"We are at a critical moment in the history of the United States. The common good has been seriously compromised. Perpetual war, rampant poverty and inequality, environmental crisis, and the narrowing of the possibilities of human life and cultural flourishing imperil our future..." [more]

Complexifying Our Thinking About the Church in Public Life

2008-06-10T14:00:00.003-04:00

EnVision: the Gospel, Politics, and the Future
Princeton University

[transcript]

Immigration Colloquium: Advocacy and Best Practices

2008-05-11T16:47:00.001-04:00

Princeton Theological Seminary

Rev. Luis Cortés, Julia Thorne, Patty Kupfer, and Belinda Passafaro shared about the complexity of immigration issues, emphasizing the damage done to families where one or both parents of U.S. citizens face deportation.

Envision the Future

2008-05-03T17:37:00.001-04:00

Have a prophetic imagination for social change? What to share your thoughts on how Christians should relate to politics? Well, now is your chance:

In preparation for the EnVision conference this summer, we're holding an online dialogue ~~May 12-14~~ June 2-3 to help create a statement entitled, “Envision the Future: The Next Decade” using innovative collaboration software called Synanim.

By spending just two hours over those days, you can help set the direction for positive change. Once you sign-up, you can log in from anywhere in the world to discuss the issues you think Christians need to address in the next decade. There is no limit to the number of people who can participate in this free event, so even if you can't come to Princeton for the conference June 8-10, sign-up for the online dialogue and make your voice heard.

Pecha-Kucha Transcript Designer

2008-04-26T00:05:00.003-04:00

One of the creative assignments I introduced this semester consists of a powerpoint presentation using 20 slides displayed for exactly 20 seconds each - a format known as "pecha-kucha" that has become an international craze among urban designers and will be used for the first time at a theological conference in June. You can see an edited version of one of my presentations here. To make it easier for students to avoid rushing through 100 words in a single slide, I've created a transcript designer tool that estimates how long it will take a person to say the words typed out for each slide.

New Horizons in Christian Unity (panel)

2008-04-16T19:16:00.006-04:00

National Workshop on Christian Unity
Chicago, IL