I acknowledge that the land on which I write is the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Anishinabek Nations, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. This territory is also covered by the Toronto Purchase. Today, Toronto is home to many Indigenous people from across the continent known as Turtle Island.

The Life in Christ: Ephesians in Integral Perspective

An application of the Integral Hermeneutical framework to Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

A Brief History of Biblical Interpretation

Debates among Christians today are often framed in terms of “the Bible versus culture.” But, this is not a fair assessment. For most of the time, all sides in a debate care deeply about the Bible and its teachings. Indeed, the centrality of the Bible in the teaching, life, and faith of the Church is…

Setting our Stories Straight

A series exploring and dismantling the bad Christian theology that was used to justify European colonialism.

Theology from Under the Rubble

We are unquestionably living in fraught and frightening times. But our times are far from unique. Throughout the long course of our spiritual tradition, there have been many times when it’s seemed as though the good days were over and there was only uncertainty and fear for the future. And so, this Lenten series explores a few of these voices, to see what encouragement they may have to offer us as we are challenged to face our own uncertain futures with faith.

Sanctified Imagination

This series explores my conviction that the imagination can be a great ally in the life of faith.

Movements of Faith

A series looking at an eightfold framework of spiritual growth.

Knowing God

Talk about God by its very definition stretches language beyond its limits, as we attempt to describe infinite truths in very finite words.

Growing with Intention

Following up on the series this Spring on the basics of Integral thought, I wanted to look at some of the specific ways this worldview predicts we can facilitate genuine spiritual growth and personal transformation. I introduced the series by discussing the problem of spiritual growth — or more precisely, the lack of spiritual growth…

Good Fruit

An exploration of the different types of ‘good fruit’ our lives can bear, according to the Scriptures and positive psychology.

Called according to God’s Purpose: Exploring Vocation

Some of the most basic questions of human life are ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’ Until we answer these questions, even partially, our lives tend to be dominated by a deep sense of dissatisfaction. In response to this restlessness or ennui, we have three choices: 1. We can languish in it, feeling…

About

Matthew Root is a civil servant and Christian thinker living in Toronto.

Tradition(ed)

Far from being something outside of our every-day lives, tradition is unavoidable: By virtue of being human, we are thoroughly traditioned. Yet, it is not a matter of simple repetition; whether intentionally or not, we always interpret and apply tradition in new ways in every generation.

Sin and Salvation

This series looks at the wide variety of images the Bible uses to describe sin and salvation in order to help us talk better about them.

Empire and Spirit

How did the Scriptures challenge the authorities of their day? And what might that mean for us today?

Integral Basics

This series explores the basics of Integral theory, a useful framework for understanding life and faith.