“Grace alone!” was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation. While, on the one hand, this represented a genuine recovery of the theology of grace — especially for Martin Luther himself — it did so in a very particular way. In much of Protestant thought, grace is understood through the lens of “You can’t do … Continue reading Grace in Action: A Reflection on Galatians 6.1-16
The amazing twentieth-century Black theologian Howard Thurman tells a story of meeting with his advisor at his predominantly white seminary. The advisor lauded Thurman’s work but was concerned he was limiting himself by commenting as much as he did on the Black experience instead of “the timeless issues of the human spirit.” About this, Thurman … Continue reading Vocation in the Real World
After what has been a long journey through general human and Christian vocations and the callings to maturity and individuation, we come at last to a discussion of the specific ways we are able to live out our callings in practical, day-to-day life. In each of the previous posts, we’ve seen that all of the … Continue reading Called to Contribute
In today’s Gospel reading, Luke 9.51-62, Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem. Along the way, he encounters different groups of people, who respond to him in different ways. In light of the series on vocation that’s been occupying my midweek posts — and therefore my thoughts — of late, I couldn’t help but think that … Continue reading The World Reacts to Jesus: A Reflection on Luke 9.51-62
So far, this series on vocation has focused exclusively on general vocation, the things we are all called to do and be in the world by virtue of our shared humanity. We’ve seen that this human vocation is a birthright but also something we need to grow into. But there’s a paradox at work here: … Continue reading Called to Be Ourselves
Matthew Root 