Philip Friesen

Jesus and Muhammad

Hi to My New Friend   I’m glad we could meet last evening and start our conversation about Jesus and Muhammad. You asked a question last evening that didn’t really get an answer—the question of why Christians haven’t given Muhammad an honored role among the prophets, while (I think you imply) that Muslims honor all the prophets who brought the same message Muhammad brought. This was a good,...

Philip Friesen

Poverty, Race, and Cultural Sensitivity

Children learn about all three of these responsibilities by observing parents. Around 1920 my mother, Amanda Dahlenburg, was in elementary school. One day on the playground she and all her friends reported what they had eaten for dinner the previous evening. A couple of Lakota children reported they had eaten chicken. Everyone was surprised. “Where did you get the chicken? ” All the white...

Philip Friesen

How Jesus Changed the World

Talk given at the Islamic Center of Minnesota on February 19, 2012 This talk was given at the monthly Muslim/Christian dialogue sponsored by the Islamic Center of Minnesota. On February 19 the topic was, How did Muhammad and how did Jesus change the world? Strong reaction came in response to the section on pacifism. One liberal minded feminist objected to my so called “triumphantalist” claim...

Philip Friesen

Mennonites and Same Sex Marriage

Is the boundary defining marriage in Genesis an insulated wall of concrete and steel that cannot stretch or bend, or might it be more like a living membrane that can expand or contract depending upon circumstances? If the latter, how much stretching can marriage tolerate without destroying its purpose? Read Philip’s full paper: Mennonites and Same Sex...

Philip Friesen

Myth in OT Roots of Nonviolence

Yesterday someone asked about my description of the Genesis creation story as “myth” in my book, the Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence. He said, “I see that throughout the book elsewhere you treat the material as historical, but why did you describe the creation story as myth.” My Answer: Myth has two principal uses. The most popular has been to think of myth as fictional. The...

Philip Friesen

Lecture: God, Gays, & Mennos

Title: Lecture: God, Gays, & MennosLocation: Stadium Village Church basement, 501 Oak St. SE, Mpls., MN 55414Description: Here is the Question: Is the boundary defining marriage revealed in Genesis an insulated wall of concrete and steel that cannot stretch or bend, or might it be more like a living membrane that can expand or contract depending upon circumstances? If the latter, how much...

Philip Friesen

LOOK WHO’S FOLLOWING US! Could it be the campus atheists?

Years ago in Taiwan some of our missionaries were impressed by a painting on the wall of the Buddhist hospital that showed a Buddha surrounded by children and a caption that reminded us of Jesus’ welcome to children in the New Testament. Perhaps some older readers will recall the Hindu groups, like the Hare Krishna people, handing out their “gospel” tracts in public places during the 60’s. Now...