The Vibrancy of the Conversation

I can't believe that it has been almost exactly ONE year since I have posted anything to this blog.

Over the last year my explorations have taken me deep into Lutheran theology and I have gotten a profound sense of the trust and faith that the Lutheran tradition has in God's "promise" of the forgiveness of sins and justification. It is that sense of trust and faith as well as the humorous and down-to-earth nature of the professors who I have loved to listen from Concordia Seminary on iTunes. Their overall sense of humor and joy is truly infectious.

I have also turned to the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family in DC, which offers graduate classes that often refer to one of my true spiritual guides: Hans Urs von Balthasar. Sadly, the Institute does not provide any MP3s of their classes, so instead I have read a number of works from their professors. Most recently, I have been reading Being Holy in the World, a collection of essays on the work of David L Schindler. What I find inspiring is Schindler's commitment to the ontological reality of love and relation as exemplified by the triune relation of love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and how they in fact affect all of reality: physical, mental and spiritual.

And then there is Torah! As I am sure I have commented many times within this blog, since I am not Jewish and certainly not Orthodox, I always wonder what brings me back to sites like:

• yutorah.org
• vbm-torah.org

The simple answer is the Vibrancy of the Conversation!

I am someone who loves study and loves God, and at times can get bored with one approach or one direction. The thousands and thousands of shiurim that are available on Gemara, Chumash, Jewish Thought, Halachah, etc. provide a partner to learn from and even argue with.

As the new school year begins at Yeshiva University, I look forward to engaging with many of the new shiurim and joining the conversation.