One of the consistent themes that emerged this summer in our series on Romans was the continuity in the ancient world between the language of politics and the language of religion. Both were ultimately about power and allegiance, making it difficult to discern how much the New Testament was intentionally critiquing Imperial propaganda, and how … Continue reading Let the People Tremble: A Reflection on Psalm 99
Fall is many things in our culture. Here in Canada, it's the baseball playoffs and start of hockey season. It's our social new year. And in the bookish world, it's "Spooky Season." Today I'd like to talk about some of my favourite Spooky Season reads from past years, and what I've been reading lately. But … Continue reading Culture Roundup (October 17, 2026): Spooky Season Reading
We’re in the midst of a short series exploring themes of religious abuse and trauma. Last week, we identified the differences and relationships among abuse, adverse experiences, and trauma. As part of this, we saw that religious abuse was defined by “improper” use of religion, but also noted that what is “proper” and “improper” is … Continue reading Religion Gone Wrong: Control and Accountability
Last time in this series on the complex issues surrounding religious abuse and trauma we saw that trauma is about our body’s response to adverse experiences. In other words, trauma involves the deep connections between the mind and the body. This idea was popularized by Bessel van der Kolk in his book The Body Keeps … Continue reading Religion Gone Wrong: Trauma and Embodiment
[Happy Thanksgiving! While I hope to get back to regular new Sunday posts soon, here is an Integral study on today's Gospel Reading, taken from Matthew's Gospel.] According to Luke's telling, the Parable of the Banquet is a beautiful story of God’s willingness to do anything to ensure the Kingdom is as full as … Continue reading The Parable of the Great Banquet in Matthew (Repost)
