Daniel DeForest London argues that the Fourth Gospel offers a potentially transformative response to the question of suffering and the human compulsion to blame. Based on his reading of John 9 (the man born blind), London argues that the Gospel does not offer a theodicy, but rather a theodical spirituality, an experience of praying the question of suffering and remaining open to a divine response. London shows how the Johannine Jesus’s response poses three sets of symbols in dichotomy (day...

"Here we are. You and me. And I hope Christ makes three." So begins a profound and yet playful conversation about the possibility that "God is friendship."In Spiritual Friendship Distilled, readers are invited into a robust conversation about the miracle of friendship and the practical ways that we can cultivate our friendships with God, others, ourselves, and the earth. Originally written in Latin by a 12th century English Cistercian abbot, this modern rendering makes the teaching...

"God is not an idea to be grasped but a presence to be enjoyed." This is the central message of the 14th-century mystical text The Cloud of Unknowing, which many readers today find less-than-accessible due to the medieval milieu in which it was written. Daniel DeForest London offers a distillation of the text that speaks to today's spiritual seekers and provides a spiritual practice for directly experiencing the God beyond all understanding. As a scholar, priest, and practitioner of contem...

In René Girard, Theology, and Popular Culture, fifteen contributors consider how Girard’s mimetic theory can be used to uncover and probe the theological depths of popular culture. Creative and critical engagement with Girard’s theory enables the contributors to offer fresh and exciting interpretations of movies (The Devil Wears Prada, Mean Girls, Star Wars), television (Hoarders, Cobra Kai), classical literature and graphic novels, and issues ranging from anorexia to social media. The res...