As legend has it, once upon a time, mapmakers would mark the unknown places on their maps "Here there be dragons." The actual history is a little more complicated. Sometimes it was drawings of sea monsters, or warnings of icy wastelands, or fiery deserts inhabited by lions. But this proves the point: There are few … Continue reading Here There Be Dragons?
We're all liars. Every single one of us who has ever spoken about God is a liar. Nothing we can say about God is ever really true. This may at first glance sound like a concession to the supposed "postmodern attack on Truth." But, this is actually a deep and ancient intuition about God, one … Continue reading We’re All Liars
'Home is where the heart is.' It's as true a cliché as any. One of the consequences of having a rather itinerant childhood is that for me the idea of 'home' is not connected to a place. I never know what to say when asked about my 'hometown', and I never talk about visiting family … Continue reading The Way Home (An Advent reflection on Isaiah 40.1-10)
Back in January I wrote about how I was trying to re-enchant my disenchanted world. As I was reflecting on this, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of people around me didn't have this problem, but rather lived in a magical world. Faced with the prospect of a cold and unfeeling world, they … Continue reading My Year of Magical Thinking*
I’ve been thinking and writing a lot lately about how most contemporary conceptions about God are too small. The readings this week, as we settle into the hope and expectation of Advent, remind me that the same can be said for common ideas about salvation. For there is nothing that cannot be redeemed. There is … Continue reading The Big, Beautiful, All-Encompassing Salvation of our God (An Advent Reflection on Isaiah 29.17-24)
Matthew Root 