23 November 08
Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=110
Well since I last checked in I have been in Seattle and Boston. Seattle included an interesting light show each evening, drinks in a fantastic little Gastro pub, two sessions at COTA and a couple of talks at Mars Hill Graduate School. I particularly loved the ethos and vibe of the Grad school. Would love to have hung out there a bit longer but no sooner had I had finished speaking I was boarding a red-eye flight to Boston. There I hung out with the wonderful people at Paraclete press, celebrated their 25th anniversary, spoke with a class of teenagers, and saw a great rendition of Oscar Wilde’s ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’. I also spent some time recording video pieces for youtube, including a vlog with Brian McLaren, a conversation with Phylis Tickle and some fireside readings from the forthcoming book (picture an open fire, cup of coffee, big jumper and cheesy music – it is ironic in case you see it and are wondering).
Next stop Greenwich. Then Atlanta and Boston before heading back to the Emerald Isles.
Posted at 00:34 |
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17 November 08
Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=109
Release date: April 2009
See Resources for more details
Posted at 13:28 |
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15 November 08
Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=107
Since New York, see last post for details, I have been hanging out in Texas (Dallas and Waco). It has been a lot of fun, not only has the reception of my work been very warm here but I have had a chance to hang out with my friend Dan Hughes who is putting me up (as well as catching up with my friends Adam, Brooke and Michelle). This leg of the journey has mostly involved universities with a few other bits and pieces thrown in. I have been really pleased with how my talks have gone down here and would be keen to get back at some stage.
Amidst all the work I was able to sneak off and see the Swedish vampire film ‘Let the Right One in’ this afternoon. A visually stunning, beautifully paced, cinematic masterpiece. It tells the story of twelve-year-old vampire struggling with the curse of immortality, love and loss. It is a touching and melancholic work that you really need to see.
Anyway I am now fifteen days in to this thirty-nine day tour and still sane…
Posted at 22:50 |
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10 November 08
9 November 08
Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=103
So what’s been happening since my last update? Well I had a great time in Greenwich with Sean, Tony and the rest of the guys at Trinity. Then it was onto a train to Philadelphia for a one day conference with the Emergent Mid Atlantic crew, set up and run by Tom Turner and Tim Ghali. They put on a great day and I was able to both connect with some old friends (including Keelan Downton who used to live with me in Belfast) and make some new ones. During the day I presented three talks (these were recorded and should appear on Internet in the coming weeks). John Franke (professor at Biblical Seminary and author of Beyond Foundationalism) also presented a paper and we engaged in a public conversation around some of the themes of the day.
Everything finally caught up with me that evening as I sat with friends in the pub. Around 19:30 I started feeling really tired and just about made it to the car before collapsing into a deep sleep. Feeling well rested now and am about to head into New York for a talk this evening. Then its on with the cowboy hat and down to Dallas.
Posted at 15:10 |
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8 November 08
Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=102
Here is a short excerpt of me from an evening in Greenwich the other evening where Tony Jones and I engaged in a public conversation together.
Video
Obviously I don’t really look as crazy as this in real life…
Posted at 12:08 |
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6 November 08
Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=99
After my brief visit to Chicago for a conversation with John Caputo I flew on to Minneapolis for a two-night stop. I was picked up at the airport and taken straight to a local brewery where a group of students had gathered to chat about the new book. Over a beer I got to outline its underlying themes and the implications for contemporary faith groups.
The next day I was up bright and early to speak with an undergrad class in a Lutheran Seminary. The main event however was in the evening when I was able to give a public lecture to staff, students and some local residents. In the talk I explored how religion can be understood to distort the radical kernel of Christianity. That religion encourages us to flee from the world rather than embracing it, changing it and sacrificing oneself for it. I argued that Christianity offers a robust critique of religion in all its insidious forms and encourages us to move beyond it. I attempted to show how Christianity is radically grounded in the world and pushes against all religious tendencies to project beyond the world as it is given: instead seeing God as dwelling in the midst. Then it was off to Psycho Suzie’s with some old friends to catch up and unwind.
The next day I travelled to Grand Rapids for a packed schedule of interviews, talks, discussions and story telling (including my first ever TV appearance). It was also a chance to catch up with my good friend Kevin Corcoran. Right now I am in an airport waiting to board a plane for Greenwich where I will be engaging in a conversation with the one and only Tony Jones. I love Tony… there is something of the Socrates and Kierkegaard in him. He shares with them a rare courage and insight that enables him to ask the untimely question and point out the unpalatable truth. I hope he fares better than them however as it is not an easy vocation.
Anyway I am now 5 days in to the tour and have lost my headphones, watch and notebook, that’s not bad for me.
Posted at 12:46 |
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2 November 08
Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=98
Well, as many of you know, I have just kicked off my 6-week tour of the US. If you are happy for me to do so I was thinking of offering regular posts to keep you up to date with how things are going (I will take silence as consent).
As I write I am currently sitting in a hotel in the heart of Chicago experiencing that ‘Lost in Translation’ feeling of unending wakefulness. Hence it’s currently 4:00 am and I am writing a blog entry. After a full day of travelling I checked in to the hotel and went to join the wonderful Carol Showalter from Paraclete Press (who made this tour happen) and her two great friends Lynn and Daisy. I found them nestled in the corner of a local Russian teahouse, sampling vodka and talking politics (which I think will feature pretty heavily on this tour – the politics I mean). It felt a little like a scene from some Solzhenitsyn novel. After sniffing bread, drinking vodka and eating pickles (apparently you have to fill your nose with the aroma of bread, drink the vodka and then eat a pickle… not sure what happens if you don’t but I wasn’t prepared to find out), I went back to the hotel.
Tomorrow, or rather later today, I have an interview with Christian Century and a public ‘conversation’ with the great John Caputo. John is someone who I deeply admire and so I am looking forward to discussing issues of theory and praxis with him at the American Academy of Religion. After this I head straight to Minneapolis where I am excited to see Christian Scharen, a friend who I initially met in Yale a couple of years ago, and some friends I made from my last visit to the city (Steph, Eric, Chris and Rachel among them).
Posted at 10:57 |
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