Christian Nondualism is a mysticism that does not try to escape from the world. Instead, it seeks to fully experience the world, in both a theoretical and a pre-theoretical way, from out of our nondual center or heart. It seeks a nondual perspective for understanding the nature of our selfhood, of our relation to God, of our relation to others, and our relation to the world. In my books and on this blog, I compare this with other traditions, both eastern and western, and to understand what the specific dualisms are that each tradition seeks to overcome, such as the dualism between body and soul. Click on the menu above for details on my books and for access to published papers on these and other topics.
Individuality, Enkapsis and Philosophical Anthropology
Sorry, I posted a link to an old article. The new article is here.
Individuality, Enkapsis, and Philosophical Anthropology
Individuality, Enkapsis, and Philosophical Anthropology
What is a thing? Dooyeweerd gets his ideas of the nature of things from Martin Heidenhain (1864-1949), Theodor Haering (1884-1964), and Max Wundt (1879-1963): it is from them that he gets the ideas of individuality structures, enkapsis, and even his philosophical anthropology, which deals with the relation between our supratemporal selfhood and our temporal body. These writers sought a holistic view of the world, as opposed to a logistic and atomistic idea of substances with properties. Their holism was consciously placed within the German mystical and theosophical tradition. Dooyeweerd does not give enough credit to these writers in the formulation of his philosophy. An examination of their work can help to better understand Dooyeweerd. This article also shows how most reformational philosophers continue to misinterpret and misunderstand Dooyeweerd’s philosophy. These strong misreadings appear even in the editing of his Collected Works.
Life and Works of Franz von Baader
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John Howard Yoder: Seeking a Christian Tantra
I have added my article “John Howard Yoder: Seeking a Christian Tantra“
What was Yoder trying to do? Where did it go wrong? What were his sources? Did he change his views? Can there be a sacred sexuality, one that does not depend on a dualism between body and spirit? Can we seek ecstasy instead of asceticism? I have given some suggestions, in this article that examines Mahatma Gandhi, the Oneida Community, the Esalen Institute, Harvey Cox, Michael Murphy, Marshall McLuhan, Aldous Huxley, George B. Leonard, some recent books attempting to synthesize tantra and Christianity, and the Christian eroticism, the Philosophy of Love, of Franz von Baader.
The Church Discipline of John Howard Yoder
I have added my article “The Church Discipline of John Howard Yoder.” This concerns the sexual conduct of the theologian Yoder, and his discipline by his local Mennonite congregation. While Yoder’s conduct was immoral, it was not criminal. Terms with a criminal connotations, like “assault” or “sexual abuse” or “sexual violence” should not be used. Nor was there a code of conduct or anti-harassment policy in place at the seminary at the time. After this article was written, additional information about Yoder’s conduct has been made available. My conclusions have not changed, but I will be adding a further article trying to understand the conduct, where it went wrong, what Yoder’s sources might have been, and how we can move forward with ideas of sexuality that are nondualistic and that promote ecstasy instead of asceticism.
Unto the Third and Fourth Generation: The Long Shadow of my Grandfather I.P. Friesen
I have posted my article on my eccentric grandfather I.P. Friesen. He was a melancholy Mennonite who tried to assimilate to North American life as a small businessman, but adopted a toxic American fundamentalism which, as a lay minister, he imported to Canadian Mennonite churches. He was excommunicated and shunned by some Mennonites for sending his children to public school, but he also abused his children
Sermon excerpt, I.P. Friesen
November 26 is Totensonntag [Sunday of the Dad], celebrated in Germany in memory of those who have passed away. Here is an excerpt from a sermon preached by my grandfather I.P. Friesen on Totensonntag in the 1950’s.
His style of preaching was very hypnotic. He is speaking in High German, although with an accent that native speaking Germans will find odd. This is the kind of German I grew up listening to in church, whereas at home, we spoke Low German. Low German is still spoken today by many thousands of people, not only among Mennonites in North America, but also in Mexico, Paraguay, as well as about 60,000 people in the north of Germany.
Totensonntag is commonly celebrated in Lutheran churches. I doubt that it is observed in Mennonite churches today. In the sermon, my grandfather refers to those who have predeceased him, such as David Toews. And he warns that we must be prepared for our own death. Jesus is knocking, knocking on our door and we must let him in if we are not to be lost. My grandfather was a very melancholy person, and he adopted a toxic fundamentalism.
J. Glenn Friesen 