Thealogical Nostalgias

If evolution is popularly sold as an atheist concept, its notion can equally be applied to a person's understanding of the Divine. This is precisely what I present here with these four philosophical essays: My own evolution in both my understanding and experience of the Divine. Essay Number One is based on an initial manuscript I wrote many years ago (1998) in an attempt to capture the essence of Frederick Bauer's Jamesian Quintalism. Essay Number Two is equally based on an initial manuscript I also wrote back in 1998 to elaborate on Ignacio Larraaga's contributions to the field of spirituality within Christian mysticism. Essay Number Three, however, consists of a set of philosophical-theological reflections on my initial attempts at synthesizing both my understanding and experiences of the Divine during my theological studies at the Vatican, Italy. Essay Number Four seems to be a more open, universal and inclusive embrace of the Divine as It has been experienced through the phenomenon of personal healing. It is also more inviting to converge with other cosmologies. Ultimately, this process of evolution, deeply stimulated by Ignacio Larraaga and Frederick Bauer, has taken me to experience, understand and embrace what many call God or Goddess as the Divine Sting and Stinger, Source of all Abundant Life, Paradoxical Truth, and Unconditional Love as I often express through Convergencias.