Matthew Fox's 95 Theses

I'd say this was in honor of Easter, but I actually ended up finding these during a chat with _storyteller_ last night. . .

Matthew Fox, whose book Original Blessing outlines the fundamentals of "Creation Spirituality," posted his own "95 Theses" a few years ago. Storyteller and I were discussing theology, and I was looking up something good from Fox as a quick reference and found this.

Fox was a Dominican priest for 34 years, until he was silenced and then expelled from the order by then-Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation of Doctrine and Faith (called the Office of the Holy Inquisition until 1965). (http://www.matthewfox.org/sys-tmpl/htmlpage20/)


This is the Christianity that I can embrace.


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Like Luther, I present 95 theses or in my case, 95 faith observations drawn from my 64 years of living and practicing religion and spirituality. I trust I am not alone in recognizing these truths. For me they represent a return to our origins, a return to the spirit and the teaching of Jesus and his prophetic ancestors, and of the Christ which was a spirit that Jesus’ presence and teaching unleashed.

1. God is both Mother and Father.

2. At this time in history, God is more Mother than Father because the feminine is most missing and it is important to bring gender balance back.

3. God is always new, always young and always “in the beginning.”

4. God the Punitive Father is not a God worth honoring but a false god and an idol that serves empire-builders. The notion of a punitive, all-male God, is contrary to the full nature of the Godhead who is as much female and motherly as it is masculine and fatherly.

5. “All the names we give to God come from an understanding of ourselves.” (Eckhart) Thus people who worship a punitive father are themselves punitive.

( The other 90 are behind the cut )

Taking Responsibility

I try very hard to take responsibility for all my actions and their consequences.

Right now, as I have to rely on myself more than ever before due to my efforts to transform myself from an employee to a business owner, this is a good reminder.

We all need support from other people. Love, encouragement, words of advice and friendship will help you get through the important stages in your life. When people are in your corner, you feel like taking on any challenge. As important as help from others may be, though, it all has to start with you. If you're waiting for someone to solve your problems, or wondering when someone is "going to do something about that," you may be waiting a long time--unless you look to yourself first. Take responsibility for your own situation and think of what concrete steps you'll take today to help it. If you're going to need help, it's only fair that the person with the most at stake (you) is willing to make the most effort. When someone is pulling you out of a hole and has grasped your hand, you still must take the first step to climb out, or you're just going to be hanging there.


Nothing is going to happen to advance my dreams unless I take action first.
Only when I take action can the efforts of others, including spiritual allies, have any impact.


Quote was today's "Healthy Reflection" from SparkPeople.com. No attribution was given.