Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic

2021-10-28T12:41:16-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Impossible and the Infinitely Loving God: Mystics and Making Peace with Infinity

Last updated on: October 28, 2021 at 12:41 pm By Jack Hartjes

Chapter 5 of David Tracy’s Fragments, Part Two I said in a previous post that I don’t much like infinity. It makes me think of things like size and speed. Most obtrusively, it’s power—not my favorite factor in human relationships. So why would I adore an infinitely powerful God? But still, thinking of God as infinite seems universal if not natural. David Tracy, in his later years of God searching, has increasingly focused on the Infinite, a category he finds... Read more

Tracy

2023-02-13T08:33:43-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Pro-life President Trump Could Have Been

Last updated on: February 13, 2023 at 8:33 am By Jack Hartjes

Imagine a second term for a truly pro-life Donald Trump and a congratulatory phone call from Pope Francis that went like this: President-elect [enter Trump’s name] spoke this morning with His Holiness Pope Francis. The President-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness’ leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world. The President-elect expressed his desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief... Read more

Pro-Life

2021-10-28T12:04:27-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Writing about the Infinite God – And Trying to Like Infinity, Part 1

Last updated on: October 28, 2021 at 12:04 pm By Jack Hartjes

On David Tracy’s Fragments, Chapter 5, “Metaphysics, Theology, and Mysticism” How do I write about our infinite God? Besides being only finite, my mind has an extra problem – I don’t like infinity. I remember learning that scientists found the universe wasn’t infinite. I realized then that I liked the world better that way. What’s to like about an infinite world, anyway. It’s not a place to feel at home in. As soon as I learned that the scientific world... Read more

Tracy

2023-02-13T08:38:24-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

BirthStrike Movement to Dissolve Next Week

Last updated on: February 13, 2023 at 8:38 am By Jack Hartjes

An article by The Guardian’s liberal columnist George Monbiot could have been written by any of the last several popes. It explains why a movement to limit births had a change of heart. BirthStrike was founded by women who want the world to focus on impending environmental collapse. Their attention-getting strategy was to announce their intention not to have children. Next week the group will dissolve itself. Founders Jessica Johannesson and Blythe Pepino explain that they had “underestimated the power... Read more

Ecology

Pro-Life

2020-07-15T07:09:50-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Suffering: No Why’s, No Theodicies, but a Crucified God Suffers with Us

Last updated on: July 15, 2020 at 7:09 am By Jack Hartjes

On Tracy’s Fragments, Chapter 4, Christianity and Suffering Suffering looms large in Tracy’s recent thought, so it’s disappointing that the chapter on “Christianity and Suffering” is the shortest in the book. This chapter also demonstrates a quality almost inevitable in a collection of essays written at different times in an author’s career. It repeats themes found elsewhere in the book without expanding on them much. Central realities of suffering Tracy lists five “central realities,” things we need to say about... Read more

Tracy

2021-10-28T11:45:10-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ancient Greek Tragedy, a Response to Horror and Suffering

Last updated on: October 28, 2021 at 11:45 am By Jack Hartjes

On David Tracy’s Fragments, Chapter Three Suffering and tragedy has been an important theme for David Tracy’s theology for a long time. It appears in many places in Fragments and in the titles of two chapters. The chapter presently under consideration intensifies the idea of suffering with the addition of “horror.” The Christian response waits for Chapter Four. In Chapter Three, “Responses to Horror and Suffering,” Tracy considers the human, pre- or extra-revelation responses to suffering and horror. He finds... Read more

Tracy

2020-06-19T18:10:03-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If Black Lives Mattered, We Wouldn’t Have to Say It

Last updated on: June 19, 2020 at 6:10 pm By Jack Hartjes

Now everybody knows about Juneteenth because Trump, unwittingly, was about to desecrate that day of remembrance for Black people. That is, until he postponed his political rally by a day. June 19 is the day in 1865 that Black slaves in Texas finally heard about their “Emancipation.” (See this post.) It is not a day for a campaign rally by a president for whom Black lives don’t matter. Trump didn’t deliberately schedule his rally for Juneteenth. In fact, he says,... Read more

Social Justice

2021-10-28T11:26:52-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Infinite: Tracy Says a Concept Ancient Greeks Despised is Behind All Naming of God

Last updated on: October 28, 2021 at 11:26 am By Jack Hartjes

Part 4 on David Tracy’s Fragments: The Existential Situation of Our Time, Chapter Two Continued Modern Christians easily think of God as infinite – Infinite power, infinite love, limitless patient endurance. But it wasn’t always this way. Christianity grew from Jewish roots but quickly absorbed Greek ways of understanding their experience of God through Jesus. And for centuries before and after Jesus, Greek philosophers wanted nothing to do with the concept of infinity. But Tracy goes so far as to... Read more

Fragments and Filaments

Tracy

2021-10-28T11:13:33-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Invisible Things and the Ultimate Infinite Invisible

Last updated on: October 28, 2021 at 11:13 am By Jack Hartjes

Part 3 on David Tracy’s Fragments, Chapter Two I’m returning to David Tracy and his new publication Fragments: The Existential Situation of Our Time. Two earlier posts on Fragments are here and here. In Chapter Two Tracy takes up two topics that most people associate with divinity–the invisible and the infinite. Questions on Tracy’s mind include: Do these concepts make sense, or are they just empty words when we apply them to God? Do these concepts apply to anything else... Read more

Tracy

2023-02-13T09:05:37-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Analogy vs. Logic: Arguing Matters Close to the Heart

Last updated on: February 13, 2023 at 9:05 am By Jack Hartjes

The dangerous use of analogy over protest marches People often resort to the literary technique of analogy when arguing about emotional issues. In fact, it’s unavoidable. Pure logic simply won’t do for the matters that are closest to the heart, like God, beauty, morality, politics and what we ought to hope for. To my elementary school students I taught what I had learned in college classes, namely, that these are all matters of opinion. I had learned wrong and... Read more

Social Justice

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who saw a vision of four beasts coming out of the sea?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Amos Joel Ezekiel Daniel

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Christmas Amazon Synod Angels Being Consumed Bible Catholic Modern Creed Ecology Economics Elizabeth Johnson Eucharist Fragments and Filaments Gender and Sex Gospel of Mark Herzog Historical Jesus Liturgy Luke Opening Scriptures on Way to Emmaus Ordinary radicals Parables Pro-Life Reincarnation Rosary Sacraments science Social Justice Souls Stories of Jesus The Creed Torture and Eucharist Tracy Uncategorized War and Peace

Select a Month October 2026 June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 July 2024 March 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Catholic