We humans are a rather predictable lot. Our heads are turned by good looks whether we want them to be or not; we can know someone is manipulative and still find ourselves caught up in their charm. We are drawn to the biggest, the most powerful, and the 'best'. The shiniest. The brightest. But these … Continue reading A Kingdom of Small Beginnings
As I seek to identify, interrogate, and ultimately unravel the various strands of dysfunctional Christian theology that were used to justify European expansion and colonization, I need to start with the biggest, baddest narrative of them all: the Doctrine of Discovery. I would argue that no idea has had as profound consequences for the world … Continue reading Setting our Stories Straight: Doctrine of Discovery
One of the great lessons of postmodernism and postcolonialism has been that there is no such thing as an objective philosophy or theology. All theology is contextual theology. And so, before I begin this project of dismantling the bad Christian theology that supported European imperialism and colonization, I need to situate myself within my own … Continue reading Setting our Stories Straight: My Own Settler Story
I remember when I was about eight years old desperately wanting a skateboard, and not just any skateboard, but a banana board, a style that was all the rage among second grade taste-makers in Whitehorse at the time. I wasn't particularly agile or stable on my feet, and I got around just fine on my … Continue reading Give us a King: A Reflection on 1 Samuel 8.4-20
A few months ago, I quite unintentionally began a deep-dive in reading Indigenous writers. Around the same time, a good friend and I started talking about the 94 Calls to Action from the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and how slow our government (and a lesser degree our church) seemed to be in … Continue reading Setting Our Stories Straight: Dismantling Settler Theology
Matthew Root 