Thanks for all that, Don.  No source for the specific quote, but some broad substance on the notion.  Desmond Avery published a book “Beyond Power” on Simone Weil’s thinking — was powerful for me.
Jim Wiegel

“…the long work
of turning their lives
into a celebration
is not easy. Come and let us talk“. 

The Sunflowers. Mary Oliver


On Oct 8, 2024, at 8:15 PM, Don Bushman via OE <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:


Well Jim-breathe-deep inhale twice as long exhale, 10 times. I have participated in his zooming and found it worth the effort. Unless you are going really far down hill, it is good stuff you can manage.

I found the following likely sources. I suspect it was our Pierce, Matthews, Marshall, and the other creators of RS1 fascination with Kierkegaard-and several of these other sources could play into the statement:

1. Viktor Frankl – "Man's Search for Meaning"

  • Why it's useful: This book provides insight into how suffering can lead individuals to confront questions about meaning, purpose, and spirituality. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, explores how the human spirit searches for meaning even in the most difficult circumstances.
  • Key themes: Existential crisis, suffering, and the search for purpose.

2. Søren Kierkegaard – "The Sickness Unto Death"

  • Why it's useful: Kierkegaard, considered the father of existentialism, deals with despair and how it leads to self-awareness and the need for reconciliation with the concept of God.
  • Key themes: Despair, faith, the self, and the relationship with God in existential crises.

3. C.S. Lewis – "The Problem of Pain"

  • Why it's useful: C.S. Lewis explores the problem of human suffering from a Christian theological perspective, addressing how pain forces individuals to turn toward God for answers.
  • Key themes: Suffering, divine purpose, and spiritual transformation.

4. Paul Tillich – "The Courage to Be"

  • Why it's useful: Tillich examines existential anxiety and the role of faith in overcoming the crises of meaninglessness. He addresses how individuals turn to spirituality when confronted with the anxiety of existence.
  • Key themes: Existential anxiety, courage, and the divine.

5. Thomas Merton – "No Man Is an Island"

  • Why it's useful: Merton, a Trappist monk, reflects on the importance of contemplation and how internal crises often direct us to seek answers in God and spiritual truths.
  • Key themes: Spiritual life, contemplation, and God’s role in personal crises.

6. Simone Weil – "Waiting for God"

  • Why it's useful: Weil’s writings emphasize how suffering and affliction lead individuals to spiritual growth and a deeper understanding of God’s presence.
  • Key themes: Suffering, spiritual growth, and divine presence.

7. St. Augustine – "Confessions"

  • Why it's useful: This autobiographical work shows St. Augustine’s own spiritual crisis and his journey toward understanding God’s role in his life. His reflections are a profound exploration of human restlessness and the search for divine truth.
  • Key themes: Sin, grace, spiritual crisis, and divine revelation.


828-292-9696



On Tue, Oct 8, 2024 at 7:39 PM James Wiegel via OE <oe@lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
The statement, "When the external situation creates an internal crisis from which we seek to escape, it is at that point that the question of God is raised" -- or something like that, was used to give a framework to the Question of God lecture in the Ecumenical Institute's "Question of God" lecture.

What was the source of this statement?  Something in Kierkegaard?
Thanks for any help.  I am frantically trying to swim in the deep waters of Gene Marshall's Zoom Symposium on a new Christian theology.

Jim Wiegel

“We are all time travelers journeying into the future. But let us make that future a place we want to visit. “       Stephen Hawking

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