I’ve long believed that silence can speak.
That justice can unfold in contemplative realms.
That theology can be made not only with words and books
but with breath, bread, and bone.
Over the past few months, I’ve been reshaping drdeacondog.com, listening for how to let it hold the fullness of what I now understand my work to be at this time in my life and vocation.
As a professor in her 60s with over 25 years of experience in theological education, I have begun to embody my work as a poetic theologian.
Neither word in this pair is new. Even their partnership dances in ballrooms with other artists, theologians, and leaders.
What is new is my energy for embracing the pair in my work and life.
Poetic theology is the practice of attending to theological questions not only with the mind, but with breath, body, metaphor, and silence.
In the ancient sacred book of Proverbs, we glimpse Woman Wisdom calling out from the threshold of her house. Down the street, another woman stands at her threshold, named in the text as “the strange woman.” My threshold as a poetic theologian emerges somewhere between these two figures as a place where I listen beyond texts and words for beauty and truths that reside in quiet, less-seen, less-acknowledged spaces.
Today, I’m relaunching DrDeacondog.com, not as a platform but as a threshold, a space for reflection, creative engagement, and communal accompaniment.
At this threshold, you’ll find:
- A page that introduces poetic theology as a way of being and writing
- A curated section of featured projects and essays
- An archive of seasonal reflections and poems (with more to come)
- A vision for the months ahead, including a forthcoming book and workshop offerings
I invite you to visit, read, and pause.
And if something you find there resonates, I hope you’ll stay awhile so we can listen together.
With gratitude,
Jill
Salt: Seasoned Theology 