Editorial

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities will conduct a site visit on the campus of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, April 16-18, 2018.

“Wrong solitude vinegars the soul, right solitude oils it.” – Jane Hirshfield When we think of the tools of an artist, we may visualize tangible elements of the worktable: brushes, typewriters, endless spools of thread and paper and canvas. However, the intangible means nearly every artist, theologian, and thinker employs is something we both crave […]

“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”—Luke 2:10 That original “Silent Night” celebrated in song was not easy to secure. The Holy Mother was a pregnant teen on the move. Mary and Joseph had to deal with an oppressive, occupying government. They crossed canyons […]

Let me tell you how stars are born. A ripple perturbs the cloudy deep of a nebula, and gathers its dust into dense thickets. The gravity of matter binds one of these clusters together and it attracts more dust and gas, until its own immensity compels it to burn. A proto-star is formed—a newborn. Yet […]

My paternal grandfather was a great man. He was a flawed man, of course, but he was great. Broad-shouldered. Brown-skinned. Staunch-faced, yet quick to grin. He loved strong. Faithed-wide. One of the things he was, was a longshoreman. A few weeks ago, I attended a play with some friends. It took place in the old […]

The Advent season begins four Sundays before Christmas day and serves to help shift our focus and expectations towards the coming of the Christ. Overstimulated and distracted, many of us come into the season weary and in need of a space of preparation.  Advent, the shared practice of exploring the themes of hope, peace, joy, […]

Each human soul, entering into the beat of the longing, joins the rhythm of expectation and waiting. We yearn. We wait. We weep.

In this interview with Judith Butler, her work is considered in light of the recent events at Standing Rock and the 2016 presidential election. Housed within The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, The Other Journal is a bi-annual print and digital journal that aims to create space for Christian interdisciplinary reflection, exploration, and expression at the intersection of theology and culture. This article was originally published on The Other Journal.

This fall, I began my fourth of six semesters at The Seattle School and simultaneously found that many expectations of where I’d be at this point in my life were fully falling apart. A year ago, I’d left behind a community of warmth, color, sunshine, and acceptance for a place that often felt ambivalent towards a brown (stranger) surrounded by mostly white (people) and gray (skies).

At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever […]

In this issue of The Other Journal, we will explore the valences of identity, both individual and communal, personal and public. We will take up the theme of identity in multiple ways, examining its interconnections with sexuality, pluralism and authenticity, the dissolution and reconstitution of borders, racial divisions, and, yes, even the 2016 presidential campaign.

If I had to select one book of poetry that is the most dog-eared in my library, the most quoted in classes at The Seattle School, and the most used by friends in times of celebration and need, it would be, To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue. A master poet, O’Donohue has taught us that some of the most powerful and intimate words are the invocation, “May you…” Those two little words awaken our longing and desire. They strengthen our presence and belonging. They make a place for the Holy Spirit to dance. They evoke light and life and yes.