“The Word made flesh,” according to William Temple, is the most important phrase in all of Christianity because it affirms flesh as the vehicle and instrument for spirit. Although some scholars have described Jesus in John’s Gospel as a detached “god who seems to glide over the face of the earth,” a closer look reveals how much John’s Jesus takes great delight in earthly pleasures. In this course, students will explore the ways in which the Fourth Gospel invites readers to appreciate the gift our bodies and our bodily senses, including our heart sense. This uniquely Anglican approach to the Gospel of John incorporates wisdom from Nature and Forest Therapy, which will help inform some of the spiritual practices and disciplines throughout the course.
Instructor: The Rev. Daniel London, PhD, serves as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka CA. He earned his doctorate in Christian Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He is a certified Forest Therapy Guide and the author of several books. He has also published articles and presented papers at academic conferences around the world. He serves as the Ecumenical Officer for the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California and lives in the Transfiguration House in Eureka CA with his wife Dr. Ashley London Bacchi and their two Yorkies, Seabury and Gubbio.